Jacks,Jack parts,jack plectra,Jacks for Hugh Craig Harpsichords

HCH Jack Supply

WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTION

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Jacks and Jack Parts & Jack Plectra

Jack Conversion Kit

Wholesale Jack Supply

Jack Information

Harpsichord makers of today use either wooden or plastic jacks. The Jack consists of a body, tongue, spring, pivot pin, damper and plectra. Early harpsichords and spinets had jacks generally made of pear wood bodies and holly tongues. However accurately produced, the timber (kiln dried) will take in moisture, swelling in damp conditions and shrinking in dry conditions. This causes the jack to either stick or rattle in the slide, resulting in great frustration to the player.

The Hugh Craig designed Jack

Having used both wooden and plastic jacks extensively it became obvious from our research that a well designed and reliable jack was needed for our instruments. The Hugh Craig jack is made of the best quality Delrin plastic, injection moulded to our precise specifications and with the added benefit of top-screw adjustment. With ease the top screw can be turned to quickly and efficiently adjust the plectra to its correct plucking position without the usual problems of removing the jack body from the slide.

The Hugh Craig jack has proved over many years to be one of the finest and most versatile jack mechanisms in the world today.
View Jack Conversion Kit

Plectra Information

Plectra cutting, whether Delrin plastic, quill or oak-tanned leather can be difficult. A good support plectra block and sharp scalpel are essential tools for the desired clean angled cut. The tongue in the Jack body should move freely on the pivot pin. This can be tested by gently relieving the tension on the spring or pushing it to one side. This freedom of movement with the tongue is so important, as a tight pivot hole in the tongue rarely frees itself over time. Most jack springs, whether hog bristle or metal, can have their tensions adjusted. This is particularly important when using leather or plastic, if the tip beaks (bends) down and the spring is strong, it will be difficult for the tongue to move back to allow the plectra to return under the string ready for plucking again, even when de-beaked. Our Hugh Craig Harpsichord Maintenance Manual gives detailed instructions on how to insert and cut-in plectra. View Spinet & Harpsichord Accessories > Miscellaneous

Part No

Item Name

Unit

Price £ (Sterling)

Jacks and Jack Parts & Jack Plectra

Jacks

JPU 20

Jacks (unassembled) Injection Moulded, Excludes plectra

Delrin Plastic Body - drilled, tongue for plastic jack - drilled, top adjustment screw, pivot pin, damper strip, tongue spring wire.

each

2.90

JPA 30

Jacks (fully assembled) Injection Moulded. Excludes plectra.

each

3.80

Jack Spares

JPS 31	Bodies	each	1.66
JPS 32	Tongues	each	0.80
JPS 33	Top Screws	each	0.10
JPS 34	Pivot Pins	each	0.10
JPS 35	Damper Strip	each	0.10
JPS 36	Tongue spring wire	each	0.04

Jack Plectra (Quills)

JPS 37	Delrin	100	18.00
JPS 38	Plastic	100	14.90
JPS 39	Leather	100	29.00
JPS 40	Bird quill	100	49.00
JPS 40A	Ravens Quill	100	59.00

Jack Slide & Lower Jack Guide Assembly

JGP 43	Jack Slide - (harpsichord only) - metal. Unstamped - 16mm (5/8") width x 915mm (36") length	each	12.00
JGP 44	Jack Slide - (harpsichord only) - metal. Fully stamped & slotted - 16mm (5/8") width x 915mm (36") length (taken from customers pattern)	from	79.00
JGP 45	Jack Slide - (spinet) - metal. Unstamped - 25mm (1") width x 915mm (36") length	each	14.00
JGP 46	Jack Slide - (spinet) - metal. Fully stamped & slotted - 25mm (1") width x 900mm (36") length (taken from customers pattern)	from	84.00
JGP 50	Lower Jack Guide Rail - drilled & felted - made to customers requirements	from	45.00
JGP 52	Lower Guide Jack Pins - brass, 10mm (3/8") Thread x 25mm (1") Shank - total length 35mm (13/8")	each	0.29
JGP 53	Lower Guide Jack Pins - brass, 10mm (3/8") Thread x 30mm (11/4") Shank - total length 40mm (15/8")	each	0.35

Tools for assembling 'unassembled' Jacks can be found in Spinet & Harpsichord Accessories section.

Jack Conversion Kit

World Wide Distribution

The 'Jack Slide Conversion Kit' is a unique product designed to help eliminate the problem of sticking Jack Bodies and Tongues, and the rattling of worn wooden Jacks in slides. A common problem with many spinets and harpsichords is the swelling or shrinking of wooden Jacks or Jack Slides. Swelling of the wooden components results in the Jack sticking in the Slide slot, restricting its free vertical movement. Worn Jacks result in a loose, noisy mechanism. Loose action makes plectra adjustment difficult.

