cbcarlisle - Posted - 10/31/2013:  08:48:04

I'm certain you will but here's my official plea to show us the entire octagonal box banjo. There is a tradition of these in eastern Kentucky (at least) and there are lots of us mountain banjer folks waiting with bait on our breath. Curt

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 10/31/2013:  13:01:22

Curt is right. Many of us would love to see that banjo. Please Dan, pretty please ...

dbrooks - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:20:51

Dan, as much as I admire the beauty of your instruments and the work you do revive other instruments, I have to say your family's beauty is in another dimension.  What a great looking bunch with the sweetest smiles in the world.  You are a lucky man to have them, and they are lucky to have you.

David

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:23:45

I just found the pics of the old banjo on

banjohangout.org/photo/165840

Dan Knowles - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:25:05

TRICK...ER...

I forgot that tonight was Halloween! I was workin' away on a guitar listening to an audio book when I looked at the clock. Oh no. It was near 7:00. Dinner would be cold and... So as quickly as I could I turned out the lights, locked the doors and started walking home. I saw a car full of interestingly dressed folks and I thought "Oh no, I've missed all the fun!" My neighbors (the Jacksons) who live in the 1850's house really put on the Dawg with  decorations...

I've been working on this design for a banjo for BHO member Will Turner. This instruments name (at present) is Voyager. The colors only stand in for the real deal and are nor accurate at all. Still I'm very interested in what y'all think about it.

MORE SOON!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:26:26

David,

Thank you so much!

banjeaux bob - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:28:34

I think the voyager design would look better as a neck tie.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:36:36

...TREAT!

OK, OK, here they are the Treat! Some photos of the nearly completed stop sign banjer.

I really like this peghead shape...

And the tuners (made by my client) are excellent!

Here is the upper part of the repair. It has been burnished and tomorrow I will treat the wood to grey it.

MORE LATER...

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 10/31/2013 19:37:17

Dan Knowles - Posted - 10/31/2013:  19:39:39

Bob,

I hadn't thought about that. What a great idea! Perfect attire for stargazing!

Noah Cline - Posted - 10/31/2013:  20:12:44

That banjo's got me droolin.

I keep thinking that I've seen a banjo that was octagonal like this one, but I don't think it had a skin head, done more like a cigar box banjo.

Btw, the Voyager neck looks very nice.

Edited by - Noah Cline on 10/31/2013 20:14:38

C Nyal de Kaye - Posted - 10/31/2013:  20:17:49

I love the look of that old banjo, especially the peg head and tuners.

I'd love to hang that on my wall, but I would probably play it instead!

It reminds me banjo's I saw at the Museum of Appalachia.

Paul R - Posted - 11/01/2013:  00:10:14

Dan,

I think the Voyager 'jo would be neat as a fretless with a black speckled Corian fingerboard - frets would just get in the way. Perhaps the planets could be other bits of Corian? Maybe that would be quite expensive, I've no idea. With all those round planets, what colour would the head be?

Looking at the photos of Jenny's instruments (lucky lady!), it's interesting to "look back" and see what you were doing in the "old days" - the creative streak has been strong all along. Who's luckier, Jenny to have you as a dad, or you to have her as a daughter? (I think I know what you will say!)

Paul

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/01/2013:  06:15:58

Noah & C Nyal,

It's instruments like these which make my work a joy. I am so fortunate to be able to handle these talismans of our past. It makes me happy to know that it is under my care these ancient singers are given new life.

Paul,

Speckled Corian... what an interesting idea.  Often I have the same thought (frets in the visual way) until it comes to the point of seeing them in place. It is then that I again realize that they (along with the binding) are the styles and grid of the window I get to look through to see this other universe.

Ah yes you are correct... it is me!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/01/2013 06:16:53

cbcarlisle - Posted - 11/01/2013:  09:31:15

You know that Voyager [or V-ger as we cognoscenti call her] has a record on board with music from Planet Earth; it was selected by an ethnomusicology prof of mine. I wonder what "They" will make of "Dark was the Night." Makes Me shiver.

voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html

cbcarlisle - Posted - 11/01/2013:  09:47:43

Noah, I have made a couple of box banjers that were octagonal inspired by Stu Jamieson's instrument which was, in turn, patterned after the one played by Aunt Liz Hill. Stu is holding his in the top picture; mine are at the bottom here: home.earthlink.net/~curtis.car.../id5.html

Dan, thanks for the pix of the banjer. I love the face set on the bias. I suspect this one is from eastern Kentucky but would like to know where it was found and any history.

cbcarlisle - Posted - 11/01/2013:  11:47:00

I have a picture of this octagonal banjer from some time ago (source not noted) indicating it came from Grainger County TN. There are also several octagonals, with wood faces, from the Museum of Appalachia.

