rubicon - Posted - 09/06/2014:  07:11:29

I also anxiously await the posts here I read it everyday ! The Riverboat banjo is a masterpiece .

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/06/2014:  07:12:21

SATURDAY MORNING

Body up, breakfast down, computer on, ready to make this mornings post.

Good Morning everybody from the Queen of the Mississippi!

This (in tour boat parlance) is turn over day. That means the guest from the last tour are leaving (it feels like the end of a summer camp) and a new group will soon be boarding. The crew is working like crazy. All of the rooms have to be cleaned and made up before 12 noon. For my part I try to stay out of the way at least until I go out to welcome the guests or unless I'm needed to bring in luggage or such.

Because my wardrobe is of interest to at least a couple of y'all, I offer this photo of another pair of my performing shoes. These white bucks were made in the USA by Johnson & Murphy (who ever Johnson & Murphy are). At least that's what Charlie over at the Toggery told me several years ago when he sold them to me. They are VERY comfortable and at my age that is more important than looks!

This photo is from Friday morning, just before breakfast heading towards one of the Mud Island landings here in Memphis, Tennessee.

River lorean Mike Link and I went for a nice 8.5 mile hike yesterday. We went down Mud Island to the river park. Where the have a beautiful scale model of the Mississippi river system.

Mike and his wife were the first people to walk  around Lake Superior following the lake edge in recorded history. 1.555 miles 4 months on foot. This was his retirement party. Kind of extended but... He and his wife wrote a wonderful book about it that I'm reading called Full Circle. 

Here's Mike by the Mississippi...

And me preparing for a swim!

During our walk we went across by Beale Street to the Rock and Soul museum for a quick visit. If you love the Blues (as I do), Early rock & Roll (as I do), Gospel (as I do) and Soul Music (you got it) this is a no-miss-place here in Memphis. From the outside it looks to... ah how do I say it... plastic, Disney Land-ish. But inside I found an interestingly laid out exhibit with loads of personal items, old studio gear, stage ware & instruments. And music, did I say Music? We were give a nifty little raidio like affair with headphones which supplied additional information and loads of music, some of which I had never before heard. All in all, thoughtfully laid out, following the music from its earliest roots to today.

This my friends is about the only photo I made in the museum. I was so intrigued by everything that I plum forgot about my camera. This was one of Johnny Cash's vest's from the late '70's thru the early '80's.

More Soon!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/06/2014:  07:15:38

Rubicon,

Thanks! I'm so glade you are here!

tylerandal - Posted - 09/07/2014:  21:35:24

So Dan, tell us about your heroic save on the boat this weekend. :)

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/08/2014:  18:56:25

MONDAY

WE MADE IT HOME!

I'm not sure about that heroic save Tyler... 

You know how modest I is.  Still we had a great trip and maybe y'all can spring the full truth out of my new adopt-us-grandson Tyler! 

Somehow on this trip we didn't get any photos of us picking on stage so I guess there'll be a bunch of other stuff. After all the pickin' was only a few short hours in the time we spent aboard the Queen. So what can you expect?

For my new grandson this position seamed quite important. I'm sure with all the stage sawin', dancin' an sech this was sorlie needed!

Wardrobe Update:

Tyler's performing shoes & socks. He did change from the jeans to a very elegant set of black lennon pants for the show.

Yep... guess who?

My grandson!

Sunday morning, Mississippi river 52.5 miles above Vicksburg...

Sunday morning 11 AM the BANJO EVANGELIST converts a new group of acolytes! 

Boy howdi did they ever do a great job! All of them were clawhammerin' like crazy when we got done!

The student who has joined me in a chair in the front of the class is a World War 2 veteran. He was among the ones at Normandy who stormed Omaha beach. He was also one of the liberators of a Nazi concentration camp (perhaps Tyler can recall which one). We had a long conversation and listened to his remembrances of starving people, bodies stacked 5 feet high and the smell... he kept coming back to the smell.

After the class we spent an hour or so listening to happier stories and dueting on, Lay That Pistol Down.

THE SUNDAY AFTERNOON VICKSBURG TOUR GUIDE

Don't ask about this one or how much fact this banjo picking tour guide didn't know!

