Oil can be used on the action or disc mechanism of a harp to resolve specific problems. It won’t damage the harp as long as it is kept off the wood or wiped off immediately. As a harp technician, I use oil for two main reasons. The first reason is to lubricate moving parts. This decreases friction and frees up the motion. And the second reason is to eliminate or reduce the buzzing noise that can happen where metal contacts metal. These problems are normally addressed during a regulation or reconditioning. That being said, I recommend a true understanding of the problem to determine that oil is indeed the solution.
Understanding that a harp technician is not always readily available, harpists sometimes have to approach technical issues on their own. I, of course, recommend consulting a technician to determine the cause of, and possible solutions to, a problem. There are some problems that can be solved merely with the harp expert’s advice and others that may require an actual appointment with a technician.
—Tom Bell is a retired harpist and harp technician in Akron, Ohio. His business, Bell Harp Tech, has been growing for 40 years.
Oil is important to the good functioning of the mechanism, but too much oil doesn’t make it work better, and may end up causing other problems. I would say that the mechanism should not be oiled more than once every 5 to 7 years or so, and is probably best left to the technician working on it. A single drop of oil on each of the moving parts inside the action is all it needs, and many of those parts are difficult to reach. Your technician probably has a syringe with a long needle or a specialized oil can with a long tube that can reach those places. Too much oil will end up dripping on the soundboard and could permanently stain it.
If the harp you are talking about is very old, has not been played in a very long time, and the action is either slow or won’t move at all, then no amount of oiling is going to fix that. It needs to be taken apart, cleaned, and re-lubricated. In addition, the rods probably need to be removed, cleaned and re-oiled. Even the pedal fulcrums could be seized and need cleaning and oiling.
—Carl Swanson is a Boston-based harpist, teacher, technician, and harp builder who has published editions of major harp works with Carl Fischer Music.
No. The action mechanism is greased at the factory with special formula grease and doesn’t need oiling. In fact, oil would do more harm than good, as oil dissolves and washes out the grease from rivet joints. It will also drip down on the soundboard and may damage the finish.
However, disc pins in higher octaves can be oiled lightly using a cotton swab, where they pinch the string, especially gut strings, to remedy occasional squeaking when engaging and disengaging pedals. •
—Joseph Urban, a Chicago-based independent tech since 2007, worked for Venus and Lyon & Healy Harps for over 20 years, and is a member of the Lyon & Healy/Salvi Technicians Guild.
