Mandolins in progress

[dschonbrun]

Time for clear coats

Really Nice, James. The subtlety in your burst is really quite something.

[dschonbrun]

Great take on a traditional inlay. Nice engraving into the pearl as well.

[oldwave maker]

It's been a while, but always fun to get to final rubout stage: blister, curly, quilt, curly. I doubt if those newly discovered earth sized planets have a similar life form!

[fscotte]

First all hand rubbed sunburst, dye + water. Will probably never go back to spraying, and water does seem to soak into the grain better. But definitely more challenging with more variance in shading.

[TheMandoKit]

It's been a while, but always fun to get to final rubout stage: blister, curly, quilt, curly. I doubt if those newly discovered earth sized planets have a similar life form!

Bill, that C# looks great in the picture, but when I saw it in person a couple weeks ago, it was truly breathtaking!

Just wow!

[Steve Sorensen]

Got a fun mix hanging around the shop . . .



Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

3D binding on a Sorensen VX in progress --



Steve

[oldwave maker]

The weather has warmed enough here in Fort Stinkindesert to blow some shoe polish and bug secretions on some maple candy. Still trying to find some ancient colors in that modern transtint.........

[Tavy]

The weather has warmed enough here in Fort Stinkindesert to blow some shoe polish and bug secretions on some maple candy. Still trying to find some ancient colors in that modern transtint.........

Looking great, can't beat those bug-secretions!

[fscotte]

Just finished #11. This was my first attempt at hand rubbing the whole thing. Very difficult to get smooth color transitions and balance. But I'm happy enough... More pics on my Facebook page.

[Steve Sorensen]

Working on a special FX in this build set --



Steve

[fscotte]

What kind of glorious wood is that?

[TheMandoKit]

The weather has warmed enough here in Fort Stinkindesert to blow some shoe polish and bug secretions on some maple candy. Still trying to find some ancient colors in that modern transtint.........

Hmm, might that one OM be headed northward when finished? Looks a bit familiar....

John

[Steve Sorensen]

What kind of glorious wood is that?

American Sycamore which I have been patiently letting dry and stabilize for about 6 years . . .

Steve

[Matt Harris]

American Sycamore which I have been patiently letting dry and stabilize for about 6 years . . .

Steve

I saw some of this at a local lumber yard recently. The owner said it was also called 'American Lacewood'. It's beautiful stuff. I wish I'd bought some then, and now I may have to go back and pick some up...

[Jim Hilburn]

You know, I've kind of stepped away from the shop quite a bit in the last year or so but you can't stay away forever.
I thought I had used all the maple backs I had for octaves but discovered I was mistaken, so I got started on a neck.
This is all just to clamp the binding to the edge of the fingerboard. It will have a black highlight line and I feel it's pretty important that it be very straight.

[oldwave maker]

John- to the north country indeed, there seems to be some kind of glowing stuff growing on it, maybe to protect from the intense cold?
Steve- interested to hear your take on sycamore- I like it for binding and pegheads, the Arizona stuff (platanus wrightii) seemed to lack brilliance in the few I made long ago. Wish I could get more of this fossil sycamore from the big tree in Oregon....

[Steve Sorensen]

Bill,
I'm doing a dark finish on the sycamore which should fit the way it stains . . .

Meanwhile, in the theme of tree-love, man I'm smitten by the wood combination on this Big Dog Octave mandolin build -- Curly Claro Walnut back and sides, Bearclaw Sitka Spruce top and Bubinga binding. Gonna give this one nothing but shellac!



Steve

[Skip Kelley]

fscotte, that is a fine looking sunburst!

Bill, you have been busy; you sure have nice looking wood in those!

Steve, I love the look of that sycamore! That's going to look really cool with finish!

[Steve Sorensen]

Some more body building progress shots for those of us obsessed with wood to tone wood transformation --





Steve

[Steve Hinde]

Octave 1 and 2 finished up.

[Steve Hinde]

A blonde F.

[Skip Kelley]

To Steve Sorensen and Steve Hinde, nice work guys!!!

[Tom Haywood]

Nothing fancy. Ready for clear coats.

[Marty Jacobson]

Looking good, Tom.

Just varnishing some pink foam for the first stage of my new mandolin build, which is a completely logical thing to do.