Tyler and I went over to the military park to visit  Noah's Ark, the many Colonel Harlin Sanders statues (perhaps Tyler can explain this too) and the Illinois memorial...

After the night's show, ain't nothin' like peach cobbler!

This morning, 6:50 Yazoo river in front of Vicksburg...

And our worshipful mistress The Queen of the Mississippi!

More reel soon!

tylerandal - Posted - 09/08/2014:  21:26:07

Oh, I can explain them all! I'm sure the Queen of the Mississippi didn't know when they first hired Papa Dan that they would not only be getting the evening entertainment, but a story teller, a tour guide, a historian, a teacher of everything banjo, a first responder, one of the best 1st mates on the boat, a story teller and a coffee bean roaster amongst many many other things!

But, to answer some of your other questions... Our friend who was in WWII was in Omaha Red.
The Colonel Sanders statues were a reference to all the statues set up at the Vicksburg Military park. They seemed to have every age and look of the good Colonel scattered amongst the park. I can tell he was quite the hero :)

I had a great time out there! As always, thanks for having me be a part of those river trips. They're probably the best vacation I could ask for!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/09/2014:  18:02:46

Tyler,

It was great having you come along for the trip. Ah, you should consider playing Orange Blossom Special more, you have such an emotional rendition! 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/09/2014:  18:31:33

TUESDAY

IN THE SHOP

Today was another teaching day. I started out with Joe Snow (at 9 AM)  and finished with Mark Porter (at 7 PM). These students are all growing in their abilities quite nicely and it leaves me with a great sence of accomplishment.

I did have a small amount of time to work on other projects including scribing out the peghead inlay for the Scarecrow & the Shipwreck banjo...

There may be another photo of this peghead (in an earlier post) in this condition. But I really do like the colors against the white background. I guess I just wanted to see it again. Perhaps someday soon I'll do a peghead with some pure white material on the overlay and inlay it with some colorful pearl. It might be more subtle than the contrast of black ebony.

This is one of my favorite scribing knives. I made it several years ago from a piece of steel that I got out of an old professional butcher's knife. It takes and holds an edge to dream of...

I decided to try something new. After scribing I went around all of the pearl with a pencil to add some strength to the lines. We will see how this works, if it works...

I use a flat knife (made from an old clock spring) to free the pearl from the peghead. To my consternation, as I was making this photo one of the scarecrow's hands popped off...

Yep, that's me down there Mable. I'm searching for the tiny golden hand. Good thing I swept and vacuumed the floor earlier!

All of the pieces (once freed) are placed in this envelope for safekeeping until they are next called for...

Off come the floral pieces...

Here tiz. Ready for routing...

BE BACK TOMORROW!!!

Paul R - Posted - 09/09/2014:  18:35:26

Wait ... isn't a peach cobbler a guy who makes shoes out of peach skins? 

jbalch - Posted - 09/09/2014:  18:44:10

Hey Dan - it is walnut season...are you making any more stain?

Please remind me how it is done.  My son has walnut trees in his yard.  We might like to give it a try.

JB

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/09/2014:  19:27:38

Paul,

If a Peach Cobbler is somebody who makes shoes out of peach skins, then what would keep the cobbler away from a banjo skin?

John,

There is not much to it.

1. Get a mess of black walnuts with the husks still on them. 

2. Let them sit and get really dark. This might take several weeks.

3. Mash up the whole thing, shell, husk and all.

4. Pour enough boiling water over this mess and a bit extra. Here's Jerry Beirly pouring in the water...

5. Let it sit for a month or two and then strain. It should smell strong.

Here is a batch from about 1 3/4 years ago. This is before straining...

Straining...

Strained and decanted...

Walnut & Metal stain on the Saint Augustine neck...

I suppose that the mash could be boiled for a while, it's just not the way that I was taught. Also the longer the stain sits the stronger and quicker that it works.

This might even be something a person could run through a still. 

I hope this helps.

Edited by - Dan Knowles on 09/09/2014 19:28:42

Paul R - Posted - 09/09/2014:  20:49:53

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dan Knowles

Paul,

If a Peach Cobbler is somebody who makes shoes out of peach skins, then what would keep the cobbler away from a banjo skin?