 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/01/2013:  16:59:20

Curt,

Thanks for the info and the pictures. I'm doing work on several very old "primitive" banjers and I will be posting photos as I complete them.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/01/2013:  17:40:27

ALL SAINTS DAY

After Last nights rain, the day was greeted with a beautiful robins egg blue sky. After taking my grandson Chandan to school I wondered the country roads and the downtown shooting photo to be included in a video for a song that we are recording soon called MY LITTLE TOWN.

After I went to the shop (while the hot hide glue was heating) I did a bit of recording & mixing...

Next I worked on another old mountain banjo. This one has a lot of missing veneer. I've an old box that I am removing veneer from to replace the missing parts. After each piece is cut and fitted it  glued in place with hot hide glue.

After the glue has set up the edges are trimmed with a sharp knife...

Lastly the raw edges are treated first with Potassium Dichromate (to re-age the raw edge) then stained with real walnut stain...

As i worked around the edge I found some underlay veneers which were a bit loose. So on went the glue and clamps...

Mr. Will emailed me with some changes.. "Move voyager out to the end or maybe get rid of it completely... we can put (in) the actual Galileo probe that was sent to Jupiter." and here is the result... I do like it better than the last design.

MORE VERY SOON

cbcarlisle - Posted - 11/02/2013:  10:27:19

I also have a banjer with a peghead shape like this one from Kingsport TN.

Kingsport banjo 3

Kingsport banjo 2

Paul R - Posted - 11/02/2013:  21:54:03

Dan,

The shot of you at the mic, standing in front of one of your paintings (I assume), with your shop apron on - says so much! Fantastic! (And I'm assuming you did the tiles, too?)

Paul

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/03/2013:  05:51:38

Curt,

 What a pretty banjo. It appears to have been made  with much mor craftsmanship than the one that I'm working on.

Paul,

Well that is pretty much how I work throughout the day. When one thing is drying I'm off to something else. I'll work back and forth between jobs all day long.

In a past lives my  shop building was home to a plumbing supply business, wholesale grocery, a screen printing shop, a gun store and a tile shop. The previous owner was a gun shop. While moving wall and rebuilding it was amazing how many .22 shells I found. I guess that when bored the shopkeeper used to toss them!?! When we bought the building most of the floors were already tiled. Of course the were empty ares where there had been display cabinets and such.These places I did the tile work in. One of them is just behind me in the photograph. Oh and yes that is one of my paintings too.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/03/2013:  09:47:16

SUNDAY MORNIN' VERY BRIGHT

What a beautiful morning here in my home town of Paris, Tennessee. Debra and I are getting ready to head out to Cape Geardeau, Missouri to perform on the Queen of the Mississippi. We will be performing tonight, tomorrow night and Tuesday night. We will be traveling from Cape down the Mississippi river to the Ohio river then up to Paducah, Kentucky. The Queen in Memphis...

Saturday morning was instrument building teaching day. Kevin and Eric made very good progress on their projects. Here I'm showing Eric how to true his fingerboard before fretting.

Eric filing fret slots so the frets will seat properly...

Kevin drilling holes for bridge pins in his bridge...

I've bee shooting photos for my future video of my my tune My Little Town. Here are a few I figured that y'all might enjoy.

Next from the river!

Bufo Bill - Posted - 11/03/2013:  14:29:03

Dan, your posts "trick . . . Er" " . . .Treat" really made me chuckle. It is a little sign of your being such a nice and creative guy that you turn your Dyslexia into an inventive, good-humoured and distinctive trait that helps you define your style in these fabulous "journals". Your words and thoughts are, as always, a joy to read.
All the best from Bill. :D

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/06/2013:  07:29:05

Bill,

Thanks I'm very glad you enjoy the posts!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/06/2013:  07:48:18

REPORTING FROM THE QUEEN OR RATHER...FROM HOME

(This next bit is from a post that I started but was not able to upload to the internet... in fact it had to wait until I got home this morning!)

