Olympic Musical Instruments




	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 August 18, 2003 Double photos this week, because I didn't post them last week. VG36 - laser cutting an inlay in the back to strengthen a crack that developed near the tail block VG36 - milling the keybox top (again) VG36 - with the inlay patch glued in place VG36 - something cool happening here... VG36 - ...and here... VG36: ... and here. VG36: the tuner soldered together and completely tested VG36: each day the finish gets a little closer to completion. VG38: buffing out the finish on the sides VG38 - more finish applied to the back in the spray room LB5 - the last rib is in place LB5: the wood for the soundboard and the keybox sides being prepped Esprit: coating the master keys with finish Esprit: Justin made 2 sets of handles and cranks Esprit: the wheel is scraped and the chanters are sounding. Esprit: making one of the four master moulds for the keyfronts Esprit: drilling the key shafts Esprit: A new Venturi high vacuum pump capable of drawing a vacuum of 15 mbar. At right in back is a vacuum chamber, used for degassing casting resins and silicone moulding compound. Esprit: degassing a batch of casting resin - the bubbles in the mixture and gasses dissolved in the liquid are removed by placing the liquid in a vacuum. Esprit: pouring the degassed resin EG2: the back and sides are glued together EG2: making the shaft EG2: back in the mould for sanding and gluing EG2: gluing on the soundboard EG2: the soundboard trimmed to the sides EG2: the keybox is being glued together No garden pictures this week, though we did manage to weed and regravel a path in the back of the house. So, without further ado, we go to (drum roll please...) the RTDWHG! RTDW: one of many photos of the left head being milled RTDW: one of the stranger setups for the left head... ... and here it is with the machines able to be installed, though not yet fully milled RTDW: starting to look like a small medieval city... RTDW: a trim cut, where the mill would have splintered the wood RTDW: the trompette bridges assembled and placed temporarily to allow checking of the geometry of the left head RTDW: it looks as if it will work - so now the pattern can be used to design the right head, which is not a mirror image of the left one. (20 points to the first person to tell me why this is the case. ;-) ) Happy trails, and remember to check out the Over the Water website for more information on the upcoming HG festival. 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. © Copyright 2000, 2005, Olympic Musical Instruments. Please ask for permission to use material from this site. Thank you.