 

Um, the fact that it's neither a shoe nor a peach? How do you skin a banjo?

BTW, interesting walnut stain recipe - and so simple.

I can't wait to see that finished peghead.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/11/2014:  19:05:57

Paul,

Here's the other side of that peghead, finished.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/11/2014:  19:54:34

THURSDAY

We just got home from our granddaughter Anna's birthday party. 

8 years old! It seams like only yesterday we were racing back from a Canadian trip to McKenzie, Tennessee for her birth. My oh my, how the time does fly! I do hope she gets her wish. After all, she blew all the candles out!

Luthin' Tyme

​The day started by preparing a Les Paul for its visit to the spray booth. The peghead  break has been repaired, now it's time for the touch ups.  The guitar body is covered by a garbage bag. This my friends is not to show how I feel about Gibson Les Paul guitars. Oh no. For it is defiantly not! It is to protect the body from the inevitable lacquer over spray.

The top coats will be an extremely dark green transparent finish. The sanded through arias will show differently through the finish without a bit of dashed in stain. So stain is mixed with lacquer and then brushed on. Once the top coats are one the repair will never show...

A cello come in from a student dropping accident. One of the cheep pegs had split. I don't normally keep cello pegs in stock.  And I didn't wish to charge my client for a whole set. So I grabbed a chunk of ebony and made one. Here I'm measuring the newly glued peg so I can accurately reproduce it.

Here I'm removing the waste from the peg. It got sanded, stained, buffed and installed...

I've been making another Jacobs 1850' s minstrel  banjo. This one I'm having some fun taking it places that the original didn't go visually. I want the instrument to have the correct feel of age, but not be a slavish copy of the original. I've already done that one.

So the pegs are being turned similarly to the Ashburn patent pegs. These are not slavish either in that I'm using Hill violin pegs....

Peg tops. Perhaps tomorrow I'll make a better photo...

The hand cut  bracket shoes are star shaped. I've decided I'd like them to have a nice hammered finish. This little round faced tack hammer is just the tool! 

BTW, That's paint, not blood on my finger....

Threading J-hooks...

Bending a hook...

Hammer finishing the hook...

Here is the tailpiece with its own aged and hammer finished star...

SEE Y'ALL TOMORROW!!!

taiger - Posted - 09/11/2014:  20:44:36

Another great post Dan. Was a little curious about those hooks. Are they just cold bent or do you heat them during or after the bend. Thanks again for all the sharing!
Tai

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/11/2014:  20:52:27

Tai,

Thanks, The hooks are bent cold. I bend and beat the poor suckers into shape!

Paul R - Posted - 09/11/2014:  21:31:42

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dan Knowles

Paul,

Here's the other side of that peghead, finished.

---

Oops! Sorry, Dan, I meant the other one - the one with the inlays in the envelope. Guess I'll have to be patient and wait.

DEmery - Posted - 09/12/2014:  03:33:12

Dan I look forward to seeing the latest Jacobs banjo. I like the idea of taking the look in a different direction; but am so pleased to have the slavish copy. David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/12/2014:  05:41:16

Paul,

There's never a problem. I have decided to hold of routing for the inlays until the fingerboard inlays are complete and then I'll do them as a group.

David,

Perhaps today the new Jacobs will be born!

Bufo Bill - Posted - 09/12/2014:  15:00:31

Dan, this daily post is always my favourite thread here these days; I love the crafting pictures you show us and wondered if you had thought of doing a book of some "How- To" style articles of less complicated luthierie tasks with accompanying text instructions? I know that's quite a task, but you have a lot of creative buddies there in Paris, TN., and it would be so cool to see! Or maybe a YouTube video or internet web page? I don't see how you would ever find the time but hey, I don't see how you fit all you do now into 24 hours! Just an idea, but I feel your skills deserve an audience even larger than a great site like the BHO can provide.
All the best from Bill. :D
PS. That headstock with the little Olive Branch carving blew me away. The lightness of touch you gave it makes it look more like a drawing or engraving than a carving.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/12/2014:  16:13:43

Bill,

Thank you so much. I have thought about several approaches to creating a book or video and I just get tired!I So much work so little time. If there was somebody out there with the skills, equipment and interest to make something like a video or book I just might just go for it!

