Friday, December 30, 2016

Day 138: Patching a Hole

It's been a while since I've regaled you here. Sorry about that. Life intrudes, you know? Not that building this instrument isn't a major part of my life, there are just other aspects of it that have demanded my attention for the better part of the last three months. Enough said.

As you may recall, I had been on some sort of mind-altering drug or something when I cut the middle register hole into the nameboard of the instrument. There are three holes in the nameboard, each intended to hold a rod that helps move the 8' and 4' registers and apply the buff stop. Like not drilling the holes into the wrestplank before mounting it into the case, I wish I had cut this hole correctly before gluing it into place. But, alas, I did not. So, I finally went about filling in the hole.




The bottom photo above is the backside after the putty dried on the front side and I scraped it with my trusty card scraper.


I had decided early on (before I really knew much about harpsichord construction) to build this one in the Craftsman/Arts & Crafts style using quarter sawn red oak veneer over the poplar case. While this isn't a deal-breaker, it certainly isn't the best idea I've ever had. This means I'll be covering the filled center hole with more veneer once the putty dries and I recut it, so that's my silver lining in all of this.

Just for giggles, here's a gratuitous photo of me sharpening the card scraper.


You file, then burnish an edge. Burnishing actually curls the nicely filed edge over and gives you a fine scraping tool. I use the scraper more than I would have expected - it leaves a wonderful surface that, most of the time, needs no sanding or planing.

On a completely unrelated note, the wheeling and dealing at Tortuga Early Instruments Worldwide Headquarters continues. After much deliberation (actually, a quick conversation over a beer), I decided to trade my neighbor, Mike, my Delta scroll saw for his Delta 12" sander. I've needed one from time to time over the last few months, so there you go.


I may put it on a stand, but I don't have much room left for such luxuries. On the other hand, it's a super-heavy, cast iron beauty, so a stand is looking pretty good at this point. A final decision will require a Scotch and cigar. I'll let you know the outcome at a later date.

Until next time...

No comments:

Post a Comment