Filling and sanding, with a pinch of mandolin

Pictures

Edgebanded and fill …

Drying … next step sanding …

Here she is …

Larrivee A-33 mandolin

A style with f holes … hand rubbed Cremona stain, then varnished

Nice lines

And it sounds better than it looks!

Case slips nicely right behind the driver seat on the school bus.

Sanding …

Found time to fix a flat ~ It needs some TLC, but it will be ready for the Snow to Surf race this coming April. Yep, I got on a team!

Sanded, stacked and ready for assembly.

Current conditions …

The pictures pretty much explain today’s doings in the shop.  I filled the edgebanding that I put on yesterday this morning and let it dry until I got back from the afternoon run.  When I got back I played the mandolin for about an hour.  I just got it a week ago and I’m loving it so far.  I’ve played guitar for about 5 years now and it is a pretty easy transition.  I’ve been working on a couple of simple bluegrass tunes, but a lot of the time I’ve just been jamming on it.  I don’t really know what I’m doing, but this instrument likes to be played hard and fast, or that’s the way it makes me feel.  It’s a gutsy little beast that’s going to be a great mandolin in a couple of years of daily play.  I don’t really think this mandolin has been played very much at all.  I bought it used, but it was in impeccable condition.  I’ve seen it change over the last week.  Maybe that has to do with me getting more familiar with it and I’m expanding a lot quicker than when I first started playing guitar.  You can really get a nice celtic sound out of it and I’ve been putting a few things together.  A few more things different than guitar … I can play this standing up.  I never play guitar standing up, so this is a big change.  It’s easy to carry.  I’ve been sliding it behind the drivers seat and have been playing down at the dock between runs in the afternoon.  A good solid half hour everyday surrounded by natural beauty.  My guitar gets out a few times a year.  The mandolins seems more personal than a guitar.  I know some people name their guitars, but that’s never been for me.  This instrument definitely has a feminine side to it.  I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.  Explore we shall.

After dinner I got working on the sanding and finished up around 9:30, then fixed the bike.  I put my sawhorse beside the back door and used a few pieces of cedar for my bench top.  I now have a sanding station!  It’s lit, dry and keeps a lot of dust out of the shop.  I’m happy tonight.

It’s nice being back online and working in the shop again.  The summer was a lot of fun, but it’s good to get back to some form of structure.  I know next summer will be busy, but I hope to be online until the kids get out of school.

Time for bed

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