A few people have written to remind that Thirty days have September, APRIL, June and no wonder I get confused... Sorry for the mistake. The actual date is...
Hello from the lonely northwestern outpost of banjos... I spent 5 evenings last week soaking and bending strips of white birch, black ash and curly western...
... Take this with a grain of salt, as I've built exactly zero banjos and you've likely built a herd of 'em, but isn't the purpose of the dowel stick /...
Hi Walt, Your bending iron is exactly what guitar makers use to bend the solid sides of a guitar body. What banjo makers usually do is to steam (or soak) the...
I have a L & H tenor similarly fastened. A 1/2 "lug was screwed into the heel and a 5/16" or so machine screw goes through the rim from the inside into the...
There's nothing to stop you from trying and then adding coordinator rods later. Just make sure to set-up the hanger bolts in the same pattern that you'd use...
Walt: Just for interest how thick were the plies that you bent and how many did you glue up to get what overall thickness? There's numerous opinions out there,...
Walt: I just had a look at your photos, that you posted. Beautiful work! Your a real artist! How do you make the leather cases? They look great. Also like your...
Many thanks for your kind words.I cut the leather top, bottom and sides from 6-9 ounce cowhides. I have heavy paper templates that I made. Then I punch each...
I just had a chance to go to your photos and have a look. Lovely workmanship! About the wavy edges -- I hate leaving a question hanging, so here's my theory...
A subject that is light-weight, no controversy, and pleasing to the eye, I hope. Just a notice to those of you who are interested in banjo ephemera and trivia,...
Many thanks to everyone for all your responses. Yesterday, I erroneously stated that I use Lee Valley's G2 epoxy. It is really G1 epoxy. G2 epoxy is only for...
I have several very early banjos with the neck attached directly to the pot with a single bolt. I believe that they were made by the same maker since the...
A few upstate New York makers used the no-strut configuration but yours reminds me of Ashborn's work. Michael I. Holmes Director, Banjo Camp North *** May...
Are people aware that the MBA is no more? There will be no more held. I'm sad to see it go. That leaves Banjo Camp North the only large, annual event of its...
I've got a 19th century banjo. The neck that is not only bowed but seems to have a fair amount of wiggle in it--the wood is flexible enough to bend it w/ a...
I can't provide guidance but I can give you some nice images to look at of a VERY nice banjo that Ray Alden designed for me and Jim DeCava built. This had an...
Since hide glue was probably used to glue the fingerboard, it can probably be removed with a thin knife that has been steam-heated (and "wetted"). Go SLOWLY...
I use graphite bars in all my necks--I think the key on retrofitting one would be to set up a jig that would guide a router down the center of the neck after...
The link I sent does not "link". To see this banjo copy the text " \\waltoncollege\dhyatt$\images\Custom\DeCava.htm " (including the backslashes) and paste it...
... David, that won't work either, unless the browser is running on a computer on your local area network... you'll need to put the files on a webserver; or,...
Thanks to everybody that has offered advice on this. Can I ask a couple of questions? Wd one of the 1/8 inch rods be enough reinforcement? How much does a 1/8...
I use 1/8 X 3/8 bars in my banjo necks--they seem to be about perfect. I run the bar all the way through the peghead transition on my banjos, but for a...
Looking for a Canadian graphite rod source. Hi Walt, Where in Manitoba do you get the graphite from? It sounds like a viable option to installing a truss rod...
Yahoo Groups is now collecting marketing information in yet another way, unless you turn it off: "Yahoo is now using something called "Web Beacons" to track...
I am attempting to make a small (8 inch diameter) travel/kid's banjo. I would like to do a tack head to minimize cost and weight.My model is the Nechville...