Eddie Coffee and I have had a great trip so far! We arrived in Cape Girardeau, Missouri late Sunday afternoon, hopped on board and did a show. Monday morning we wondered (in truth walked) around Cape and took in the beautiful Victorian & Craftsman homes in lower town. I really enjoy looking at all of the oh so cool detail work on these homes. Here are a couple photos…

I saw this bit of tile work in the Cape City Hall by a drinking fountain…

Monday evening the Hotel Manager Drew came and joined us at the start of the show to do FRESH WHITE BEANS... He had no idea what he was getting into!  

The melody goes from low to high (in the chorus) and so I pulled him way down for the low notes! Good fun!

Monday afternoon ad evening we were underway traveling down the Mississippi River, past the confluence then up the Ohio River the 40 or so river miles to Paducah, Kentucky where we did a show with my band CHILL TONIC. The fellas played marvelously and a great time was had by all. I only wish that we had recorded the show because it really cooked!

This afternoon I be teaching but I'll try to post after I return home.

SEE YA THEN!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/08/2013:  17:45:47

STEAMPUNK BANJER

By GRANDPA BOBBY BOB ALMOST P.D.Q.

I guesst you can tell either my age er my lack a style, but I jus' recently learnt about a thang callt STEAMPUNK. I haddn't never hurt of STEAMPUNK afore. You'd figgure a feller like me who likes to sharpen thangs to a slick cuttin' edge would be near dat edge...but OH NO didn' happen dis time.  Anyway, my greatgranson Sam who is a purty good banjer picker hisself, wanted me to get him up a banjer. Not just any banjer. OH NO! He had ta hav hisself a STEAMPUNK BANJER! So I did me some a-lookin' rount, and fount out, dat I  waz already 'bout 83.27% of the Steampunk stile. Shazam it waz jus my stile! I been a dooin' dis stuff near ferever. So I found dis chere neck dat was made up by some other feller, so I went ta work STEAMPUNKIN' it up...

First I cut me a piece a brass sheet in the shape of the pighead and gluet it on. Nex' I laid out where I'd  like to put me in a bunch a slot head brass screws (reel STEAMPUNK stile). I figgure dat not only will this look fine as a frog hair, but it'll help hold the thang together. After spottin' where they'd be, I poked me some dents fer my drill bit to find and foller... fact is, dat's what I'm a doin' rite cheer in dis chear picture.

After dat I went to the machine room and I laid me some machine ju ju on it. This thang needed 2 sizes a holes in it... One fer the brass and a little feller fer the screw shaf'. Hear I'm a drillin'...

(STICK YER OWN ADD BELOW, dis 'un is mine!)

ITSEY BITSEY BLACKEN' DECKER SCREW DRIVE

Oh man but am sure thankful fer my little without a chord Blacken' Decker screwdrive! I'd still be a fightin' with these screws an' gittin' a sure enough sore wrest wifhout it. After the screws got stuck in, I done aged the whole mess,  just slathered a mess o' sulfer's liver on it. The fact is, that's why she's a lookin' sa wet.

Bein' as I couldn't figure out how ta do the shop signature with screws on the thang... I decited to do some fanci scratchin' work... Here the feller is drawin' the thang in... (Notice how I'm a changin' the tense up some. Dat is put in there to up the innerest. Ye ken tell I'm a reel deel riter cauz I no how ta pull it off!)

Yep, he's got 'er drawed (maybe he won't quarter 'er)...

Look at that feller go to scratchin'. Scratch, scratch, scratch...

That thang sure mus' ich. He sure is scratchin' it a bunch!

I figure, he done alright. An now he's a hopein' dat y'all thin so too!

Yer Frin'

Grandpa Bobby Bob Almost P.D.Q.

More tomorrow!

Noah Cline - Posted - 11/08/2013:  17:56:44

Very cool. Reminds me of the banjo made by M.C. Worley in the Foxfire #3 book, which had tacks tacked into the peg head.

bill t - Posted - 11/09/2013:  06:41:17

Dan, Thanks again, for this great thread! I've read and enjoyed it from the start.
Your Steampunk banjo make me think of a former thread here. I wondered if you'd seen it.
It's titled: "Chuck Erikson and his new Mad Max Banjo".
banjohangout.org/archive/238576
There may be a Steampunk banjo in my future. Bill

The Pope - Posted - 11/09/2013:  11:29:26

Dan, take a look at this post: banjohangout.org/archive/238576

Chuck is of course, quite insane (not really!) and I saw this banjo @ the Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley. Pretty cool deal. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/09/2013:  18:40:18

THE DUKE'S

STEAMPUNK MASTERPIECE

Bill, I had not seen this one. How cool can you get! Chuck is an old friend, mentor  and my pearl supplier for many years (around 35 maybe more). I've got to say he's got one of the most esoteric sense of humors in the banjo world! I love it!

