Pedal Harp Tuning Key

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

What is the size of a pedal harp tuning key socket? And/or where may I purchase just the socket hardware? I plan to have my uncle make custom turned handles which I will color code for each of the harps I rent to students. It’s a handy way to not look at a black key and say “whose is this?” ($30 a piece for the colored ergonomic keys is too expensive plus the colors aren’t ideal.)

I see hardware online for smaller pegs, but not geared toward PEDAL harp keys.

I have checked and a #10 clock key will fit a zither pin, so I would think I just need to try a #11 then #12 clock key, etc. I’m hoping someone else may know the answer so I can skip purchasing the wrong sizes.

Thanks.

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

Ah ha! After some googling, I’m pretty sure the size to try is a #12 clock key. That size is gauged to fit 4.8mm. If anyone has calipers and a standard peg available…. I’m away from my harps for a couple weeks so I can’t measure. My travel harp has zither pins and the best I can do is assume a grandfather’s clock key which I have handy is a #12; it looks like the right socket with my eyes and it is too big for zither pins, which is also true for a pedal harp key.

Still if anyone has a better source for an appropriately gauged socket that is easy to insert into wood, let me know.

[barbara-brundage]

Well, you know, Sidney, personally I’d rather have my students using rubber covered tuning keys, for the sake of the harps. Have you considered just buying a bunch of the black ones and numbering them with tape on on the shank?

[tony-morosco]

I’m with Barbara. I used to have a wooden long handled tuning key and ended up dinging one of my harps when I dropped it once. Ever since I use only rubber covered keys (except for my Camac as I haven’t found a rubber covered key that fits it).

The T shaped rubber covered keys are about $20 and the long handled one is about $25. I prefer the longer handled ones, but I keep a couple of the T ones as back ups just in case.

[Tacye]

Clock keys are often brass and I don’t think would have all that long a life before getting worn by the tuning pin ends and in turn risking mashing the pegs. I think I remember seeing tuning keys available without handles, Pilgrim, maybe. Why not find a way of marking the current black ones you presumably already have – perhaps cutting numbers into the rubber on the downstroke of the T or electrical tape or Sugru rings?

Incidentally, I usually cover the bare metal shafts of non-rubber tuning keys with silicone tubing, but am thinking of trying Sugru. Would this reassure you about your Camac key, Tony?

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

Ah…. Here’s the context. These are CHEAP harps! I am renting out 4 Fireside cardboard harps and can see the fleet of harps increasing to 10 in the future. They have proven fantastic for beginner instruments and have made it possible for me to build up a studio of harp students since instrument rental can be very affordable. In this context, dropping a wooden key on cardboard is not a problem. I also have group lessons so keeping track of tuning keys is even harder. It would be awesome to have the pink key go with the pink harp and the blue key go with the blue harp, etc.

I have expanded the basic Fireside Kit harp. I have taken off the zither pins and reamed the holes for standard tapered pegs. It didn’t bother the students to tune with the zither pins, but it really bothered me. The zithers are on the wrong side of the harp and they are actually threaded opposite of the “forward sharp, backward flat” direction. I just ignored the threading, and strung it the “right” way, but could see that over time, the pins were going to work themselves out of the wood. I have been talking with Backyard Music and shared my experience with converting their kit to use tapered pegs and they are indeed looking into discontinuing the zithers themselves. Pretty cool! I’d say when comparing low budget end harps: Fireside v. Harpsicle….if Fireside does convert to tapered pins…that puts them ahead in my opinion.

The cardboard has proven AWESOME! After three months of renting, one cardboard box has already been damaged. The father put the harp in a bad location, then the brother stepped on it. If the box was wood, it would have been a super expensive repair if not total loss. The cardboard replacement cost $20 plus the time to paint and glue.

So after digressing, to get back to the tuning key. I want to make wood tuning keys that match the rainbow of cardboard harps that I have. I would of course go for something longer lasting than brass if it’s available, but if I need to change out the brass after so long, then that’s okay too. I don’t already have a set of rubber keys for each harp as I’ve just installed the tapered pegs myself. The plain rubber key is pricey anyway. So if I can make my own custom keys from $5 or less clock keys with a little effort, that’s the way to go. I also like the idea of my uncle turning the handles as a fun project for us to work on together.

[Tacye]

I think radiator keys may turn out much cheaper than clock ones… I use a harp tuning key to bleed radiators so assume the converse is worth trying.

I just measured a peg at 4.77mm so the 4.8 mm seems a pretty good bet.

[Tacye]

Interestingly I measured a Pilgrim peg at 4.8 mm but they sell the tuning key shanks at 5 mm. I guess that makes sense as you want some leeway to get it on and their tuning keys do fit fine.

http://www.pilgrimharps.co.uk/vmchk/Tuning-Key-Shank-5mm/flypage.tpl.html

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

Awesome Tayce! That is great info. I’m going to check out the radiator keys.

[Tacye]

Another random thought, if you need to tune a small harp with zither pins I find my brain copes quite well if I turn the whole harp round and tune it with the column near me.

[tony-morosco]

Hi Tacye, I actually do have silicon tube over the metal shaft of the camac tuning key, but with the other key that I made the ding with it was the wooden handle that actually caused it, so it is the wood I am concerned with (that one actually had the shaft and tip covered in rubber, but the wood handle caused the mark when it hit).

I have considered wrapping it in something akin to the wraps used on tennis racket handles, but worry that will just make it too bulky.

[barbara-brundage]

Thanks for the extra details, Sidney. Yes, your plan makes sense now. You might want to price harpsichord wrenches. I had a harp long ago with zither pins and it came with one of those. Even back then they were a lot cheaper than harp tuning keys, and more ergonomic, too.

[Tacye]

Tony, look here for key F.

http://www.vaharpcenter.com/harp_accessories.php?dsp=keys

[tony-morosco]

Thanks Tacye, but my Camac is a lever harp. My pedal harp is a L&H (I have several rubber covered keys for that one), so the only one there that fits is the one I already have, E.

[Tacye]

Are you saying Camac use a different size tuning pin for their pedal and lever harps? If so I think they’re mad!

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