So just what is Delignit? Delignit is a laminated pinblock material made of European Beech and bonded with phenolic resins. It is widely used in high-end pianos worldwide, and is actually imported from Germany.
In a nutshell, it is a specialized form of plywood that I’ve now adapted to be used in bowed psalteries to give them even more tuning stability. All psalteries from here on out will have an upper surface of Delignit where the tuning pins make contact with the pinblock. (See picture on left.)
Since there are so many layers of wood that contact the tuning pin, the pinblock’s surface is guaranteed to be consistent and free of any large defects. Also, since the wood is cross-laminated with the grain running perpendicular to the adjacent layers, it less susceptible to movement during changes in weather.
What it all amounts to is this: your bowed psaltery will be more likely to remain in tune.
A thankless job, I know. 
Hi there! I am an amateur instrument builder and am embarking on a pretty crazy project (and one that will end up putting more tension on the final instrument than one might believe!). I’ve been trying to find somewhere to purchase Delignit for the construction, but I’ve had little success. I’d LOVE some advice – do you know of a store? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge!
December 19th, 2008 at 8:52 amMichael,
I don’t know of anywhere that would sell only a small amount of Delignit. You’d have to buy an entire piano pinblock size — about 59″ x 9″ for the smallest.
In terms of places that sell to the public for retail, you can try here:
http://www.mypianoshop.com/store/product.php?productid=16461
And now that I look at the prices, it appears that the cost has gone even higher on this stuff. On the upside, they do offer free shipping.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:52 am