Anyway for those of you who don't like to follow links... THE DUKE OF PEARL's MASTERPIECE!!!

Erik Thanks for the link!

OH YAH!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/09/2013 18:41:46

DEmery - Posted - 11/09/2013:  18:57:09

Dan what is it under all that stuff? David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/09/2013:  19:01:47

ART SPELLED BACKWARDS IS TRA

Someone asked about my painting work a while back, so tonight I figured I'd post a photo of  5 recent pointillist studies. These paintings are quite small, 4x4 and 4x5.  I've been enjoying doing these tiny works. It seams like I'm learning more from these than from my much larger pieces. That said I have a major work that has been biting at my door for some time. Perhaps after the first of the year I might dig into it.

This design is almost ready to go... This one below is the one I posted a week or so ago...

This is where it is now. Will only wants a couple of changes ( Neptune decreased in size and Eris eliminated) and it will be ready to start cutting.

MORE TOMORROW!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/09/2013:  19:03:05

David,

I'm not sure but I think it might be an old Kay banjo. It reminds me of the banjo of the 'future' we talked about a few years back.

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/09/2013 19:05:26

The Pope - Posted - 11/10/2013:  17:04:34

Dan, if you're referring to Chuck's banjo, it is a Kay. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/10/2013:  20:44:57

Eric,

Thanks. Yes it's Chucks banjo I was calling a Kay.

The banjo of the future is a project which David Emery and I discussed some time back. It was a project idea which grew out of Goshen. Goshen is a banjo which I built for David was based on the idea of creating a presentation grade banjo of the 1880's which was built by my Great Grandfather for David's Great Grandfather. I'd bet David has some photos of Goshen that he'd post!

After the Goshen build we briefly discussed the idea of creating a banjo of the Future. Imagine a banjo built with the limited or unlimited resources (depending on how you view the future) of 100 years from now. I was envisioning a Mad Max kind of banjo. Unfortunately we didn't continue to pursue this project. Perhaps now the time has come!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/10/2013 20:45:50

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/11/2013:  19:08:38

STEAMPUNK MONDAY

After seeing the wonderful photos of Chuck Erickson's amazing Steampunk banjo, I just couldn't leave well enough alone. I asked...What else could I attach to this instrument that would enhance its Steampunkability? So I started digging through boxes of stuff, and being as I got some stuff, I went to work attaching it! 

Here I'm drilling some holes for attaching screws...

On go some fancy Victorian mirror washers...

Oh ya, can't skip the peghead...

Here is the rim all together...

And with the neck bolted on...

And for those of you who like to watch the design process... here is the most recent version of the design for a banjo to be now known as Galileo. I'm finally getting real happy and excited with this one.

More Tomorrow!!!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/11/2013 19:09:55

DEmery - Posted - 11/12/2013:  04:11:22

Dan I think those mirror washers are pretty cool and even tasteful. Is that a lag bolt dowel? Are you moving away from a traditional dowel in some of your banjos? David E.

DEmery - Posted - 11/12/2013:  04:16:47

Oh...I saw your comment about Goshen and posting some photos. Glad to do it. David E.

Goshen By Dan Knowles

Goshen buit by Dan Knowles

Goshen built by Dan Knowles

Goshen by Dan Knowles

Ambro type image of Great Grandfather circa 1850

Carved Bone Tuners

Goshen

Goshen

Goshen by Dan Knowles

Carved frailing scoop

ronwalker49 - Posted - 11/12/2013:  06:11:02

Magnificent, beautiful seems somehow inadequate..

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/12/2013:  19:10:02

David,

Thanks, I like those mirror grommets too. After seeing Chucks I knew that I wanted something a bit Victorian and different for this banjo...

As for the "stick" it is one of my adjustable wooden coordinator rods. I've done a bunch of these for folks who want that bit of extra control. It is somewhat like what Rudy (here on BHO) uses. I still do as many traditional sticks as ever. I like using both, it just depends what the project calls for. Thanks for posting the photos of Goshen. Someday I need to schedule a trip to Florida to visit her!

Ron,

Thanks!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/12/2013:  19:53:33

NEW

Today was another teaching afternoon. This morning though I was able to start to work on a new inlay/ banjo project. I'll be building this Instrument for BHO member Pine Cone. He lives in the beautiful north west on Puget sound. In this project I hope to celebrate his love of this wonderful aria. What an aria it is! Osprey, Ducks, Bald Eagles, Heron, Crabs, Salmon, Otters, Geese and about a blue zillion other animals. Amazing green forests and mountains topped with snow.

