Being cranky — it's a hobby!

A few years ago my fascination with hurdy gurdies went as far as ordering one. From there things only got worse. Delivery went well, but the climate around here (north of the Arctic circle, land-locked: no humidity to speak of) immediately got to the instrument causing a crack here, some warping there. A crack spanning nicely along the body of the instrument. It looks like the wood is very soft and the strings, when tense, are easily cutting into the wood. Needless to say that my initial happiness quickly subsided and frustration set in. Then, earlier this year it was time to pick the instrument up again and make it playable. First, the unsightly and worrisome cracked body: not a problem for tape glue. Same crack, in new light and new glue. To prevent new cracks I went for 3D-printed patches: just a few layers from a 3D-printer, after a short hot-water bath so they would bend easily and then held in place with glue tape. It’s not very pretty, but it works: the patches make sure the…