The progress reports
Each week we update this page with new photos of instruments in progress. The updates will usually be sometime on Monday, which is the end of our work week.
We hope that you enjoy seeing the progress on your instrument and those of others who have them on order.
Week ending May 5, 2003
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
LB5: stock for the ribs, now final sanded
A birthday gift, now the Official Shop Mug. (Is it any surprise that this was given to us by a customer? ;-) Truly, thank you very much!
Colson: so far, Euclid's contribution to the human race hasn't let us down... here we're setting the wheel angle on the new band
VG38: the channel for the binding has been cut, the purfling glued and trimmed, and the binding plaques made
VG36: milling the tailpiece for the hidden Schaller machine
VG40: the finish is almost complete
Esprit prototype: the first mold is completed and the sides are ready for gluing
Esprit prototype: the back is glued up, shown with the acrylic layout template
Esprit prototype: laminated MDF for the second body form
Pajot Jeune (MK's): evaluating the instrument for restoration
VG32: is it? Yes, an iron, held to the bench with a clamp... lutherie takes us to the oddest places sometimes. In this case, I'm using a heat transfer to make a custom circuit board for the new electronic tuner design
VG32: after three failed designs, the fourth one worked (thank goodness!). It's for a chromatic tuner with a liquid crystal display, which is very cool but also a little tougher to work with than the LED's we've had on other tuners.
The Pajot: undergoing another round of measuring - who would have thought that a laptop computer would become an essential shop tool?
Guitar-lute: final scraping the inside
Justin's: the final laser etch on the wheel cover - two other versions of the wheel cover were made and rejected before this one was completed
Justin's: the wheel cover, keybox, and keybox top being finished
The future vegetable garden: before...
... and after removing the forsythias to a better location. Last week we gave away the huge clump of pampas grass that was between them. In the left corner is Cali's first water feature - move over, Charlie! (We've still got two huge clumps of pampas grass on offer - you dig them, they're yours!)
And now the moment you've been waiting for, RT - yes, real progress:
RTDWHG: the trompette bridge parts are made, and are taped together to check their fit and position before gluing. Thank goodness for double-stick tape!
See other weeks for more pictures.
Please contact us if you have comments or questions about this page or other pages on this site.
Alden and Cali Hackmann
Olympic Musical Instruments
Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae.
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