Banjo Build Detour
Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:35 am
Just for fun... I used to buy guitars and I burned out. Lately I thought it would be fun to try both an instrument-build and a new type of instrument.
During my other recent project, a "Viking" tool box, the banjo kit arrived, from Carver Banjos of Lafayette, IN. This is a small minstrel-style instrument with a goatskin head and a short, fretless neck:
I got underway with the plywood-based kit, which is pretty clever indeed. After a neck/dowel assembly glue-up, the goatskin was soaked in warm water, and then tautly tacked and glued. By the way, really lately I've been on a hammer-restoring kick, but that's another story:
During the step above, I noted a tear-hole in the goatskin. So I had cut some of the excess perimeter skin as a patch stock, and glued it on while wet with -- what else -- hide glue
.
The skin is now drying, and the response of the head has gone from a deep-tambour sound to a higher pitch already.
There won't be a whole lot more to do, when I get to it.
Happy woodworking,
Chris
During my other recent project, a "Viking" tool box, the banjo kit arrived, from Carver Banjos of Lafayette, IN. This is a small minstrel-style instrument with a goatskin head and a short, fretless neck:
- Distraction Kit.jpg (149.71 KiB) Viewed 15589 times
I got underway with the plywood-based kit, which is pretty clever indeed. After a neck/dowel assembly glue-up, the goatskin was soaked in warm water, and then tautly tacked and glued. By the way, really lately I've been on a hammer-restoring kick, but that's another story:
- Tacked Head Wet.jpg (84.13 KiB) Viewed 15589 times
During the step above, I noted a tear-hole in the goatskin. So I had cut some of the excess perimeter skin as a patch stock, and glued it on while wet with -- what else -- hide glue
.- Tacked Head Repair.jpg (75.82 KiB) Viewed 15589 times
The skin is now drying, and the response of the head has gone from a deep-tambour sound to a higher pitch already.
There won't be a whole lot more to do, when I get to it.
Happy woodworking,
Chris