Day 57: Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, yesterday, November 11 - Veteran's Day - was my birthday. Frankly, I've stopped counting and/or acknowledging how many years I've been on the planet, so it's a bigger deal to friends and family than it is to me. More importantly, I was able to spend some time in the shop last night and finished gluing up all of the natural key top heads and even started a few tails.

It's coming along slowly but surely. Because of this, I've decided to name my company Tortuga Ancient Instruments. Regardless of my speed, I'm happy with my progress so far, including the two naturals I've filed and sanded (they're the ones with the tails glued on in the photo above); this bodes well for the remaining keys. I'm planning to get more of the tails glued up tonight so I can start filing and sanding in earnest. I also nearly have the buffing of the sharps completed - just four more to go and I'm there.

Until next time...

P.S. Watch for a new project on the horizon - a Baroque guitar modeled on an instrument that may have been owned by Marie Antoinette. Apparently, she let them eat cake AND play guitar. There is no historical evidence, though, that she let them do both at the same time.

Project Update: The Next Time Around...

I know it's a little early in the project to be reflecting, yet I've been at it since May, so I figured I'm due. Granted, I don't work on the instrument every day, but I have put in quite a few hours and made some interesting choices that I will definitely change on the next one.

First, I would take the jointing of the keyboard blank more seriously. This blank is the large piece that is the result of gluing together five pieces of poplar and from which I cut all keysticks, both naturals and sharps, using the band saw. The next time around, I will use a jig similar to the one I use to glue up guitar tops and backs; it simultaneously pulls the sides together while applying pressure to the top, creating a nice glue joint and completely flat end product.

Second, I would make darned sure the natural key top laminates were exactly 1/8" (3mm) thick. As I'm gluing them to the keysticks and sanding them, I'm finding some disconcerting variations that could have been avoided simply by remaining attentive to the rip cuts.

Third, in alignment with my second point, I will make adjustments to my table saw so the glue line rip blade works without a hitch. Because my zero-clearance throat plate (the plate through which the blade pokes its ugly head) was a little low, the key top wood dropped down during the cut, resulting in blade marks and uneven cuts, which I had to sand off. I would also not cut the sharps on the band saw because the blade left cut marks that were a pain to sand off - and you know how much I love sanding.

Fourth, I would use the same supplier for all parts I cannot manufacture myself. Now, this one was unavoidable given the fact that Lutz Bugart, owner and operator of The Instrument Workshop, passed away. This forced me to order additional balance and back rail guide pins from Hubbard Harpsichords, resulting in minute differences in pin sizes. This will in no way affect how the instrument plays, it would just be nice to have everything be a uniform size.

Fifth, I will build a custom miter box to accommodate a saw with finer teeth to cut the natural key tops to size. The current miter kit I used is designed for household/building projects, not for cutting fine wood at small tolerances. My miter box will be much smaller and allow me to use one of my nice pull saws to get the finest cut possible.

Finally, I will build the next instrument using metric measurements. Having used only the metric system while earning my BA and MA degrees in anthropology/archaeology, I became quite accustomed to the system and now value the smaller increments that are, frankly, easier to calculate in my noggin when in the throes of working the wood. Base 10 is not a bad thing at all.

Regardless of all of these changes I would make, things are going quite well with the build. I continue to make mistakes nearly every day, but I'm noting them here and filing them away for later reference. I'm also experiencing some great successes; those get filed away, too.

Until next time...

Day 56: From Chaos Comes Order

I glued one of the key top tails to a keystick last night and it looks pretty darned good.

So good, in fact, that I started gluing up the remaining key top heads in anticipation of notching and sanding them as I prepare for the tail glue up step.

I know it looks chaotic, but, in my defense, I'm using just about every clamp I own, which include all shapes and sizes. And, yes, it's true: you can never have too many clamps. Frankly, I'd just like about two dozen more clamps like the little one in the first photo above. They're small and cheap and work great for these key glue ups. Finally, something from Harbor Freight worked out!

I'll be notching and sanding the key top heads before proceeding with the gluing of all of the tails. That way, I'm not endangering the tails as I use the new razor knife -- yes, I decided to go ahead and make the minuscule notch at the second score line using it -- and the file to round off the heads. It turns out I was making the notches too deep - they only need to be about 1/32" deep to help protect the score line from the rigors of the file.

As I've described in a previous post, sanding can be a bit of a challenge for me because 1) I don't like it very much and 2) my hands always hurt from the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome surgery I had a few years ago (I'm a Data Scientist in my day job - CTS is an occupational hazard). My solution for the sharps is to sand no more than three or four at a sitting and putter around on other things between sessions. As I glued up the key tops, I was able to finish buffing up 10 of the sharps. There are only 21, so I'm getting there...slowly but surely...like the tortuga.

Until next time...

Day 55: Fixing the Fixes

It's been an eventful few days this week. First, I was able to get the sharps buffed and ready for prime time. I ended up using a Heavy Duty Scotchbrite pad I had laying around for eventual use on the many hand plane renovation projects that exist only in my mind at this time. All of the keys I worked on buffed up nicely and are just about completed - the only thing left is to top them with a thin veneer of quarter sawn red oak.

After posting about my challenges with the naturals, Andrew Nolan was kind enough to suggest I simply use a file to round them off. As I did this, I realized I had made the notches a little too deep, but they're going to stay for now. I had to band saw off the two I had ruined and I'm just too tired and, frankly, impatient, to do that again. Besides, it's only a couple of keys at the high end of the keyboard. If I decide they're nagging at me too much later, I can always replace them.