Still if you are interested in seeing it the best video that has been done to date about my work. Check out the video by BanjoHangout member Craig Evans (Frailin). It can be found in the Hangout video page.

DEmery - Posted - 09/12/2014:  16:20:53

Bill is this the head stock you spoke about that Dan posted above. He is always fun to work with and this was a total surprise added without any discussion in the building process. If I recall..., Dan was actually sick and took his bowling ball carving apparatus home and did it on his sick bed. I always discussed broad objectives in the banjo he built for me at the time...and he filled in the details as he felt the banjo "called for." It did turn out nice and is a new banjo that truly has an old spirit as a player. David E.

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/12/2014:  17:08:36

FRIDAY

Kickin' off Tonight's post is this first photo, Dan and his dirty hands tie the first string onto the banjo tailpiece. Note the knot.... well maybe not that as of this moment there is no knot! He is using a Nygut Minstrel  nylon banjo string set though...

Here the bridge is being laid out on a piece  of  ancient piano sound board spruce. It is interesting how these spruce bridges seam to make this old style of banjo come alive...

Shine gets its tuners laid out and screwed on, These are a very nice set made in Switzerland by Schertler.  In a few moments they will be removed so they can be aged and the neck receive its final coat of oil finish.

Drilling for the screws...

On with the oil...

Just born today. A new 1850's Jacob's banjo.

Quartered White oak single ply rim.

Spanish Cedar neck.

Hand forged & aged steel & brass hardware.

Ebony Hill style tuners with Ashburn style top posts.

Aged Piano Soundboard bridge.

29" minstrel scale.

Aged Spirit Varnish finish.

Nygut Minstrel banjo strings

I'll make a better set of photos and post them in the next day or two...

SEE Y'ALL AGAIN SOON!!!

Noah Cline - Posted - 09/12/2014:  17:38:33

Video, please 

DEmery - Posted - 09/12/2014:  18:17:31

Dan the Jacobs turned out beautiful. These little banjos sound hugh and really project. Nice twist on an ole' design. I really like the tuners that are going on the slot head. Again...doesn't that wood make a pretty neck with that stain? Lastly....already said earlier; that carving is your best in my view. David E.

Bufo Bill - Posted - 09/12/2014:  23:52:55

Yes David, that's the headstock I was talking about. Beautiful work, you are very lucky to own it. Dan made me a little gourd banjo once ( pictures on my homepage), and I remember the thrill of opening up the package and looking at the little touches he added to the instrument. This habit of going the extra mile on each and every instrument he makes is in my opinion the very essence of what makes a Knowles Instrument a Knowles Instrument, if you see what I mean. 

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/13/2014:  03:05:40

David,

Thanks. This one, I guess because of the thin rim  has a very large sound. And because of the Renaissance head has a nice brightness while not loosing that big bottom end.

Bill,

Gosh, I don't know what to say except thanks.

Do you still have the little piccolo gourd?

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 09/13/2014:  03:14:34

Dan, It has taken every ounce of self restraint to keep from asking the question "How much to build another one of those," and "What's the waiting period?"

(This doesn't count as a lapse in that restraint, does it?)

Nicely done banjo.

V/R,

Lew

DEmery - Posted - 09/13/2014:  03:44:41

Dan it is absolutely that thin rim driving the sound of these banjos. It is a delicate design, the weight is almost nothing, and the banjo pushes sound and becomes alive as it shakes out those notes.  Ole' Abe is tighter and focused even with the big pot; but I believe the density of the neck and rigid rim by comparison makes the two banjos very different. Not good or bad...just different. David E.

Bufo Bill - Posted - 09/13/2014:  03:55:23

Yes Dan, I still have Bullroarer the Piccolo Gourd Banjo, I play it regularly.
All the best from Bill. :D

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/13/2014:  04:30:31

Lew,

Oh goodness, how is one to answer this?

Currently I quote a year to a year and a half from order to completion of the instrument. 

Part of this is backlog and work load,  part of this is that I don't like carving laminated necks until they have been glued together for several months. I want all of the bending and weirdness to have settled down before I move into the next stage. 

