I was at Shedders & Fixers today. I wanted to finish my new oak mallet. Which I’d worked on yesterday – cutting out the two channels for the handle – and laid out, for shaping today.
Let’s hope she holds this time!
I did the shaping at S&F. And all seemed well. But when I tried to drive the handle home, it split the mallet head along the glue line.
Top end.
Some mark-up lines are just visible. Even after sanding/shaping. At this point I was pleased as punch.
The above photo clearly shows the curve of the top, and the inward slopes of the sides. The latter disappear in the image below. A trick of the perspective.
Bottom end.
Note slight round-overs on the base of the mallet head.
Shaping and sanding the handle.
Once I’d split the head, I spent ages reworking the two channels, and the handle, as well. Until they all fitted together without glue. Hopefully after this second glue up, the handle will seat itself properly, wi’out rending the head in two.
Whilst working on the oak mallet, I took my glasses off, and – very dumbly – put them on the ground.
I them promptly forgot I’d done so, and stepped on them. I bent the left arm to almost 90° out of alignment, and cracked the frame, so the lense fell out.
I managed to more of less straighten out the bent arm. Super glue, so called – ha! – failed to bond the frame. As did hot glue. Third time around? Araldite epoxy.
That’s what’s currently holding the specs together. Along with some wound around masking tape… will the epoxy hold, once the tape comes off?
I’ve had a particular issue causing me problems for aeons. The screws holding the baseplate on my Titan TTB591ROU router are totally non-standard and weird. Neither I nor anyone in numerous hardware/engineering shops can find a match.
This means I’ve been unable to mount the router on any kind of alternate baseplate, workstation or jig. And I need to do so. I finally snapped, today, and decided – ‘cause it’s holding up my workflow with my current snare drum projects – this must be fixed.
Note swarf, produced by the tapping process.
The solution: enlarge the (approx’) 3.3mm threaded holes to a standard M4 thread, using a tap tool. To my amazement, this seems to have been both simple to do, and… successful.
The router is now fixed to the ‘underside’ of the jig I’m making, for routing inner bearing edges.
I first learned about Hermeto Pascoal thanks to his early ‘70s collaborations with Miles Davis. Two studio tracks (most of the album is live recordings) – ‘Selim’ and ‘Nem Um Talvez’ – both by Pascoal, are included on the 1971 Miles release, Live/Evil.
On an album of Miles’ post Bitches Brew stuff, that’s veering ever closer to ‘Free Jazz’, Pascoal’s influence brings a beautifully lyrical and gentle Brazilian vibe to proceedings.
Featuring Quarteto Novo’s ‘Misturada’.
My next encounter with him came via following up leads provided via the Blue Brazil series of releases, from Blue Note.
The track ‘Misturada’ enthralled me. And eventually I tracked down and bought the sole release by Quarteto Novo, from which it came. A terrific album.
50th anniversary CD reissue leaflet.
Along with bassist Theo, and guitarist Heraldo, this short lived group included two soon to become legendary Brazilian musicians: percussionist Airto Moreira, and flautist/multi-instrumentalist, Hermeto Pascoal.
Hermeto, Heraldo, Airto and Theo.So young! Before all the hair!
The series of images below show the later hirsute Hermeto most people are more familiar with. These images also remind us of his multi-instrumental prowess…
Pascoal’s music ranged far and wide. From minimal and mellow, to orgiastic free-improv’, and taking in a huge range of expression in many modes, often marked by a pronounced freedom to experiment.
I don’t always like the results. But I always admire the freedom, and the questing spirit that motivates and informs his music.
Pascoal is one of the many musicians to have passed before I got (or rather made/took) the opportunity to talk to them, for my long mooted book on music of the early ‘70s.
After finagling the joint-surfaces, I glued up Snare #1 for a second second time, so to speak. Part one of the second glue up was the spline-attachment; part two is today’s joint of the three resulting segments.
After cutting and rasping/sanding the splines to better match the shell, the re-glue-up funds the drum back to a fully rounded thang…
I ordered two heads, batter and snare side, for the 13” snare. The batter – an Evans (?) – arrived today (snare side is due by Sunday). I prob’ should’ve bought a CS Dot.
The diameter of the Keruing drum is pretty much perfect. The Rosewood and White Oak one, on the other hand, is the drum that’s gone from silk purse to sow’s ear.
Evans and Aquarian heads, just to see…
Snare #1, which has been cut up, splined, and is now gluing up, again, is the right diameter on one side (I’ll call that the top), but 1/8” too small on the other! Even after all the trouble I’ve been to ‘true’ the sides, and ‘re-enlarge’ it.
Further work on my two current snare drum projects…
SNARE#2 – Keruing & White Oak, w Holes! 13”x?”
The above photos show snare #2, getting rounded on the inner and outer surfaces.
Initially I pencilled in two lines: a thinner one; and then a second one, giving a finished shell thickness closer to 1/2”. I went with the thicker option.
Today, Flo’, our car, was in for some serious repairs (mostly brake related). So I got a whole day at home, to work on these two drums.