The 'Jack Slide Conversion Kit' consists of a customized metal Jack Slide with a complete set of fully assembled HCH Jacks or unassembled HCH Jacks (with instructions on cutting-in of plectra and assembly of your new Jacks). View Jacks & Jack Parts

Please Note

This Jack Conversion Kit cannot be used:

1. On Spinets or Harpsichords where the Jack Slide has been glued into place and is a permanent fixture.

2. Where your original slide holding the jacks in your harpsichord is less than 16mm (5/8") in width.

Converting your Harpsichord Jacks and Jack Slide

Remove all Jacks and Slide from your harpsichord. We strongly recommend each Jack that is removed from your Harpsichord, is numbered in numerical order and kept safely. In rigid packaging, marked FRAGILE, send the slide plus the first and last Jack by registered post to our workshop. Having taken a pattern from your old slide we will then transfer the spacings onto our new metal slide. This new slide, a complete set of new Jacks, together with your old slide and the two original Jacks, will be posted to you. The lower Jack guide screw holes in the bottom of the Jack body can be drilled by us, if instructed by the customer. Our instruction leaflet contains information on how to assemble your Unassembled Jacks, inserting new leather plectra, plastic plectra and cutting-in instructions.

Converting your Spinet Jacks and Jack Slide

Remove all Jacks from your spinet. We strongly recommend each Jack is numbered, in order, when removing from your Spinet and kept safely. Release tension on all strings. This should allow the Jack slide to be removed - screws may need to be removed during this process. In rigid packaging, marked FRAGILE, send the slide plus the first and last Jack by registered post to our workshop. Having taken a pattern from your Jack slide we will then transfer the spacings onto our new metal slide. This new slide, a complete set of new Jacks, together with your old slide and the two original Jacks, will be posted to you. The lower Jack slide guide screw holes in the bottom of the Jack body can be drilled, if instructed by the customer. Our instruction leaflet contains information on how to assemble your Unassembled Jacks, inserting new leather plectra, plastic plectra and cutting-in instructions.

Please send for a sample of our HCH Assembled Jack as listed before placing an order. View Jacks and Jack Parts

Please Note

We are providing a product only (Jack Conversion Kit) and take no responsibility for work undertaken on instruments by persons outside our workshop.

How to Order

We advise careful packaging in a rigid container for the posting of your original Jack Slide and two Jacks to avoid damage. Mark all sides FRAGILE. Registered post is advised.

Jack Conversion Kits

Part No	Item Name	Unit	Price £ (Sterling)
JCK 60	Kit (1) includes fully stamped metal Jack Slide. One set (choir) unassembled HCH Jacks, set of 63. (Plectra included)	per kit	329.00
JCK 70	Kit (2) includes fully stamped metal Jack Slide. One set (choir) assembled HCH Jacks, set of 63. (Plectra included)	per kit	399.00
JPA 30	Fully assembled HCH Jack	per jack	3.80

Jacks @ 15% Discount

Jacks @ 30% Discount

Jacks @ 45% Discount

Jacks @ 55% Discount

Jacks @ 66% Discount

Wholesale Jack Supply

Jacks Supplies Wholesale to the Harpsichord Trade

Wholesale Jack Supply Prices

We are offering our Hugh Craig designed Delrin Jack at a Trade price to the professional harpsichord maker, in either unassembled or assembled form, with a sliding price scale dependent upon the quantity supplied. Through my experience as a professional harpsichord maker of many years I have seen and used a wide selection of jacks in both old and new harpsichords and observed their associated problems. This cross-section of Jacks included those made of wood, or plastic, designed without any tongue adjustment, designed with lower tongue screw adjustment, or those with top screw adjustment. As a consequence, the Hugh Craig jack was designed for its efficiency, reliability and convenience for the player, and we believe it is one of the finest jacks made in the world today.

The Hugh Craig Jack is injection moulded in Delrin plastic not only for its rigidity and stability but has the added advantage of a slim design. Our Jacks are suitable for all climatic conditions and our injection tooling guarantees uniformity in the thickness and width of each Jack. This accuracy enables interchange of our Jacks in the slide slots at any time. This is not always possible with some plastic Jacks and virtually impossible with wooden Jacks. The Jack body can be trimmed to any length, top or bottom, to fit all instruments from Spinets to Double Manual Harpsichords.

The top screw adjustment not only makes plectra regulating extremely accurate but with a quick removal of the Jack rail you can conveniently regulate any Jack in seconds without the inconvenience of removing the Jack from the slide. The Hugh Craig Jack works smoothly and keeps its tongue and plectra adjustments longer than most other Jacks, largely due to the micro adjustment on the top screw, the precision in our design of the tongues top angle and the coned end on the tip of the adjustment screw, all contributing to precise plectra positioning. Precision is also helped by the tongue having no flexibility. The damper slot is toothed so that once the damper has had its final adjustment, the damper felt will not slip from its position, eliminating the unnecessary procedure of gluing the damper permanently in place.

