Harp Column Blogs: Carl SwansonArchive

It's that time of year again when the heat goes on, the air dries out, and your harp runs the risk of major damage from not having enough moisture in the air. Let's start by looking at the problem.

Wooden musical instruments that are made for the American market(pianos, harps, harpsichords, etc.) have to be made from wood that has been dried to a moisture content of 5% to 8%. If there is more moisture in the wood than that when the instrument is made, then there is going to be too much movement in the wood over the seasonal changes that occur each year, and that will result in cracks, checks, and open joints. European musical instruments were traditionally made with wood dried to a 15% moisture content, and this didn't cause any problems because western Europe is much like the west coast of the United States. The relative humidity in the air is pretty constant year round. But when those European instruments are brought to the United States, all hell breaks loose. The higher moisture content makes the wood move a lot with the seasonal changes here, and it can destroy the instruments.

But even with an instrument built to American specifications, problems can occur. In areas of the country where the heat is on for months at a time, and particularly in the northeast and Midwest, the relative humidity inside houses drops to close to zero. Your harp does not dry out immediately. In fact, it takes several months. So most of the damage will occur at the end of the winter, just as the climate is starting to get more humid.

Lack of humidity will cause checks and crazing in the finish. It will also cause glue joints to break apart, especially ones that are under a lot of stress. This is the main reason that baseframes come apart, and that soundboards develop cracks. On gilded instruments it will cause the underlying wood to shrink, causing cracks in the gilding and even loosening the gesso from the wood.

The fix for this is so simple and yet so important. GET A HUMIDIFYER!!!!!!!!! Turn it on as soon as the heat goes on, and keep it filled and running all winter. Even if you move your harp out of the house frequently, the time that it spends back in that humidified room will save it from damage.

The type of humidifier you get is important. There should be no visible vapor coming out of it. If something looking like steam comes out of it, then it is the wrong kind. Humidifiers that emit a visible vapor will leave calcium deposits and possible condensation on objects in the room. The right type of humidifier will not leave anything.

The right humidifier has a reservoir of cold water, usually holding 5 to 7 gallons, and a porous belt that rotates through the reservoir, picking up moisture. A fan blows through the now saturated belt, evaporating water into the air. So the air coming out of this type of humidifier is invisible. You can and should put this kind of humidifier as close to the harp as you can, because the humidity will be higher the closer you are to the machine.

You should keep the harp and humidifier in a closed room, and keep the relative humidity in that room at around 40% to 60%. If, when you walk into the humidified room, you can 'feel?'the humidity, then it is humid enough. Lowering the temperature in the room will raise the relative humidity. So try to keep the temperature in the harp room as low as you can stand it.