Besides living in a beautiful place Pine Cone is a fine builder. He has a beautiful log cabin and Kayak which he has made. 

So the challenge is to include and celebrate all of this...

Because I view the neck of the banjo as a window (or frame) to an alternate world, I try to lay out the design so it grows from one aria to another. Usually I use two design approaches; horizontal and vertical. With this new one I have decided to try to do the design using the players playing neck angle. Pine Cone uses side dots for position location and not fingerboard position markers. So why not do the design at the angle that most people listening and watching him play? This is what I am attempting to do.

First I had to change my pattern to this new angle... it wasn't as easy as I figured it would be. Still I got it to work. Next I went to a photo of Pine Cone paddling his kayak and started working it into an inlay pattern. The reflection was the most difficult and is not yet fully complete.

Here is the design as it was when I came home for lunch....

The boat scene a bit larger...

More Tomorrow....

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/13/2013:  17:16:57

WEDNESDAY 11-13-2013

A POEM FOR THE SCREEN

Here I am

Back in the seat

Pushin' the buttons

Watchin' the screen.

I could plop an 'A'

and my tongue pops out

I can punch a 'B'

And a bee comes up,

I might push a 'C'

find my feet get wet

Press a 'D'

 Realize that this poem is dumb.

Somebody told me this thing would save time...

Yah somebody told me that this thang would save time.

Dear Mable,

Yah that's me... over here doing the final computer prep work for Wills Banjo inlay. I used to do this with paper, pencil and an eraser. Get it ready, just like I like it,  then take it to the library and make a bunch of copies on the Xerox machine... Do you remember those days?

So Mable on and off today I'd break from back room work and go to mixing. You know that I keep the recording rig set up in the front room of the shop. It's easy to go from the work room to the front room. Working back and forth like this helps keep my ears fresh and hopefully the mixes clearer and better. I gettin' real pleased with this project that CHILL TONIC (my band) and I are making.

Well Mable  I got to feelin' just like Atlas. I was wielding sizzlers fer cuttin' the solar system into small pieces. I keep cutting the patterns out and gluing it  to the pieces of pearl and other materials that I'm going to try and start cutting in the next few days.

Mable I know you ain't never seed patterns all glued up on these High Quality (banjo) Building products (there's a story that goes with this un), so here they are...

Respectively yers,

Dan

PS. I'll b back tomorra...

PSS. That's a promise!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 11/13/2013 17:26:23

WillT - Posted - 11/14/2013:  12:50:29

Can't believe the idea has finally come to fruition and the cutting has started. I feel like this banjo should be hung on a wall and not played and put on a stand.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/14/2013:  16:06:01

Will,

I hope you'll wear the thang out! I'll be proud to watch you become the banjo player you dream of!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 11/14/2013:  21:03:33

Friends,

I just got in from another recording session with my band CHILL TONIC. We were able to complete two more tunes, MY LITTLE TOWN & the recordings title cut (Tommy Ogle's) THE WIND. These songs will ne just a bit of polishing and mixing to be ready to go. It's nice to see the progress being made n this project. If possible we will try to have all of the recording done before Christmas. This will be a busy recording winter for me with this and several outside projects to do. What's that they call it? Job security!  

See you back here tomorrow...

Dave1climber - Posted - 11/14/2013:  21:16:30

Dan

Put me on the list for when this project will be available.

Kaelri - Posted - 11/14/2013:  21:23:59

Just curious....will the Mandora d'Amore make this album? Regardless, I am sure it will be a good listen!

Ellen

derwood400 - Posted - 11/15/2013:  03:11:25

I find all things 'Steampunk' to be really fascinating.  And those two banjos are no exceptions!  Very cool.  I can't wait to see more!

GSCarson - Posted - 11/15/2013:  06:40:44

Looking forward to seeing the final banjo Dan, neat project.   I saw that banjo of Chuck's a while back but forgot about it, its great!  

Here's a few photos of an "early" semi related punk/parts banjo project that Reed Martin put together for fun (and then gave to me!). 

Paramount pot, Vega dowel stick, old armrest, broken Dobson neck with friction fifth grafted to a section of oak shovel handle, "special" (and very practical) fingerboard onlays, grafted to a broken cello peghead...

DEmery is probably hoping you don't get too inspired by this baby! LOL      Glenn