cbcarlisle - Posted - 06/01/2014:  08:34:11

...(a 4 string, steel string, UKE type instrument from Basil)...

"Here's rosemary, that's for remembrance." --Shakespeare

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/02/2014:  05:19:31

CURT,

Brasil...

"Here's fangers, that's fer fumblin' " --- Peter Boettcher

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/02/2014:  18:29:01

MONDAY

Today I did some repair work,spent a bit of time with grandkids, didn't look at dots, but mostly I fooled with the little BRazilian Uke type instrument. Ryland and I took a short amount of time out to go to the shop and glue its neck so today I was able to make some major progress. This instrument has a nice short mandolin scale and is tuned an octave above the banjo's "G" tuning. It makes it easy for us banjo people to gain another unique instrumental voice!

With the neck glued in I was able to install the frets. Here I'm leveling them with a diamond hone...

The tape on the face is just to show about where the bridge will be and the tape next to the fingerboard helps protect the face from one of my uncoordinated swipes!

A fret crowning file does just the trick to shape them up...

Ah Dan, now just where did that other piece of guard tape go to? I'd give my students a difficult time over that one....

The tuner holes were drilled, the neck sanded, stained black and given several coats of French polish and then the logo was branded on the face. This is such a pretty piece of burled walnut that just I didn't wish to cover any of it with pearl. Also it received its name, serial number and tag. Interestingly this is #280...

Glue slathered on...

The sound hole rosette ring is clamped in place...

More soon!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 06/02/2014 18:34:07

jbalch - Posted - 06/03/2014:  04:42:32

I recall that you loaned me a very beautiful example of one of those instruments to enjoy for awhile.  They are interesting & fun ...  and uncommon.

 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/03/2014:  20:00:54

John,

Ya I did. That one is now owned by a local fella who uses it primaraly as a recording instrument. This one that I'm getting ready to send to the spraybooth tomorrow will be much more of a traditional styled instrument. It will have a flat top and a fixed bridge.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/03/2014:  20:40:25

TUESDAY

MOSTLY TEACHING & GRANDKIDS

Well tonights title about says it all... about today that is. 

Tuesday is my teaching day and it was a nice full day of that. Students came and went and all seamed well prepared for my abuse. Regina did especially well, she is working on the Sunflower Dance, not an easy tune and she is getting it!

Earlier in the day though, I got the little UKE type instrument ready for the spray booth. I made a fixed bridge for it, located and taped off the bridge gluing aria and made a new hanger just for this one to use to hang it in the spray booth. 

I also sanded an prepared this banjo neck to make its own trip to the spray booth tomorrow. Here I'm giving it a base coat of spirit varnish. This acts as a sealer and tint coat for the finish coats.

And then the days fun... foolin' with the little folks! We had 8 grandkids and 2 neighbor kids... better than a three ring circus!

More Soon!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 06/03/2014 20:41:08

Dave1climber - Posted - 06/04/2014:  04:45:14

I see toys, I see activity, I see FUN!    

Kaelri - Posted - 06/04/2014:  05:26:30

That last picture reminds me of the good old days when I had no worries except for when supper was going to be served or how much math homework I might have to endure! 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/04/2014:  19:18:16

Dave & Ellen,

I tell you it sure is fun to have the little people here. When there are this many they really have a large time!

Pine Cone - Posted - 06/04/2014:  19:50:21

Sounds like fun!  I'm looking forward to next month when we get 3 of our grandkids for almost a month.  It's work sometimes, but mostly it is pure joy...

guitarman8491 - Posted - 06/05/2014:  03:25:53

Yes..having young ones around is the best..we visited our grandchildren Nathaniel and William this weekend in RI and it was wonderful. They just moved up from Virginia where we only saw them once or twice a year. To watch them breathe in life with such excitement and curiosity is heart warming!

They will be visiting grandpa's workshop later this month.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/05/2014:  19:04:13

Scott & Doug,

There is nothing like grandkids! We will have these little folks for another week and it has been big fun! It still is too!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/05/2014:  19:26:06

THURSDAY

Night before last I tried something new that I think will work out fine.

I've been again running out of space to post photos here on the good ole' BHO. I've tried several cloud services including Amazon Cloud & Dropbox. They really haven't worked out like I hoped they should. I couldn't get the photos to link up as I thought the ought. The other day I ran into Ken LeVan's masterful how to build a banjo series. Don't miss it! if you are building or wanting or even dreaming about banjo building there is a wealth of information there! Anyway I noticed that Ken parks his photos over at Photobucket. I tried it and now you see the results. Larger images and I won't be running out of space anytime soon. 

Thanks Ken!

On to today's projects (or a couple that is).

