Hi all,
In Part 23 we finished the bench and marbled the side panels. Now we’ll protect the marbling with some poly, paper the rest of the case, and call this part of the project finished.
First, the stand is finished with almond paint, gold bands, and papers. The paper strips were printed when we decorated the bench so it’s just a matter of cutting them to size and gluing them on. Here’s the finished stand.
At this stage, the marbling is quite rough to the touch. It feels like wood after the grain has been raised with water – only more severe. We’ll protect and smooth it with several coats of spray on polyurethane, sanding between coats. The sanding procedure is somewhat counter-intuitive in that we’ll sand through the grits, by hand, in reverse order. The last thing we want to do is cut through the poly and scratch the marbling. It will leave marks that can never be successfully repaired. So we start by spraying a light coat of gloss poly followed by another coat 1 hour later. When it dries, we’ll sand it lightly and carefully with 1500 grit wet/dry paper – dry. Then the process is repeated, this time sanding with 1000 grit. Then 800 grit followed by 600 grit - wet. The idea is to sand more aggressively as the finish gets thicker. After the final sanding we’ll spray on a coat of satin poly and leave it unsanded. And finally, we get to remove the blue masking tape and the protective plastic covering the inside of the instrument. Here is a photo of the finished marbling (well, almost finished)
We still need to add gold bands on the top and bottom edges of the marbling. Since this requires masking tape on the marble, we’ll wait a few days. Even though I use safe-release tape for masking, it’s not worth the risk of the tape pulling up some poly or marbling. Better to wait a couple of days – just to be safe.
While we’re waiting, we’ll take care of papering the inside of the case and the keywell. The next photo shows the 3 different sizes of papers we’ve used so far. The strip on the top is the one we’ll use on the inside of the case. Beneath that is the one we used on the bench and stand. The large one on the bottom is what we will use in the keyboard area. We will use another, much larger size on the lid.
Using the computer to generate these papers makes it possible to size the paper to the dimensions of the case. Commercially available papers come in one size for each application so the fit and pattern is rarely precise. To me, it doesn’t make sense to settle for less than a perfect fit when the technology is available to get it right.
Fitting the papers is like hanging wallpaper (something that I’ve never done). Measure twice – cut once. I always print about 30% more paper than I need to allow for matching the patterns. The paper strips we’re using are 24” long so we’ll need many of them to cover the inside perimeter of the case. Careful, square cuts and good measurements are all that is needed for a nice, clean job. Starting at a corner, we glue in one strip at a time until we’ve gone all around the case.
After finishing the case we paper the keywell – same procedure, bigger paper. With that, the case is done. Now, back to the marbling. All that remains is to add the gold bands above and below the marbling. More blue tape!
After the paint has dried (4 coats), the tape is removed and the marbling is finished. Here’s what it looks like.
It’s been quite a while since the various parts of the instrument have been together. This is a good time to take stock of the entire project to this date. Here’s some photos.
So what’s left to do? We have to build a lid, decorate the soundboard, put the strings on, install and regulate the jacks, and enjoy playing it. Next time, I’ll start on the lid while Sandy starts to paint the soundboard. Actually, I get to put some paint on the soundboard too. I’ve already mentioned my complete and utter uselessness when it comes to painting, but there is something that has to be done before Sandy can start her decorating. If you think you know what the word “boring” means, I guarantee that I will re-define that word for you.
Thanks for looking! The end is near.
Till next time,
Ernie
In Part 23 we finished the bench and marbled the side panels. Now we’ll protect the marbling with some poly, paper the rest of the case, and call this part of the project finished.
First, the stand is finished with almond paint, gold bands, and papers. The paper strips were printed when we decorated the bench so it’s just a matter of cutting them to size and gluing them on. Here’s the finished stand.
At this stage, the marbling is quite rough to the touch. It feels like wood after the grain has been raised with water – only more severe. We’ll protect and smooth it with several coats of spray on polyurethane, sanding between coats. The sanding procedure is somewhat counter-intuitive in that we’ll sand through the grits, by hand, in reverse order. The last thing we want to do is cut through the poly and scratch the marbling. It will leave marks that can never be successfully repaired. So we start by spraying a light coat of gloss poly followed by another coat 1 hour later. When it dries, we’ll sand it lightly and carefully with 1500 grit wet/dry paper – dry. Then the process is repeated, this time sanding with 1000 grit. Then 800 grit followed by 600 grit - wet. The idea is to sand more aggressively as the finish gets thicker. After the final sanding we’ll spray on a coat of satin poly and leave it unsanded. And finally, we get to remove the blue masking tape and the protective plastic covering the inside of the instrument. Here is a photo of the finished marbling (well, almost finished)
We still need to add gold bands on the top and bottom edges of the marbling. Since this requires masking tape on the marble, we’ll wait a few days. Even though I use safe-release tape for masking, it’s not worth the risk of the tape pulling up some poly or marbling. Better to wait a couple of days – just to be safe.
While we’re waiting, we’ll take care of papering the inside of the case and the keywell. The next photo shows the 3 different sizes of papers we’ve used so far. The strip on the top is the one we’ll use on the inside of the case. Beneath that is the one we used on the bench and stand. The large one on the bottom is what we will use in the keyboard area. We will use another, much larger size on the lid.
Using the computer to generate these papers makes it possible to size the paper to the dimensions of the case. Commercially available papers come in one size for each application so the fit and pattern is rarely precise. To me, it doesn’t make sense to settle for less than a perfect fit when the technology is available to get it right.
Fitting the papers is like hanging wallpaper (something that I’ve never done). Measure twice – cut once. I always print about 30% more paper than I need to allow for matching the patterns. The paper strips we’re using are 24” long so we’ll need many of them to cover the inside perimeter of the case. Careful, square cuts and good measurements are all that is needed for a nice, clean job. Starting at a corner, we glue in one strip at a time until we’ve gone all around the case.
After finishing the case we paper the keywell – same procedure, bigger paper. With that, the case is done. Now, back to the marbling. All that remains is to add the gold bands above and below the marbling. More blue tape!
After the paint has dried (4 coats), the tape is removed and the marbling is finished. Here’s what it looks like.
It’s been quite a while since the various parts of the instrument have been together. This is a good time to take stock of the entire project to this date. Here’s some photos.
So what’s left to do? We have to build a lid, decorate the soundboard, put the strings on, install and regulate the jacks, and enjoy playing it. Next time, I’ll start on the lid while Sandy starts to paint the soundboard. Actually, I get to put some paint on the soundboard too. I’ve already mentioned my complete and utter uselessness when it comes to painting, but there is something that has to be done before Sandy can start her decorating. If you think you know what the word “boring” means, I guarantee that I will re-define that word for you.
Thanks for looking! The end is near.
Till next time,
Ernie
