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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> Wow, that is great. Lots of work went into that. Is there a stain on the 
> wood?
> 

No, just tung oil.  Now that you mention it, there's not even any stain in 
the shop anywhere.  Black walnut wood really is almost black.  This harp was 
made from an old, old tree that was dying of old age.  The cabinet maker 
sawed it 
up on a bandsaw mill and to his dismay, it was full of sap pockets!  Almost 
unheard of in a walnut tree.  This meant it was largely spoiled as cabinet 
wood, but since the pieces I need in the luthier gig are relatively small and 
irregular, I could make use of most of it by positioning my templates around 
the 
offending pockets.  By the bye, the wood was kiln dried but I've had it in 
storage for 12 years now.  I'm gathering wood now to air dry to use five or 
six 
years from now.

The soundboard is birch.