I rubbed out the little 'un this morning. This is mostly wet sanding with 800 grit wet & dry paper. Mostly I sand wet. The paper lasts longer and doesn't clog up when I wet sand. Here is something my old mentor Don McCarty taught me. Soak the paper in water (with a drop of hand soap) for an hour before using. The paper works so much better that way...

Oh ya I almost forgot about this. I buffed out the top and glued on the bridge. Tomorrow I'll have to fix a couple of sand through's on both this instrument and on a banjo neck that I am finishing. Using two part finish will allow me to have this project completed on Monday...

Dots not enough...

yet!

Yep here I am drilling holes for todays hundred...

Stuck in and glued!

More Soon!

DEmery - Posted - 06/06/2014:  03:26:22

Dan the photos are better quality. Good program for your photo shots. So.....when with the dots be done? I do hope you kept count and use it like a raffle at the end sort of like letting folks guess how many beans are in a jar. David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/06/2014:  05:28:42

David,

Thanks, I like the photos better too. As to the dots... you know me, when the muses say that the dotting is complete, well, then I'll stop.

DEmery - Posted - 06/06/2014:  06:55:54

I recall that line in The Agony and The Ecstasy  with Charlton Heston. The warring Pope wanted the frisco murals on the Sistine Chapel complete and Heston would look down and say "it will be finished when I am through" or something like that.....  I have come to see this fingerboard in a similar way. In theory it could never be complete depending on how small of a dot one could use for details or effect. I will keep watching. David E.  

cbcarlisle - Posted - 06/06/2014:  09:57:28

David, I went to see the Frisco murals but they had been moved to San Jose and I didn't know the way.

bill t - Posted - 06/06/2014:  15:00:24

Dan, Thanks again for taking the time to keep this thread going! I always look forward to reading it.
You mentioned Ken LeVan's how to build a banjo series. Do you have a link to that? Thanks, Bill

Dan Drabek - Posted - 06/06/2014:  15:20:52

Dan, I think if you wanted to inlay position markers in the fingerboard now, you would have to make them out of ebony, for contrast. 

DD

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/06/2014:  18:41:25

David,

The Agony & the Ecstasy... Hummmmmmm.....

Bill,

Here goes   banjohangout.org/archive/251301

Dan,

I'm afraid that you are correct about that.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/06/2014:  19:39:18

DOTZ FRIDAY

What does the ole'Dan talk about?

Dots of course!

What does ole' Dan write about?

Dots of course!

What does that fool Dan dream about?

Dots of course!

Could be a horse but now 

It's Dots of course!

Dots of course, Dots of course

Drill a hole, fill a hole with

Dots of course!

Original poem/ song by somebody else I wish...

Go to dottin' Dan!

More soon!

kwl - Posted - 06/06/2014:  20:25:50

Dots lookin' good Dan. You are making amazing progress. I appreciate you sharing this with us. Dots all fo now.

Will1717 - Posted - 06/06/2014:  21:53:38

Dan:

Just what are you building?? You just may be starting to loose it!

 Bill Rickard 

Dots??

Edited by - Will1717 on 06/06/2014 21:55:41

VIDEO: What's He Building?
(click to view)

 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/07/2014:  18:43:53

Ellen & Bill,

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/07/2014:  19:24:06

SATURDAY

TEACHIN' , DOTTIN', FINISHIN' & SKYPIN'

Full day, a fine day.

Keaton just came in here asking for some headache medicine. He says that having his Papa fooling with this computer instead of playing with him, gives him a headache! He says "I'm not telling you anything if you don't get off of that computer!"

So even though I've got a whole bunch of photos I'm gonna cut the verbiage short and get to playing!

So here goes....

Kevin and I are, well Kevin is bending a bit of perfling for his guitar rosette... I'm just a watchin' and stickin' my two cents in... That's a teachers job, ya know.

Kevin is re-routing his his rosette channel. During the first try at purfling the outside ring didn't work out right. Kevin had already installed his pearl and so careful routing was required to remove the old strips. Kevin is so careful and the routing went perfectly!

In the spray booth the cavaquinho & banjo get their final coats of finish... I meant to do this yesterday but ran out of time. 

In with more dots...

After the glue dried, I sanded all of the dots flush. It is interesting to me how the image is beginning to appear...

At home on the computer, I Skyped with BHO member Tom Bergan. We had a great time discussing Orpheus, the Banjo d'Amore setup and other such banjo trivia...

Tom was showing me his Hatfield banjo (love the finger rest!) and his Hatfield banjo bridge when this image appeared on the screen of my MacBook computer. I had to catch it. Now I have to show it! This could be an CD cover! 

More Soon!!!

BNJOMAKR - Posted - 06/08/2014:  04:24:15

Dan, I just showed my wife that last picture and explained how it happened , and she said, "How cool!" and I agree!