Decoration, carving, engraving & inlay of course also effect completion time. It's funny but I get really caught up in these projects (as everyone has seen here on the ole' Luthier's Life) and often everything in the shop comes to a halt while I work on these pieces. 

Also different finishes require different waiting periods. 2 part finishes usually a few days, nitro lacquer a couple of weeks while Spirit varnish (like the Jacob's) or oil finishes (like Shine's) a month or more.

The 1850's Jacobs style banjo will be appearing on the BHO classified pages in the next couple of days and should be priced around $1200. 

Feel free to contact me with your ideas!

David,

Yes I think you are very correct about the thin rim. I remember that before I strung up the original Jacobs I was only hopeful for its tone (and only slightly so) and boy was I wrong! It is a hoss!!! Yours followed and the rest is history, or so they say (whoever they are).

Bill,

I'm so glad to hear that!!!

Brooklynbanjoboy - Posted - 09/13/2014:  10:13:24

Thanks, Dan.  Nice work.  I appreciate the info.  Might be over my pay grade for the moment, but who knows.  Christmas?  Birthday?  I might get lucky.  That finish is so attractive.  You do good work.

Lew

Crusty - Posted - 09/13/2014:  11:15:03

The Nechville Atlas has a thin rim and if you get a chance to play one you'll be astounded at how big the sound is from that 12" open back.  My local music store has one hanging on the wall and I play it every time I'm there.

Bufo Bill - Posted - 09/13/2014:  14:11:34

Dan: I also have a minstrel era banjo with a very thin pot wall, although with a much smaller diameter than twelve inches. I find the best bridges for this banjo are made of soft wood like Douglas Fir, and are very light and thin ( my current bridge weighs 0.8grams). This gives a loud and full sound with nylon strings, which goes against what I would recommend for a modern steel strung banjo. You read posts by Minstrel historian players like Joel Hooks, who quote from 19th Century sources and they all went for thin softwood bridges back then, and they were right too.
All the best from Bill. :D

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/14/2014:  05:15:28

Lew,

Thanks! Birthdays can be a good thing as my next post may attest...

Mike,

I've played a couple of the Nechville Atlas's and they are very fine banjos, but their 1/2" or so thick rim is almost twice  thickness of the Jacobs.  Many of these Antebellum banjos had extremely thin rims, and the 1850's Jacobs was no exception.  Side note did you know that there is an actress named Anna Bellem?

Bill,

You are quit correct about the softwood bridges on minstrel era banjos.  Over the years most of the minstrels I've built and repaired have left my shop with usually sitka spruce bridges. A few have been equipped with Doug Fir (like yours) which give a slightly brighter sound. Have you tried real gut strings on your minstrel? The mixture of gut, spruce & skin give a tone that is unmatched. And unmatched for instability!  .

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/14/2014:  06:14:30

SATURDAY

Today was a special day! Besides working (teaching) with Kevin, Shine was at last bolted together... Scott the end is in sight!

Here I prepare to install the now aged tuners...

In spot ready for their screws...

On goes the end-bolt into the coordinator rod...

I went and grabbed up a bone nut... it didn't make me happy... the color was just not correct and fitting for this banjo.... 

So I tried this special one, isn't it neat looking with all those holes? Such a beautiful ivory colored plastic. Maybe I could run the strings over the holes and gain some resonance. Maybe I could top the holes with pearl  dots! 

Sadly it doesn't fit...

So that shot down I started getting out all of my different materials and trying them. Bone, fossil mamoth & walrus ivory, old scrap ivory and even mother of pearl.

Stop!

There it is! Just the shade and hardness the doctor called for! A nice piece of  Tennessee river mussel shell.  The silvery iridescence will  be just right. This one I milled from a shell called a washboard. It is a large, thick white shell and turned with the grain side up (as it should be) it will match the dots on the peghead & fingerboard just right.

Now it's got me thinking that once the nut is shaped and fitted, I might add some of the matching dots to it to truly capture the illusion.

Saturday was the twins ninth birthday. Excitement galore! Cousins, cake and presents. What could be better for a couple of little fellas? You should have seen Keaton's face when he got his balloon too close to the candles on his cake and it Popped! 

