Sharing my artwork with High School students at Lawrence, NJ High School. I have no family connections there, but a good friend is an art teacher there and invited me to visit. I had something set up so that they could have hands on fun actually painting a version of my own work, which was on the easel in front of them. Other paintings are scattered around as well. They were fully involved!
For what it’s worth, when I first got my Getzen Eterna, which was my first real pro trumpet, I tended to be flat on the F for some reason. It did seem to resolve itself the more warmed up I got. I think I had developed some habits out of necessity on my Bach TR300.
@J-Jericho said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@BigDub I'm guessing here, but is it because GG is more brittle and matches that particular characteristic of wood so there's less variation in drag on the cutting bit?
One thing I am sure of is that the seam is invisible and yes, no drag and the two pieces appear as one seamless piece. I usually wet one surface with water and put the glue on the other. This results in an incredibly strong, almost molecular(?) bond.
@tjveloce said in Martin Committee Club:
I'm curious if there's interest in a Martin Committee tee-shirt. I bought a Benge shirt (pictured below) from a guy who had them made for a Facebook page and thought it would be cool to make one for our favorite horn. I don't know if the Deluxe engraving could be used, but even just the standard late model Martin engraving would be cool. I like minimalism so it could just be that.
Thoughts?
-the ChiefGearhead
Just out of curiosity, do you have a sofa in your garage?!
This one, a coastal scene from northern California, (from a fine photo given me by my son in law), was done as a demo for my FaceBook Page, taking the viewer through the process from beginning to end. I awarded it to a member who won a contest involving sharing my page.....she was ecstatic!
@J-Jericho said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@BigDub There are three reasons why I don't use Gorilla Glue. Compared to Tite-Bond, I find that:
- It's harder to clean up.
- It takes very little time for the contents of the container to solidify, making it a one-time use product.
- It costs more.
Agree with all three of those points, however none of those pertain to performance. When I have used gorilla glue for specific bonding before turning the piece on the lathe, I have experienced a very high satisfaction.
I use Titebond and continue to use titebond for all the same reasons you mention, and it does a fine job indeed. But for bonding something to be put on the lathe, my choice?Gorilla.
@J-Jericho said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@BigDub FWIW I tested Tite-Bond wood adhesive by breaking a piece of wood and then gluing it back together, followed by breaking the same piece again. It did not break at the glued joint, so I repeated the same process with the same results. I've used the stuff to repair broken instrument cases, and in one instance to reconstruct the shattered case that came with my Olds Studio trombone when I purchased it. I'm confident that it is now stronger than new.
Titebond is certainly excellent woodworking glue, I have used it plenty of times. When I want a super secure bond for laminating something to be turned on a lathe, however, the best thing for me has been Gorilla Glue.
So that is a consideration also.
This will help me with what I may do because I think I am zeroing in on my method for the wooden mute.
@ROWUK said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@BigDub: Wooden mutes can be made easily just like the "Stone Lined" mutes are constructed. Using veneer to make the cone is easy, then a hardwood top. Corks come from wine bottles.
Thanks, Rowuk. I will add that idea to the few others I have floating around in my head!
@tjcombo said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@BigDub first of all props to you for having made a wooden trumpet. I've done enough wood turning to know that my wood-turning skills are not up to such a challenge. I can see two issues with turning a wooden mute - first the difficulty in turning such a thin-walled object (there, I've confessed my limitations), the second is the durability of the item. It would likely be pretty fragile. A fabricated wooden mute would have its own construction challenges but at least each wooden part would be cut such that t wasn't cross-grain.
But I do look forward to seeing any the outcome of you efforts...
First of all, I appreciate the compliment, though perhaps it might be exaggerated a bit. And secondly, my wooden mute construction ideas are so far working just fine, in the current state they sit, which is firmly in my head.
I have gone through quite a few scenarios and possible techniques,( once again, in my head ) and they are often dismissed before going to trial....I will certainly check out those mutes in a googly kind of way soon.
@ROWUK said in DIY Practice mute out of PET Coke bottles:
@J-Jericho Half of the fun is the positive comments from colleagues for the idea. The coke bottles are physically more stable than much of the competition. My favorite is the smaller 0.33 liter mute. In theory, this is an adaptation of the Renuzit mute.
Looks very good, sir.
But.......don’t you have a 3D printer now? I guess this is just for our enlightenment.
Seriously, I have been dreaming of making a wooden mute, but not for practice, but performance. Different ways to approach it, should I use a lathe, or glue sections of nice hardwood together and then use the lathe? These are the type of thoughts that go through my mind while taking my walks.
Yes, I did already make a wooden trumpet, for those who didn’t know.
I spend a bit of time in airports. Not record breaking amounts, and I'm sure many if you spend more time than I, so save your replies....I get it.
But here are some of my observations.
@Kehaulani said in Whay has no one bought this?:
"Desirable" is subjective.
BTAIM, moot now.
Right. Just looked. It has been sold. So the question for the post is also negated. You just never know.
I'll often get some interesting requests for paintings. Some not exactly what I would pick myself, mind you. Here is one such subject, which when first requested almost threw me for a loop. It was to be 11x14, and that size was not a comfortable size for such intricate details. Since that time, however, I have welcomed doing smaller work. I grew into it, so to speak...LOL
this is a mountain from somewhere in South Africa.
@Dr-GO said in A little humour:
@BigDub said in A little humour:
@Dr-GO said in A little humour:
@Dr-GO said in A little humour:
@BigDub said in A little humour:
Better have left NSAID.
BigDub, hope you found my response to your post, professional and anti-inflammatory.
My brain could not grasp that. It went above my head.
Aleve is an NSAID - Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug. A little medical pun-humor.
That’s a re-leve
@Dr-GO said in A little humour:
@Dr-GO said in A little humour:
@BigDub said in A little humour:
Better have left NSAID.
BigDub, hope you found my response to your post, professional and anti-inflammatory.
My brain could not grasp that. It went above my head.
The company was very good to Tony when he got hurt on the job. They let him take Aleve.
This is something I also had made into a print. it is available if you are interested, message me for details.
ready for another one? well, here is one I recently parted with...it is a satisfying thing to have people actually want to add my paintings to their collections. Better than sitting in my studio collecting dust and not have anyone looking at them for long stretches of time!And- maybe this will cool you off a little
another addition. This is from Idaho at Redfish Lake. I personally took the reference photos and did this piece as a gift for our Niece and her husband about a year ago 
