2010 TDPRI $210 Challenge: We're there Dudes!

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by kwerk

Haha, no, I'm a 3D animator.

So that means you'll be here in Stuttgart for the FMX Conference next month, right?

http://www.filmakademie.de/aktuelles...taltungen/fmx/

I usually go myself. My son is one of the technical assistants who runs the multimedia for the speakers. Would be nice to meet you!

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by tgfmike

Very nice.

Thank you!

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by kwerk

I agree, the rings on the fret markers are tres classy..

Why thank you Mr. Kwerk! I got that from me Mum, being classy that is. I would of never come up with it on my own!

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by Superewza

That's just it though, if it's yours then you don't want it to look like a bought one. Well, i wouldn't at any rate. It would be mine and i don't think i could ever sell it. Unless i made one to sell... which you guys probably could, a few a year for a couple of hundred [enter currency here] on the side.

Anyway, i deviate. Nice work ;)

Well, it is under the neck where you can't see it. And anyway, I keep building instruments and people keep distracting me by throwing large amounts of money at me and then running off with them when I'm not looking! Not that it matters 'cause I spend so much time in the workshop I never had any time to learn to play! Serious! But at least I get to meet some people who can play, which is kinda nice.

Thanks!!!

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by J Syrja

It's been slow work as I took a pretty bad fall and messed up the back and leg, but it's going forward slowly. I'll be posting some updates in a couple days.

I could do it in a boat build style, but for ease I'm just going to pick up a bag of concrete,mix and pour it in. I was going to use the stuff we use to make septic tanks but it's to gravelly to get a nice finish on it.

It looks like yours is almost done, and it's looking pretty good. I guess I'll have to work a bit faster on mine.

Ouch!!! I hope you didn't damage anything permanent there!

Contrary to what many people might think, I'm relatively certain that concrete has very good acoustical properties. The building I live in is made entirely of it and the acoustics are great! You can hear when someone at the other end sneezes!

[Moggl]

I was wondering about the side-dots you put in, Cab: Do the silvery bits help visibility?


Cheers,

Martin

[kwerk]

Originally Posted by CJFearn

So that means you'll be here in Stuttgart for the FMX Conference next month, right?

http://www.filmakademie.de/aktuelles...taltungen/fmx/

I usually go myself. My son is one of the technical assistants who runs the multimedia for the speakers. Would be nice to meet you!

Haha, sorry I should have clarified. I'm a penniless 3D animator (many of us are at the moment!).

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by Moggl

I was wondering about the side-dots you put in, Cab: Do the silvery bits help visibility?


Cheers,

Martin

Actually they do! Originally I just thought it would be fun to see if I could do it, since the pearl dots are so small, but it turns out that the pearl is often hard to see, depending on the angle the light hits it, whereas the silver shows up quite nicely. "Serendipity" I think it's called.

[CJFearn]

Originally Posted by kwerk

Haha, sorry I should have clarified. I'm a penniless 3D animator (many of us are at the moment!).

Doggone it! I hate when that happens! I'll let you know how it was. They usually have some pretty interesting stuff. Hopefully things will pick up and you can come over next time!

[CJFearn]

Yay! I just got some new stuff in the mail! It's some black bone and some mother of pearl blocks to make nuts with. I'm going to try them both out and see which one looks better.

[sean79]

It's been a while since I last looked at this build. Looks Great. Interesting approach to "stretching" that spalted top.

[CJFearn]

Thanks sean79!

Well, there's a bit of a lull in activities since my pots haven't shown up yet so... I started thinking (this is always a "Bad Thing!") and I was thinking, maybe I could make some knobs and stuff that were a little different from the usual stuff? Hmmmmm.... I'm getting some ideas here! Off to the Secret Laboratory! Back soon!!!

[CJFearn]

Before I got started on The Knob Project I thought I'd try making a nut from the black bone to see how it looked. A quick check showed that I should be able to get 6 nuts out of one of these blanks. First thing was to saw one in two, then saw off a strip a hair wider than the nut would be. Ten minutes of very careful sanding on the belt sander and I had a nut blank exactly 3.40 mm wide that fit the slot perfectly.

As a former Shop Instructor I have to add a word of caution here: using the belt sander for this is not easy and requires a good deal of practice. (I have over forty years ) I would recommend that most people use a vise, a file and some sandpaper for shaping small parts like this.

Here's My Evil Twin holding the finished product. As you can see, the nut came out looking like a party dress (small and black! )

[CJFearn]

My first, and best, idea was to copy the regular round selector switch knob, but to do it up in ebony and ivory (the "Ebony and Ivory Caster" idea, a big "Thanks!" to Mr. Gregorypause! ) and some LJL silver. Here are the drawings...

[CJFearn]

OK, time to get started! First we pick out some ebony, some ivory* and some LJL silver (aka aluminum).

*Please remember that all my ivory comes from a dead piano and not an actual recent member of an endangered species!

[CJFearn]

Take the ebony and silver over to the metal lathe and turn out a bezel, a barrel and a ring. Glue them all together with... you guessed it, SuperGlue! Smooth it down on the lathe and then, ooops! I forgot to take pictures of the next steps! But basically it was cut out the ivory, glue it in and round it over on the lathe with a file and some sandpaper. Then I recessed the bottom with a 6 mm end mill and cut the slot for the switch lever with a 1 mm end mill.

[CJFearn]

The star was engraved with a 30º v bit and then the whole thing was polished up with a jeweler's wheel. I filled the engraving with block printing ink to make it black. The ink is really black and doesn't tend to fall out later like some things do when filling ivory and MOP.

Six hours work and it's done! Now is that a knob to be proud of or what? Now we go back to the Secret Laboratory and (try to) come up with an idea for some kind of volume and tone knobs that will look good with this.

[CJFearn]

Time to sit back, take a deep breath and see where we are...

Wow! Check out that knob! As Space Ghost would say, it makes me feel all funny down there in the icky bits!

[Moggl]

(Loss for words)

[jay1970]

Wow!