December 15, 2014

Gosh! I did not realize that I had not written anything on my blog for the past month and a half!!

Sorry folks, I have been very busy trying to meet regulation for my Royal-Lac Aerosol cans, that I plan to release early next year. So far I am at a stage where I meet regulation limits as well as preliminary tests show that all is working well. Keeping my fingers crossed. It will be undergoing a lot of testing and that is what keeps me on my toes.

I also started looking into Royal-Lac Low Gloss a bit more seriously since woodworkers are especially interested. I do have a formulations that works well but a bit more testing is required. But first – Aerosol Can with Royal-Lac.

 

December 16, 2014

I simply love it when you folks share your projects with me.

Here is John Vergara from Beacon, NY.

The name of his shop is “Lord of the Strings”

His website is www.johnvergaramusic.com

And here is what he looks like. Always good to have a face with a name.

 

 

 

Now, I am no musician but when I saw the instrument, I was amazed. It looked like a guitar but with a few twists. So I asked him to write a few lines about it. Here is what he wrote:

“This instrument is called an “oud”, it is an Arabic lute (the lute actually comes from the oud) and the lute is a precursor to the guitar, so this instrument is literally the guitar’s Middle-Eastern grandfather! There are three rosettes located on the face of the instrument (1 large, 2, small) cut from bone, which is a much more beautiful material aesthetically, since regularly they are cut from wood. This adds value and prestige to the instrument. Also, there are 3 pieces of inlay which are based off of an old pattern from master oud maker dynasty from Syria, Nahat. The wood used to form the bowl is Padouk, with thin maple spacers between each rib. With french polish finish, Padouk has a rich red color that is very amazing and pleasing to the eye. It should be noted that Padouk has a fairly long open pore structure, so it is more difficult to French polish such a material, and it needs to be filled properly. This was a custom instrument that took me nearly 3 months to complete, when normally it takes me 1 month. Instruments of course not only have to look good, but also be setup for an instrument to play with ease, and most importantly, need to sound good. I prefer shellac based finish for musical instruments, as it is strong, resistant, and has minimal impact on the tone, the most important feature of a musical instrument.”

Now enjoy the photos :-