Cast Aluminum Windshield Posts
This was a project that I did a few years back, nine to be exact, that took more time than money. I saw a picture of Walt Rose’s ’27 T roadster in the book “The American Hot Rod” when it came out. I knew that I wanted something similar for my roadster pickup. The foundry patterns were made using 1’’ thick poplar, polyester body filler, and 3/8’’ aluminum plate.
I made the posts longer than needed and cut them down a ½’’ to ¼’’ at a time until I was happy with how it looked. Here’s some photos of the process.
Kay Guitar Project
For the last few years I’ve been pretty good about not taking on any new personal projects as I whittle away at the list I currently have. I’ve been making some progress, but last month while in San Diego a friend said I could have this old Kay if I wanted to do something with it. I took a quick look and said “sure, I’ll take it!” Its a late 50’s Kay model K-161 with a screwed up neck and no hardware. I’ve always wanted to build a neck from scratch but never really had a good reason to do so. Now I do! I want it to look like a guitar Paul Bigsby would have modified.
Last Sunday it didn’t take much to get the finger board off, and the dovetail joint apart. I also made a couple of pick guard patterns. This proved to be a little tricker, trying to hide the existing holes and still look Bigsbyish. I plan on using a pair of my pickups that I’m working on, the vibrato I had in my parts stash. I’ll post as I make progress so check back from time to time. Here’s some mock up photos. Read The Rest
Pickguard Inlay
I’ve been getting a few request to do pickguard inlay lately. It’s kind of nice to get a job that I can do while sitting down listening to music. I’m currently on a Bill DeArango kick, great stuff, his rolled off tone and rapid fire guitar solos make me crazy! Anyhow, as for the pickguards, each letter is hand drawn and cut out using an old Delta scroll saw. They’re then carefully traced on to the pickguard and the negative area is cut out for a nice tight fit. The letters are then glued in place, sanded flush, covered with 4 to 5 coats of nitrocellulose lacquer, and rubbed out to a high gloss finish. If you need any inlay work done, contact us for a quote.
When Country Was King
I came across this article in the L.A. Times a few weeks ago. This scene was taking place in the area of Southern, CA where I grew up. Unfortunately I was born just as all of this musical greatness had come to a screeching halt. The musicians and guitar pickers that were playing at this time are still influencing my playing today. I also like Rose Lee Maphis’s quote ”I’m glad we were part of the business at that time, because back then, the business belonged to the entertainers” Enjoy…
A fact that’s been nearly lost to music history in general, and to Southern Californians in particular, is that from the 1940s right through 1960, our part of the state was well known for country music. We had our own unvarnished sound before Buck Owens and Bakersfield rose to prominence in the early 1960s. Merle Travis and Wynn Stewart may be our most famous exports, but be sure to check out Skeets McDonald, Molly Bee, Cliff Crofford and Billy Mize—and they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
The performances of that time have a vitality and authenticity that’s lacking in today’s Nashville product. Once you’ve been introduced to the canon of SoCal country, you’ll be hooked. For this, we can thank the scores of Dust Bowl and southern migrants, who in the 1930s brought their fulsome musical traditions to the Golden State. To accommodate these newcomers and the impulses of those who already lived here, dance halls and honky-tonks blossomed like California poppies.
As we were discussing the genre’s recent past, Americana musician James Intveld, an avid student of the California-roots sound, asked me, “Have you ever written anything about the Riverside Rancho?” It was a simple question that led to Read The Rest
Walnut Cutting Boards
TK played around with various shapes of Cutting Boards a while ago. After selling out of the initial run and using them ourselves, he has decided to stick with one simple shape in three sizes. Each board, made of Walnut, is individually Handcrafted by TK. Not only are they practical and easy on your knives, but they look amazingly beautiful stacked up in the kitchen! We like to think of the small cutting board as a “cocktail” board, perfect for cutting citrus for your favorite drink, the medium, great as a bread board and the large, for the bigger jobs in the kitchen.
We recently gave one as a wedding gift and the recipient said she didn’t want to use it “because it would get scratched up!” We explained that that’s the beauty of it. These boards will last a lifetime and look even better with visable use. Like everyone should, she needs to “feed” the board with food grade mineral oil or a commercial paste once in a while to keep the wood in the best condition, and of course hand wash with soapy water, never in the dishwasher.
TK’s cutting boards will be available for sale soon on this site, as well in various retail outlets. Feel free to contact us for info. Also, while relaxing over the long holiday weekend, check out our House Tour over at Alice in Designland. Thanks Dia!