As you can see, the natural looks pretty good, but the notches are a little too deep. I won't tell if you don't.

On a completely unrelated note, Andrew was also kind enough to remind me that the mask in a photo I had posted of myself was completely ineffective against most, if not all, airborne particles. Based on his comment, I went ahead and purchased a 3M 6300 HEPA-filtered mask off of eBay. It was only $15 and will probably end up extending my life given how much dust and aerosolized paint I've produced these last few months.

Now, I feel safe and snug as a bug in a rug. Or a gas mask. Either one. Yes, my hair gets crazier with every bad selfie I take. Just wait a couple more months.

Until next time...

Project Update: Seeing with New Eyes...Again

When I started this project blog, I was determined to include everything, including my mistakes - warts and all. Well, this is a wart part. I've been struggling with cutting a notch near the second score mark on the natural keys because the African blackwood I'm using is as hard as stone. The photo below illustrates the notches I'm talking about.

Photo courtesy of The Harpsichord Project E-book 3.1 by Ernest Miller.

The notches are really designed to protect the demarcation point between the second score line and the sanding I will do to round off the edges of the keys. I will eventually use a thin strip of sandpaper to round off the edges and the notches will keep my sanding accurate. The photo below illustrates this nicely.

Photo courtesy of The Harpsichord Project E-book 3.1 by Ernest Miller.

I started notching with a knock-off X-Acto knife I purchased on eBay and I ended up breaking two of the knives that came in the three-pack. The first blade went flying past my head and the second almost cut my hand. I then decided to purchase a good, quality razor knife from Woodcrafters here in my beloved Portland. The handle is just the right size, the blades are tempered steel and the craftsmanship is outstanding.

I then proceeded to cut the notches - and also cut right through the end of the keys, taking the scored parts right off. And I also almost took off part of my thumb. Not dangerous, frustrating or in any way devastating at all. Now, I will have to plane off the two key tops I destroyed and start over with them. I'm not looking forward to that process, but it's just wood. I'll get it.

As you may know, I keep a Facebook project page that has sparked the interest of Australian harpsichord builder, Andrew Nolan. He asks me clarifying questions and makes salient suggestions on the page from time to time. Recently, he reminded me that the mask I was using for sanding paint and wood was completely ineffective against airborne particles of pretty much any kind. I bought a nice HEPA filtered mask on eBay for $15 at his suggestion.

I asked him about my notching dilemma and he said he simply puts the keys in a small miter box and uses a file with a flat side (the one against the score side) to round the key tops - you know, like they did 600 years ago. Similar to my own miter box solution for cutting the natural key tops, this one was staring me in the face and way too simple for me to come up with on my own. Clearly, I need to keep the KISS method in mind as I proceed.

The end result of all of this will look very much like the keys on the left in the photo below.

Photo courtesy of The Harpsichord Project E-book 3.1 by Ernest Miller.

Now that I have a simple solution to what seemed an nearly insurmountable problem, I can proceed once again with abandon.

Until next time...

Day 54: Painting, Gluing and Notching

Last night I was able to get the sixth and, I hope, final coat of paint onto the sharps. They look pretty darned good. I think a final swipe with the steel wool will wrap things up there quite nicely.

While waiting for the sharps to dry, I turned my attention back to the naturals. Because I had sized all of the heads, they were ready to be scored. As you can see in the photo below, I used a scoring jig from plans included in Mr. Miller's eBook Most Excellent. This jig allows me to lock each key top head in and use two metal bars to run a decorative score across them at 1/8" intervals.

The notching to the second score I mentioned a couple of posts ago is a pretty difficult task. The danger is that the X-Acto knife, a razor blade, really, pretty easily slips and cuts the notch all the way through the end of the key. Very frustrating and potentially dangerous. I made a judgment call last night and decided to glue up five of the top heads to their respective keysticks and give the notching a shot. It worked great because I'm able to get a better grip on the little buggers when they're attached to the keysticks.

I used a rub joint on these and they set up nicely. I was able to notch one with some success and am looking forward to working on all of them through this coming weekend.

Until next time...

Day 53: Sanding is a Life-threatening Endeavor

I completed sanding all of the sharps last night using only the 0000 steel wool. It resulted in a much better finish that was ready to accept the fifth coat of paint.

I took a break about every three sharps and sanded up a few natural key top heads. As you will recall, my hands hurt pretty much all the time, so the break is not only nice, it's necessary if I want to get more than a few done per evening.

Sanding the natural heads required me to fit each head to each key top, holding the key upside down against the blackwood and drawing a cut line to which I would sand using my trusty belt/disc sander.

The small piece of poplar clamped to the sanding deck was designed to give the illusion I was making a perfect 90-degree "cut" using the disc. Because I cut all of the keys from a single piece of jointed wood using the band saw, none of the keys are what I would consider perfectly square, so this solution worked quite well. I also brought the floor lamp over from the band saw to shed some light on the subject and was able to get all of the heads completed between frequent sharp sanding breaks.

As you can see, I thought I was being safe by wearing a mask until one of my Facebook friends, Andrew Nolan (an Australian builder), told me the model I was wearing was completely ineffective against airborne dust. Taking his advice, I went ahead and ordered a new one from eBay. It should be here soon.

The results of all of this were the completion of the sharp sanding and the preparation of the natural key top heads. I was able to hit the sharps with a fifth coat of paint and will put the sixth on tonight so I can burnish them up with the steel wool by the weekend.

Overall, it was a productive evening, which was nice after a bit of a break from building.

Until next time...