Our Jacks have proved popular not only with our own customers but with other harpsichord enthusiasts who have commissioned new sets of Hugh Craig Jacks to eliminate jack-related problems in their own harpsichords. The Jack slides are supplied to our customers as blanks, ready to be drilled and slotted (filed) by the maker as per our instructions. Alternately, we can drill and slot the slide upon receipt of your pattern of slot spacings.

Hugh Craig owns the design of the Hugh Craig Jack and all rights to its worldwide distribution.

Wholesale Jack Supply Prices

Wholesale Jack Supply - Trade Only - 15% Discount - Minimum Order 500 Units

Part No

Item Name

Unit

15% Discount £ (Sterling)

Normal Retail Price £

JPT 60

Jacks - (unassembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

Delrin Plastic Body - drilled, tongue for plastic jack - drilled, top adjustment screw, pivot pin, damper strip, tongue spring wire

each

2.46

2.90

JPT 61

Jacks - (fully assembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

each

3.23

3.80

Jack Spares - 15% discount

JPT 62	Bodies	each	1.41	1.66
JPT 63	Tongues	each	0.68	0.80
JPT 64	Top Screws	each	0.08	0.10
JPT 65	Pivot Pins	each	0.08	0.10
JPT 66	Damper Strip	each	0.08	0.10
JPT 67	Tongue Spring Wire	each	0.03	0.04

Wholesale Jack Supply - Trade Only - 30% Discount - Minimum Order 1000 Units

Part No

Item Name

Unit

30% Discount £ (Sterling)

Normal Retail Price £

JPT 70

Jacks - (unassembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

Delrin Plastic Body - drilled, tongue for plastic jack - drilled, top adjustment screw, pivot pin, damper strip, tongue spring wire

each

2.03

2.90

JPT 71

Jacks - (fully assembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

each

2.66

3.80

Jack Spares - 30% discount

JPT 72	Bodies	each	1.16	1.66
JPT 73	Tongues	each	0.56	0.80
JPT 74	Top Screws	each	0.07	0.10
JPT 75	Pivot Pins	each	0.07	0.10
JPT 76	Damper Strip	each	0.07	0.10
JPT 77	Tongue Spring Wire	each	0.03	0.04

Wholesale Jack Supply - Trade Only - 45% Discount - Minimum Order 2000 Units

Part No

Item Name

Unit

45% Discount £ (Sterling)

Normal Retail Price £

JPT 80

Jacks - (unassembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

Delrin Plastic Body - drilled, tongue for plastic jack - drilled, top adjustment screw, pivot pin, damper strip, tongue spring wire

each

1.60

2.90

JPT 81

Jacks - (fully assembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

each

2.09

3.80

Jack Spares - 45% discount

JPT 82	Bodies	each	0.91	1.66
JPT 83	Tongues	each	0.44	0.80
JPT 84	Top Screws	each	0.06	0.10
JPT 85	Pivot Pins	each	0.06	0.10
JPT 86	Damper Strip	each	0.06	0.10
JPT 87	Tongue Spring Wire	each	0.02	0.04

Wholesale Jack Supply - Trade Only - 55% Discount - Minimum Order 4000 Units

Part No

Item Name

Unit

55% Discount £ (Sterling)

Normal Retail Price £

JPT 90

Jacks - (unassembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

Delrin Plastic Body - drilled, tongue for plastic jack - drilled, top adjustment screw, pivot pin, damper strip, tongue spring wire

each

1.30

2.90

JPT 91

Jacks - (fully assembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra

each

1.71

3.80

Jack Spares - 55% discount

JPT 92	Bodies	each	0.75	1.66
JPT 93	Tongues	each	0.36	0.80
JPT 94	Top Screws	each	0.04	0.10
JPT 95	Pivot Pins	each	0.04	0.10
JPT 96	Damper Strip	each	0.04	0.10
JPT 97	Tongue Spring Wire	each	0.02	0.04

Wholesale Jack Supply - Trade Only - 66% Discount - Minimum Order 6000 Units +

Part No	Item Name	Unit	66% Discount £ (Sterling)	Normal Retail Price £
JPT 100	Jacks (unassembled) Injection moulded. All parts supplied - No Plectra	each	0.99	2.90
JPT 101	Jacks (assembled) Injection moulded - No Plectra	each	1.29	3.80

Tools to assemble 'unassembled' Jacks can be found under Voicing & Action Tools in Spinet & Harpsichord Accessories section.

Hugh Craig Harpsichords

Sugarcroft Lower Southfield Lane Bosbury Ledbury

HEREFORDSHIRE HR8 1NH ENGLAND

Telephone: +44 (0)1531 640069 Facsimile: +44 (0)1531 640069

e-mail:enquiries@harpsichord.co.uk