He certainly didn't need to blow them out after that!

I hope he'd made his wish!

SEE Y'ALL SOON!

bornold - Posted - 09/14/2014:  12:04:46

WOw, that banjo is is simply stunning!

Big O - Posted - 09/15/2014:  15:06:30

Nice Work Dan :)

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/15/2014:  15:52:21

Canaan & Chuck,

Thanks so much!

Dan Knowles - Posted - 09/15/2014:  19:28:58

MONDAY

I just noticed an amazing thing, this post is nearing 175,000 reads. That's getting close to 200,000 reads. Seams like when we reached 100,000 we had a contest.... Hum.... If anybody has a suggestin for a 200,000 read contest drop me an email... ow heck, go a head and post 'em here! This could be fun! Maybi a spellin' contes for de arthor o dis poest!

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

I did an interesting little job today. I repaired a pearl nut for a Gibson F-model mandolin. My client loves his pearl nut, didn't want another one, just the first string chip out repaired. So first I filed the nut a bit deeper than the string slot and back to a point between the first pair of strings....

Next I chopped out a piece of pearl, with same grain orientation as the nut and filed one edge to match the nut...

Then glued the chunk in...

Trimmed off the excess. I like these little lines of dust flying off the blade...

A bit of filing, sanding, polishing and slot cutting and it's back in business.

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

Oh ya a box of parts arrived from Bill Rickard  (Rickard Banjos). It feels like Christmas! Bill  certainly makes the best metal parts in the business! That cocobolo rim (toward the back) he rolled for me is not bad either! It has a terrific tap tone!

And I stuck some stings on this banjo tonight..

And called up its new owner so he could hear its first song...

And let Shine sing for Pine Cone!

More Tomorrow!

tylerandal - Posted - 09/15/2014:  20:00:59

!!!! I like the eye in the rim!

tylerandal - Posted - 09/15/2014:  20:01:38

And tell us more about the new banjo :)

Kaelri - Posted - 09/15/2014:  20:17:13

And another beautiful and artful banjo takes it's rightful place in the world under the legacy of the fine banjo builder from Paris, Tennessee. And it was gracefully shared with those of us who were astonished at each step along the way. Thank you once again, Mr Knowles for sharing this journey with us.

Edited by - Kaelri on 09/15/2014 20:18:25

DEmery - Posted - 09/16/2014:  02:50:38

Dan it is always exciting to see a new piece all strung up. Post a video if you have opportunity. David E.

rubicon - Posted - 09/16/2014:  05:32:33

Congrats on the completion of shine live to hear a sound clip .Thanks for taking us along I live the cocobolo rim !

Dave1climber - Posted - 09/16/2014:  05:38:24

Dan

Once again you have produced an amazing work of art in that banjo.  Hopefully pinecone will post some sound files, if it sounds as good as it looks it will be wonderful.

60spicker - Posted - 09/16/2014:  05:47:42

Let me add my voice to those who are hoping for a video. Thanks for letting me, as a BHO member, be a part of Shine's birth and development. It's been a true privilege, and the journey won't be complete without a video and a tune. You must be so proud, Dan. Congratulations.

Paul R - Posted - 09/16/2014:  06:13:24

So, not only do you build such a fantastic banjo, but, when you string it up, you actually phone the owner so he can hear the first notes played on it. How gracious and generous of you. Kudos, Dan.

Pine Cone - Posted - 09/16/2014:  17:17:56

Dan has built an exceptional banjo for me.  Everyone will have to wait a few more days before he posts a video since he wants to tweek a few more things and has another riverboat trip soon.  Busy guy...

It sounds wonderful over the phone, and I'm sure it will sound much better in person.   I am looking forward to finally getting to play it after watching its creation over the last year.  My experience with ordering a banjo from Dan has been nothing short of exceptional.  For BrooklynBanjoBoy and others who have thought about getting your very own Knowles banjo I would highly recommend it. 

My wife has been known to ask "What's different about THIS banjo versus the others you already own?"

A banjo like Shine makes the answer to that question pretty darn easy to answer...

It's a Dan Knowles banjo.  And it's MINE!