Mandolins in progress

**ira** · Nov-27-2003, 8:03am

keith, i generally am a tad shy about sharing my feelings, and certainly am loathe to sprinkle the board with my joy in playing, and about my soon-to-be new instrument. but if you insist..............

ira

**bobz** · Nov-28-2003, 12:30am

Here`s a picture of one of my first mandolin tops.

**bobz** · Nov-28-2003, 12:34am

And one of the tops completed. I`ve started carving one of the backs and my fingers are sore using the small Ibex plane for the recurve.

**bobz** · Nov-28-2003, 12:48am

I thought you guys might be interested in my home made carving plane design. The large one in the background is for carving archtop guitars. It`s ideal for the rough carving stage as it removes thick heavy shavings. I then switch to the Ibex Sloane plane for refining. You don`t have to spend mega bucks to get into luthiery, there`s lots of tools you can make yourself.

**bobz** · Nov-28-2003, 1:07am

And a top view.

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-28-2003, 1:50pm

I started into the buffing process this morning ,and it's not even noon ,and I'm spent. My carpel tunnels have collapsed ,and my elbow ran out of grease.
So I thought I'd take some photo's of the progress ,and I might as well share them.
This is my take on the black top. But I went blonde everywhere else instead of sunburst. I found that when I take photo's of sunbursts ,I'm always trying to get the reflections out of the shot ,but I found on a blackie ,the reflection is the star of the show. In this pic ,you can see my wifes upright bass in the top.

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-28-2003, 1:55pm

After 2 weeks of having this one look like a bowling ball ,it's pretty exciting to see it with the shine.

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-28-2003, 1:57pm

And here's what the back looks like. When I get it strung up next week ,I'll post some more.

**Chris Baird** · Nov-28-2003, 2:22pm

Very nice Jim. What do you use to make the top black?

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-28-2003, 2:58pm

A Sharpie....
No ,I used Valspar tinting colors in lamp black. Its a pigment ,not a dye ,meaning it's a solid color. The difference is bigger particles held in suspension ,while stain is smaller particles in solution..I think.
It mixes into lacquer ,and sprays on nicely. Then there are several clear coats on top.

**Michael Lewis** · Nov-29-2003, 12:37am

That's very attractive, Jim. Nice job.

**Sellars** · Nov-29-2003, 4:06am

Wow, what an instrument! I love the black top (and the way you photographed the reflection btw), and I really like the binding, the black and white really stand beautiful against the color of the wood!

**levin4now** · Nov-29-2003, 10:24pm

Jim,

That is truly an exceptional looking mandolin. I am not one to usually really like blacktops but this has singlehandedly changed my heart. What a beauty. I actually just love the wood (and the color of) the back. i suppose it has a happy and anxious owner waiting for it?

levin4now

**ira** · Nov-30-2003, 12:03am

i love the contrast of the blonde with the black and white binding- stunning work!

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-30-2003, 6:04pm

I installed the machines today ,so I have to add this pic.
Levin ,this one is destined for Cairo ,the one in Egypt.

**zeke** · Nov-30-2003, 7:47pm

Gads that's beautiful, Jim. One of the ones I'm finishing is going to be a blacktop as well, reenforced inspiration by you (once again&#33

. I love the black edge on the top of the headstock to match the points, very cool and tasteful in the extreme. Did you use a maple headblock to accomodate the blond open scroll?

**fmspinc** · Nov-30-2003, 8:31pm

Beautiful !!

**Jim Hilburn** · Nov-30-2003, 10:14pm

Hi ,Zeke.
I think your mostly only able to see the maple top in the scroll in these pictures ,but I did use basswood for the blockset so you didn't see mahogany down in there. Tomorrow ,I'm going to be trying to match the color down in all the scrolls. There's polishing compound and lacquer overspray in there now ,so I will go in there with kerosene and get all that out I can and then make some tinted lacquer with retarder to make it more hand-paintable and see if I can make it look alright.

**oldwave maker** · Dec-01-2003, 11:40am

Another blackie, off to florida after polishing compound removal, the top was sealed with a thin coat of shellac, then 1 thin coat mowhawk black lacquer in the can, just enough to blackout, binding scraped, 5 clear, sandback w/220, 2 thin clear to fill the 220 scratches, rubout a couple of weeks later.

**mandoryan** · Dec-15-2003, 12:37pm

Here are some pics of my latest. Almost done. Just have to put the frets in and make the nut. Drill the tuning peg holes, final sand, and finish. So close I can taste it. This may be my Christmas present to myself.

**ira** · Dec-15-2003, 2:29pm

i love the shape of the headstock.

**mandoryan** · Dec-15-2003, 2:42pm

Thanks Ira. I wanted to do something different than a snakehead but incorporate some esthetics that a snakehead has. The curl on the top of the peghead, for instance. I like bigger pegheads though.

Also, I saw that you got your mando. Must be all smiles around your house

It looks great! Enjoy.