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 06/08/2014:  04:41:10

I showed that photo to my son, an IT type guy at a company in northern VA. 

Motivated by that clever photo, my son is pretty sure he can write the code for an APP that would imbed the souls of banjo players in their instruments. 

Tom Berghan - Posted - 06/08/2014:  11:34:52

That refection in the arm rest is the funniest thing ever!!!!  

I just showed it to my son, the software engineer, who came strolling by.  He laughed loudly!  He thinks we are a couple of goofy old grandpaws.  But he does think we are funny and said "I hope I have as much fun entertaining myself as you guys do when I become an old geezer."  Well there you have it.  Youth has spoken.    That is a great picture!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/08/2014:  15:42:56

Marvin, Lew & Tom,

My wife Deborah just told me, "I remember thinking things like that about older people when I was young... it's only fair!"

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/08/2014:  15:53:16

SUNDAY

GRANDKIDS DAY

Weve had a very interesting day today with 8 grandkids all over at the house at once. I shot a bunch of photos (as I always do when the kids are here) and after I uploaded them to the computer and as I was cropping photos ( which I nearly always do) I found the last photo in this series. I don't know what to think about it. It is strange and somewhat disturbing...

(back to front) Amber, Keaton, Elias (neighbor) & Caleb...

Amber & Keaton...

Abby & Caleb...

Elias, Keaton, Caleb & ?...

More Soon!

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 06/08/2014 15:54:55

Dave1climber - Posted - 06/08/2014:  16:03:08

Dan

That last photo is some what strange, looks like some spooky reflections.

Kaelri - Posted - 06/08/2014:  17:45:14

Hmmmmmm, the last photo......subject with a red and white striped shirt........ I think I've found Waldo! 

Kaelri - Posted - 06/08/2014:  17:45:43

...............or Huck Finn?

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/09/2014:  17:40:04

OK, OK, OK...

I gotta come clean. This is how that last photo was done.

But first here's another one that is almost as spooky as the last...

Yes, I was out front of our old house shooting photos of the grandkids yesterday (this much is true) and an idea grabbed a'holt of me. I switched my camera over to the panorama setting and had Anna walk very fast up the sidewalk. We shot 30 or 40 panoramas, all the kids got involved. There were just a couple that seamed real strange. Then with a little bit of judicious cropping the photo was created. Well there ya have it... that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Our neighbor is quite a good photographer. We've been talking for some time of having her help me create a portfolio of my work (painting, sculpture, ceramic & instrumental). So today Finoia brought he light and Nikon over and for several hours we shot photos of the work. Here we are preparing to shoot one of queen Neffertiti, a pointalist study I did a year or so ago. That's Fionia with the camera and my grandson Ryland makin' sure that it is all going well....

My wife Deborah shot the above and below photos...

More soon!

Dave1climber - Posted - 06/09/2014:  17:52:33

Dan

I can see your work of "Speak Friend And Enter", It looks good to me. Could we see the entire work please?

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/09/2014:  18:00:18

Dave,

When Fiona gets done with her work I'll post some photos of this and a few others. A correction... her name is Fiona not Finoia (lesdexia strikes again)

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/12/2014:  13:49:20

CHECK IN FROM THE QUEEN

It is amazing how quickly time gets away. Here it is three days from my last post and so much has happened...

Even at this minute I'm preparing to go teach a banjo class. So I'll try and play catch up after tonights show. Yes I'm still alive!

Back soon!

Dave1climber - Posted - 06/13/2014:  04:18:25

Happy to know that you haven't fallen into The Big Muddy.  

guitarman8491 - Posted - 06/13/2014:  06:21:40

Dan, your art work looks amazing! Enjoy your time on the river.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/16/2014:  14:40:56

Dave, & Doug,

Thanks a bunch!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/16/2014:  15:57:39

BACK IN PARIS!

Home again!

And does it ever feel great! This has been a very busy, busy tour. Whew, it makes me tired just to think about it... well... maybe it is the seven hour drive that has completed that work! None the less it is wonderful to be home.

So I guess I should let you in on the last few days of FUN!

4 AM the alarm rang (on last Wednesday) calling Eddie and I to prepare to hit the road for Vicksburg. Shine shave shower and all that stuff...

The Queen was to leave Vicksburg at 1PM and we needed to have all our stuff onboard, the van parked and our gibby selves onboard, without missing lunch at 12:30. No, no we couldn't be late for lunch! So taking turns at the wheel, we drove like the very devil to Jackson, Tennessee hung a right onto interstate 40 on to Memphis where we took a left on 240 south around the town to the great Blues Highway... Highway 61 and sped south on that long straight road to landing in Vicksburg. 

