Bent

This odd-looking object is a wood steamer. A harpsichord contains several pieces of wood which have to be bent at fairly extreme angles, and you've got a much better chance of installing those pieces without breaking them if you first soak the piece in water overnight, then cook it in a steamer like this one for an hour or so, and then clamp it in the desired shape for a few days. The piece I was working on in these pictures is the hitchpin rail, which hugs the bentside of the instrument and anchors the 8-foot choir. After it came out of the steamer I clamped it like so:



In a few days it'll be ready to glue in the case.