My Argent Fox double-strung harp was originally planned to have wood carvings added to it but that final touch was overlooked as other concerns took precedence preparing for the harp’s delivery in fall 2022.

This spring I decided it was time to revisit that forgotten detail and complete the visual aesthetic of the harp.

My source here for ready-made wood carvings was the very popular online shop Etsy. I measured the sound holes and found several very nice daisies that would look just right, plus some Baroque scrolls for the base of the soundboard:

Daisies for the top two sound holes.

Baroque scrolls and larger daisies for the bottom sound holes.

The wood ornaments needed a flexible adhesive putty to make them stay on the soundboard. Soundboards rise and fall with tuning, humidity and temperature. Elmer’s carpenter’s wood glue dries too stiff, so they would fall off on the first tuning. Products like Quake Hold and Loctite Fun-Tac, if they’re spread thin enough, allow the wood carvings to be securely mounted to soundboard and move up and down with environmental and tuning tension changes.

I have four senior cats (or maybe, four senior cats have me!) In any case, 17 year old Jasmine Kitty has her own Internet fame with her little cardboard kit harp that I made for her 10th birthday. This harp has engraved fox paws going up the front pillar.

Time for the cat carving!

Here’s a kitty reaching up for a purple daisy centered on a green meadow.

I layered different colors of metallic paint markers. Here I used a wood glue, because there’s not flexing going on at the pillar cap.

Pillar cap ornament.

Jasmine would approve.

Argent Fox double wire harp in my recording studio.