I have made a right dog's breakfast of the end cap... On the first attempt I made the end cap too thick (a little under 3mm). I could not get this to bend successfully (even after wetting the surface) so I made a new one, this time about 1.7mm thick. This bent well, but fitting it to the mandolin bowl was a nightmare. The problem stems from the fact that wood (or paper or anything non-rubbery) won't bend in two directions at the same time. This means that the surface to which the end cap gets glued has to curve like a cylinder, and not like the surface of a sphere! So the basic problem lies in the design of the mould (I will have to fix that for the next one). With a lot of clamps, too much glue, and quite a lot of swearing I did manage to get the end cap fitted - after a fasion. Once the glue is dry I will have to add some decorative bits to hide the gaps. Oh well, it's all part of the learning process.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A dog's breakfast
I have made a right dog's breakfast of the end cap... On the first attempt I made the end cap too thick (a little under 3mm). I could not get this to bend successfully (even after wetting the surface) so I made a new one, this time about 1.7mm thick. This bent well, but fitting it to the mandolin bowl was a nightmare. The problem stems from the fact that wood (or paper or anything non-rubbery) won't bend in two directions at the same time. This means that the surface to which the end cap gets glued has to curve like a cylinder, and not like the surface of a sphere! So the basic problem lies in the design of the mould (I will have to fix that for the next one). With a lot of clamps, too much glue, and quite a lot of swearing I did manage to get the end cap fitted - after a fasion. Once the glue is dry I will have to add some decorative bits to hide the gaps. Oh well, it's all part of the learning process.
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3 comments:
Sounds like you have the right mindset Richard. Looking ahead to your next instrument and working out how to improve your process sounds like a recipe for (eventual) success!
I'm using google translator, you had this problem that you place the final piece in the box Mandolin Italian is very common, if ever fixed in this region has some decorative bead is made just to hide any imperfections in the region, this happens in the bouzouki Too I, summarizing the project you did not miss that part is normal not close 100% is acceptable when staying a minimum of 98 to 96% closed then place a decorative inlay, I have helped.
Thank you for this comment - it was very useful. I did add a decorative piece to cover the gap. When I make my next mould I will be trying to reduce this problem, if it is possible, by changing the shape of the area where the end cap is glued on. best regards, Richard
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