The body of your
harp can be made of reinforced glass fibre. This most versatile material
is quite suitable for the job, but it can only he used for the skin,
as the soundboard must be made of wood. A harp maker from the USA,
Earl Thompson, of Silver Spring, Maryland, used to make the whole
body in glass fibre, soundboard included, but these harps are at present
no longer in production. A wooden soundboard undoubtedly gives a better
tone.
To make the skin
in glass fibre, it is necessary at first to make two moulds. The first
mould is made all of wood, and is described in Fig. 1.11; this is
a female mould. The second mould (male) is made of reinforced glass
fibre.
The amateur harp
maker will be well advised to read the book Glass Fibre for Amateurs
by G. M. Lewis and R. H. Warring, published by Model and Allied Publications
Ltd. The reader will appreciate that it is beyond the scope of this
book to describe the technique of working with glass fibre and we
shall only deal with the parts which are essential to our subject.
Of course, it takes
longer to make one harp in glass fibre than it takes to make one all
in wood, but once the final mould is made it is quick and easy. Several
harp bodies can be made from the same mould and the job looks really
professional. The book we recommend is ideal for the amateur, because
it eliminates the need for expensive equipment and ensures that the
end product will be reliable.
