the new carbon mandolin which I have just homemade manufactured

[carbonpiou]

6 months after having manufactured a carbon bawlback mandolin, I have just finished a type A mandolin, also in carbon, but with a completion of surface carried out with acrylic painting. As the other instruments which I manufactured, the handle is also out of carbon, touches understood.Neither model, neither mould, nor references to an existing model. 100% new, of the manufactoring process to the technique of the stopping.
It remains me to carry out tests with the various types of rest which I also carried out, in order to find the good balance of the very major and already promising sound obtained with the rest shown on the photographs.

[Bernie Daniel]

Looks beautiful! Congratulations! Please post a video so we can see how it sounds!

[Grommet]

Magnifique! A bold endeavor. We hope to see further development of your designs.
Some ideas you might consider: Radiused fretboard surface, modern thicker fretwire, popular commercially manufactured bridges.

Scott

[Petrus]

Very cool. Interesting thick body ... I'd almost call it a semi-bowlback. You mention a bowlback that you previously made; could you post a link to that thread or repost some of the pics? Now that you mention it, it doesn't seem that there is a lot of innovation going on with bowlbacks compared to other types of mando, so you're going in an interesting and unique direction. I can't say if there's a market in that direction, but maybe that's doesn't have to be a concern. But the A type is cool.

Another idea to add to Grommet's: fanned frets.

[avaldes]

Formidable! Are you worried that the acrylic paint may not last?

[Steve Sorensen]

Cool! Would love to hear it!

Steve

[Bill Snyder]

Petrus, in the future you can click on a users name. Choose View Profile. Look for the "Find latest started threads" and pick from the list. Here it is:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...fiber-mandolin

[carbonpiou]

Thank you, Daniel ! Sorry for bad english, i am french and I am right an amateur, and I manufacture only instruments for me and me only. Each time, I try to innovate and especially not to copy. Sometimes there are disillusions, but it is not the case for this time. I must test new rests and then, promised, there will be a clip for sound sample.

[carbonpiou]

Tank's Scott ! I try all the times to change certain things. This is not a commercial business, I am an amateur!!

[carbonpiou]

Tank you also, Avaldes ! I use acrylic paint (carl paint) because this painting is extremely hard and the thickness is very fine. One can also sandpaper it and polish it. It is as resistant to the stripe as cellulose painting, with the risk of cracks in less.

[carbonpiou]

After the tests with other rests, to find the best sound and best sound balance, there will be a clip, this is promised SteveS !!

[carbonpiou]

Ok, Petrus, here some pics of my bowlback. You can also see with search in this forum, with my pseudo carbonpiou
I manufactured this type A in order to more easily be able to play upright, which is very difficult with a bowlback. The sound result is radically different also and it is very normal. The only common point between these 2 mandolines, they are the cords and the tuning.
But I think of obtaining a sound balance still much better with a rest technically inspired by that of the violin (out of carbon, of course)

[Petrus]

I manufactured this type A in order to more easily be able to play upright, which is very difficult with a bowlback. The sound result is radically different also and it is very normal. The only common point between these 2 mandolines, they are the cords and the tuning. But I think of obtaining a sound balance still much better with a rest technically inspired by that of the violin (out of carbon, of course)

Wow, they both look great. I'd read a little about carbon-fiber instruments but the bowlback is certainly unique. How much would you expect to sell something like that for? (Probably way out of my range at this point I'm sure.)

[Twizzstyle]

Beautiful! Nice work! I also just finished building my second carbon fiber mandolin. I have yet to try a carbon fiber neck, I think that would be a fun next challenge. I'd love to hear how yours sounds!

[carbonpiou]

Petrus, I do not think of being alone in the world to have manufactured a mandoline bowlback out of carbon. Useless to give you a price, I will never be sold it. I'm not a mandolin builder, but just a mandolin player how built his own instruments....

[carbonpiou]

Twizzstyle, It is not a problem to manufacture the carbon handle. I give you my tip: it is enough to use carbon tubes, such those used and sold to carry out kite of competition. With 5 tubes diameter 6x5 mm, you obtain a resistance that no handle out of wooden, even equipped with best the truss-rod will not manage to have. And I do not speak to you about stability. To locate you, I have a carbon electric guitar which I also manufactured in this way which was tuned to the moment as of festivals of Christmas and which I came out from his case a few weeks ago still tuned ! (sorry for bad english, i'm french)

[Twizzstyle]

Interesting, I had always envisioned just doing a hollow neck of CF with nothing inside. I like your idea of carbon rods inside.

Do you have any problems with small pinholes in the final carbon fiber surface? Your bowl-back mandolin looks like it has a perfect finish. I had a hard time getting a good finish, using an automotive clearcoat sprayed on the carbon fiber body. I eventually got it ok, but not perfect.

[carbonpiou]

Hello Twizzstyle !
Just a small precision, even if I do not like at all to give the impression to know more things than of the other people. I am not professional mandolin builder, but I make profitable in this passion amateur all the experience gained during 18 years of work in composite materials of high technology and also 8 years in the plastics thermoformables.
My first question concerning your holes of pins: which is the exact type of the resin which you use? It as should be known as to obtain a completion fabrics carbon, the fabrics should not comprise defects and must be posed with precaution not to create blemishes. Another question: is what you use a mould in hollow or a form on which you work into positive? If you answer these some question, I am ready to give you all nformation to get a very good result. After this is a question of time, of patience and skill. Whatever the method of realization, know that with an adapted resin, fabrics suitable and without blemish, of abrasive paper grain 1000 and one good paste to be polished you can get an excellent result.
For my mandoline bowlback the result of aspect of fabrics after the stratification was good and I thus preserved the rough aspect fabrics by applying by casting, for the completion, a very fluid and very transparent resin. Afterwards, it is necessary to sandpaper very slightly and to gloss during hours.
For my mandoline A, the résuttat of aspect was not very well and I chose a completion with acrylic painting. However, no painting is as hard, resistant and brilliant as a glossed resin. And hardness is important for the sound!!! It is however an easy solution to save the aspect or to carry out a special aspect.

For your entirely hollow handle, I can tell you that you risks to have problems of stability in torsion.I know this !!! 2 tubes carbon judiciously placed are enough to eliminate the problem. Moreover, you can make in kind prolong them until the end of the body on the level of the fixing of the rope-maker and to thus carry out a perfect conducting handle.

To prove to you that I do not know all, I am carrying out the fifth bridge for my mandoline A in order to find right balance between the full cords and the plaited catgut strings….
Last, the life of mandolin maker amateur!!!!