The clock was right on 10:30 when we drove up to the boat.

Time to relax! 

But oh no that was not to happen. My van was needed (along with me to drive) to go get some much needed supplies at a local grocery store. The clock was ticking.

 I leave for the stores. 11:15

Into the grocery I ran and filled a cart with lots and lots of stuff. The line was long and slow. 12:16

I ran across the street to a Right-Aid to buy some melatonin, another slow line...12:22

Haul tail back to the Queen and unload...12:35

Drive up the hill to the City Garage, park and lock the van... 12:42

Run (on foot now) back to the boat. Fortunately it's down hill and get back just in time 12:53

Wooo!!!!!

​Late for lunch but not for launch...

After Lunch it was time to Launch some kites...

Most of our guests on this trip were from Australia and many had not tossed a kite to the wind since childhood. Help was needed and I was there. My plan had been to take a bit of a nap and so be ready for the night's show. But this was not to be. I started having a large time getting the kites in the air. Our vessel's record was 19 up at once. Andrea, Drew, Shawn and I  went to work  readying and launching these wind riders. We topped out at 17. Close but no cigar.

The fool that I can be, I thought only of getting the kites in the air, not about keeping them untangled or bringing them in...

need I say more! 

I couldn't get them all in one photo but still here was my best try...

Another great banjo class, Thursday afternoon...

Before our second show on Thursday nature gave us an amazingly wonderful show replete with lightning, a deluge and a rainbow. There is nothing or never will be anything like a storm on the Mississippi river...

The rain comes down...

The sun reappears...

And the rainbow afterwards...

*************

Friday we made land in Memphis on Mud Island...

So being the great walkers we are, Eddie and I went downtown to buy a harmonica (for a guest), some guitar strings (at the Gibson plant & store), eat some fried chicken (at Gus's on Font street, the best I've ever had) and shoot Harry Houdini's photo at the old Paramount theater...

When I possessed a free moment on this trip, up on the sky deck (on old steamboats it was called the Texas deck) I painted. An yes they are dots!

This is what I completed. A birthday painting for my wife Deborah...

MORE SOON!

Dave1climber - Posted - 06/16/2014:  17:39:50

Dan

Its good to hear that that in spite of the hurry up, rush, rush you had a good time.  Its always good to be back home.  A nice painting for your wife's birthday.

Kaelri - Posted - 06/16/2014:  17:41:54

Love the sky/weather pictures! It is always hard to capture rain for me on a camera when it is often so beautiful to watch. 

Tell Debra Happy Birthday Greetings from us in Michigan!

kwl - Posted - 06/16/2014:  19:06:54

Dan, thanks for the report on the trip. Make me wish I could have been there. Maybe another time.

Ken

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/16/2014:  19:43:03

Dave, Ellen & Ken,

Thanks it's wonderful to be home!  And to Ellen, Debra says, "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!"

TWO MORE PHOTOS

Eddie and I working the crowd...

Our second banjo group!

Patrick Hanna - Posted - 06/16/2014:  19:46:11

Dan, you are the pointillist painting and dot inlayingest person I've ever encountered anywhere on the internet. You 'da man!
Patrick

cbcarlisle - Posted - 06/17/2014:  07:16:51

It's a good thing you're only putting dots on the neck or you might end up with a pointy head.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/17/2014:  18:40:05

Patrick,

Thanks!

Curt,

I thinks I 'am pertie pointie headed as it tiz!

​

Dan Knowles - Posted - 06/17/2014:  19:01:28

TUESDAY 6-17-2014

Back in the shop, but I found this photo on my camera of a couple of fuel barges, tied up at the edge of the Yazoo river Monday morning 6 am.

While I was gone out on the river this package arrived from Tom Bergan. Although I knew the contents still I sweet talked my sweet wife Debra to shoot some photos of the opening...

Ah yes, Orpheus's bridge. Persimmon base with a Macassar ebony top and a bone cap for the sympathetic strings. Tomorrow I'll make a new couple of bridges. They will be separate for the main and sympathetic strings.

I had to run down to the hardware store today and being the ever inquisitive person that I am I bought this small bottle of glue to try out. It is supposed to be a improved version of the Gorilla poly glue. The Gorilla glue is at best one of the worst glues I have ever had my hands on. I think that white school glue must be better. Still even with these feelings I suckered and decided to test this new Loctite product out.

First I trued up and smooth sanded two maple chunks and two small pieces of MDF...

Put the glue on as per the instructions...

Rubbed the sticks together...

And clamped them up. Tomorrow afternoon I'll break the clamps and check the bond...

My first student of the day, Debbie Regan with her Knowles Sweet Thing banjo...

MORE SOON!