| A variety of possibilities offered themselves as to how the harp would be finished. There is no advice really in the plans about finishing. | |
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This harp was made from maple, with a maple back and
spruce sound-board. I decided to leave the back and front natural,
but stained the maple body which was very pale.
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Before finishing, I decided to paint a celtic pattern on the sound board. This I did with water based acryllics, having traced the design onto the wood first.
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The next step, not especially photogenic, was repeated finishing and sanding with progressively finer paper, until the desired finish was built up. I used Tru-oil wiping varnish, which is light and hard, and relatively easy to apply.
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The second harp was made from walnut, much darker
than the maple instrument, so I decided to leave the natural wood
colour. This made finishing simpler as well.
It was sanded progressively with finer and finer paper, from 80 grit, right up to 1500 grit. A long and time-consuming task.
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I chose to protect the wood with a with a shellac based finish. I used Mylands Sanding Sealer, which can be applied in a day. After 4 coats, the result was very pleasing. A harp is not an instrument likely to be handled heavily, so I thought this finish sufficient, and it has given the walnut a soft warm natural lustre. |