What a great day today!Did I tell you Val came home last night? I picked her up and we got home after midnight. So I slept in until just before 7. I didn't get out of bed for a while, though. It was nice.
Our mail comes pretty early here, and the wooden postcard I made and mailed to us came in. It was just fine. It has an official stamp and some postage to add to the mmmm factor.
Our dear friend, Robin, asked how these could be displayed, and there are a few ways. I like these plate holders. An easel back would work too. And to hang it, it is really light, would not be all that tough. 3M uses great chemicals to make art hanging stuff that won't damage the wall or the art.
I knew my getting outside in the beautiful weather was going to be mowing the yard, so I wanted to get the varnish on the rabbi's machine. Remember I said it could go bad? Well it went just fine! This really is turning into one of the best finishes I've done!
I wiped on 7 coats of varnish--it takes between 5-9, depending on the grain. Now I just have to let it harden for some time before I dull it down with steel wool. Then I'll wax it and the finish will be done!Between the coats of varnish, I wipe them on in thin layers and let them dry, I am getting together the stuff to finish the brown thrush instrument. So I got the peghead and tail block going, and I'm liking that.
Plus, I got the back and sides picked out. It is all from the same log, so it was just a matter of what looks the best with what.I had to plane down the edges and sand the back pieces down to about the same size.
Once I got everything pretty close I used the hand plane to get the bookmatch pieces just so. There is a bit of a concavity in the wood so that the ends are really tight! That can only be done by hand.Here is the way I plane the pieces.
I really do love to make the curls!
And then it all goes together in my super secret bookmatching jig!
One of the things I love about instrument builders is that we tend to engineer some of the tools and jigs that are necessary to build because there is nobody making the them for builders because builders are so idiosyncratic. Sure, StewMac and LMI and other luthier shops exists, but there are so many specialized tools and jigs they just cannot make for all of the builders and their ways.
Hence my super secret jig.Then I took another two cat nap.
Here is the rabbi's dulcimer with the varnish on it. Just dang!
Then Val and I went to date night at a place in Knoxville--I've not been up there in months. Maybe I am a small town boy.Our friend and wonderful fiddle player, Evie Andrus, had a CD release party. We got to dance and sing along and have too much fun. Treat yourself to Evie's music!
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