Redneck Banjo Update!

While I await materials, and the complicated parts of the Coors Light game to miraculously solve themselves, I came across the TV ad for the redneck banjo we made. Quick turn around on their part!

A little crazy, but I do love the banjo!
8)
JWO

I Won't Be Canoeing Around These Parts!

First thing Saturday at the shop was to draw up the Aspire 4 file for the banjo neck. No Fancy 3d modeling on this job! 2-2 rail sweeps, and a rectangular "create shape" were all it needed. I made sure to center in the material, so I could flip the part and machine the dropped portion of the headstock where the tuning pegs go. It took quite a bit of googling to find enough data on the size of a banjo neck, but I was able to piece enough info together to get something real. I didn't need to make the fingerboard curved, or have any fret markers, this needed to be very simple in design. I originally set up all the vectors for the creation of a 5 string banjo, with a tuning peg on the neck, but I started with the back of the neck, and forgot to mirror the vectors, so the tuning peg would have been on the wrong side of the neck :-O
As I had already machined the back of the neck, I had to come up with a solution. The solution was to mill off the bump-out for the 5th string, and make the neck without it. DOH! Jamie stoooopid!

The neck was 2 sided machined from a 40" piece of a fairly straight 2X4. A little dry, but did the trick.

Once the neck was cut, I traced it onto the top of our brand new-old rusty can, and cut the opening with a dremmel and a cut off wheel.

The neck slid through the body and got screwed to the can at the back. I drilled out the 4 holes for the now tarnished tuning pegs, and screwed them down.

I used a nail, bent accordingly, for the nut. I cut in 4 grooves so the strings would ride evenly on the way to the tuning pegs.

 In order to keep the strings seated in the nail, I drilled the headstock and hooked the strings with some rusty cotter pins, bent over on the back side.

We used a detail sander with a scratchy cloth to sand through the paint layers, down to the metal in spots. This got sprayed again with a rust accelerator, to age the now exposed metal.

 The final detail was a clothes pin for the bridge. No need to actually fasten it down, as the tension on the strings held it firmly in place!

I drilled the neck for the 5th string tuner, and used a bass tuning peg. Total red-neck!

The job delivered today at 2:30, and they loved it!
I've 2 small jobs to finish up tomorrow before we head down to Indiana, and I hope to blog about the sign camp while were there, but I think the internet is a bit slow, so it might be when we return before I post about it!
8)
JWO

Back Woods Gas Can Banjo!

I got a call this afternoon from our awesome art direcor friend Alan Fellows, He's the guy who got us the Fisher Price miniature builds.
His next commercial needs a "Gas Can Banjo" A google image search turns up all kinds of neat examples. This is supposed to look like it's celebrating Hill Billy Ingenuity!
The best part is I had the perfect can in the shop, almost empty of lighter fluid!

I poured a little sulfuric acid onto the top and let it sit for a while. This was to strip off any tin coating that would be on there to stop the can from rusting. While it was doing it's thing, Jody and I headed down to the music store I used to pretty much live at in my rock and roll days. And thanks to John Bradley, the greatest guitar tech ever, we were able to scavenge some tuning pegs and an old guitar pickup. Score!

I threw the heads into some acid for an overnight bath. Not sure exactly what they'll look like in the morning, but it's got to be better than bright chrome! I also scuffed most of the gold plating off the pickup. This banjo need to look well used.

The reference image showed a gas can that was red with a white lightning bolt that had the word GASOLINE written in it. They don't want the can to actually say anything, so I didn't put any text on it.
I masked the can, and cut a quick lightning bolt out, then lightly sprayed it with a flat red color.

Once the red was dry, and the masking removed, I lightly hit it with some black and brown paint as well. This will get worn down tomorrow when it's good and dry.

With the tinning removed from the top and bottom, I sprayed it with a rust accelerator, for the instant rust. I also sprinkled some iron powder on the surface for some added texture-ish spots.

The guitar pick-up also got the same treatment. It's pretty heavy right now, but I'll take it back a bit tomorrow.

Luckily the banjo only has to LOOK like it might actually play, as the deadline is Monday at noon, pretend works well for me!

Jody and I will be in Indiana next week for Robert Jones' sign seminar. We were asked to teach again this year, but we had a schedule conflict, that actually turned out NOT to be a conflict after all. So we will be going down anyway, to see some friends, and make a few more! I'm pretty excited to get to go back down there, the hospitality from Robert and his wife Deb is top notch! It will be good to see them again.
8)
JO