The biggest thing I did with snare #2 was, using two rasps and numerous grades of sandpaper, smooth out and make thinner the inner face of the shell.
I also ran through numerous grits, from 40 to 120 (so far), on the outer surface. Sadly both the outer and inner surfaces still have visible striation marks, from my Monday misadventures on the lathe at Shedders & Fixers.
I finally came up with a simple rig for holding the shell whilst working on the inner surface. It involves a Black & Decker Workmate, a ratchet-strap, and sundry other bits’n’pieces. It works pretty well; holding the shell still, and allowing me to work with both hands.
SNARE#2 – Rosewood & White Oak, 12”x?”
Snare #1, meanwhile, which I’d butchered on the lathe, on a previous Shedders & Fixers visit, got cut in three. A crack in one of the staves also appeared. So I glued that up.
The idea was – and indeed still is – to compensate for the ‘over-turning’, so to speak, that resulted when Clem did the bulk of the exterior face. The net result of that had been that the diameter of the drum shrank (especially after my remedying of the slightly off kilter ‘bowl’ profile), making the drum too small.
To grow or enlarge the diameter, I cut the shell into three six-stave segments. More butchery… as my cuts were pretty appalling! Some facet sanding, intended to neaten up the butchery, didn’t go perfectly, either.
But the basic idea – adding ‘splines’ ‘twixt the three segments, to restore the desired diameter – does still seem to offer some potential for rescuing this otherwise butchered drum.
As the ruler in the final two pics of the second gallery, above, attests… I’m back to the desired 11 & 3/4” overall diameter.
Having already tried and failed with one attempted glue up of the ‘splined’ drum, I decided to glue a spline to each of the three segments. On my first go the splines were slightly too small. So on this next attempt, they are oversized, and need reducing.
The next step is to glue the three segment+spline sections together. I just ardently hope it yields a usable result!?
Another very enjoyable military history book, by Max Hastings.
Having just read and very much enjoyed Operation Pedestal, I picked this up, locally, for just 50p!
I knew next to nothing about the Korean War. I hadn’t even twigged that M*A*S*H was set in this conflict. I’d just assumed it must be ‘Nam! So, this title has been an education.
It’s fascinating to learn how close we came to WWIII, with the US military hawks being very keen to use the atomic bomb. And it illustrates how most wars are far less black and white – esp’ morally speaking – than WWII turned out to be.
Just five years after 1945, the US – having scaled down military forces (as all combatants had inevitably done) – finds herself, despite emerging victorious from WWII, becoming ideological enemies of their former Allies, Stalin’s Communist Russia (who have at least a joint, if not a stronger case, for defeating Hitler).
When North Korea’s Communist leader Kim Il Sung invades South Korea, the US see this as Moscow’s doing. The US manage to bring the UN onboard, albeit reluctantly. But really this – whilst started by North Korea – was an American war.
WWII war hero MacArthur, the most Hawkish of the right-leaning US military, is appointed commander. Rather than being satisfied with taking things back to the initial position – the infamous 38th parallel – he storms beyond, Northwards, taking the war to China’s borders.
As Hastings gleefully recounts, President Truman had a very hard time preventing MacArthur and his supporters from attacking China herself.
And, as Truman and America’s UN allies feared, even without attacking China directly, MacArthur’s aggressive pursuit of Kim Il Sung’s forces, deep into North Korea (right up to the Yula river/border), rather unsurprisingly, brings China into the war.
As Hastings points out in his intro, the Korean War has been rather neglected. Why? Well, for starters, it was relatively short; 1950-53. And most of the ‘war of manoeuvre’ occurred in the first year. After which – gung-ho loose cannon MacArthur having eventually been sacked, and replaced by Ridgeway – a state of stalemate and trench warfare (akin to WWI on the Western Front) arose, back around the 38th parallel.
Years two and three of the conflict were a protracted period of simultaneous warfare and bargaining, under a rather shaky banner of ‘negotiation’. This aspect of the war made it ever more unpopular, both with the UN nations, and back home in the US . Lives continued to be lost whilst possible roads to peace were endlessly havered over.
Another factor leading to this war being sidelined was the fact that whilst Kim Il Sung’s Communist north was undoubtedly awful, the regime in the South, under Syngman Rhee, was not very much better; mired in corruption and blatantly brutal.
Hastings conveys the lead up to war, and the first more dramatic year of combat, very well. Then it goes a bit weird, for me: having started out quite detailed, and chronologically, once ‘peace talks’ start, he switches to more thematic chapters, tackling such subjects as the air war, and POWs.
As a result the feel or flavour of the book changes. From frequent exciting tales of military action, to slightly less gripping but still important and informative discussion of ‘issues’, with gritty combat, or humanised (ie anecdotal) experiences becoming a slightly lesser feature.
Hastings is clearly on the right wing of the political spectrum, and often snipes at left wing takes on the subject, as expressed in Western media. This bias is clear, and has to be borne in mind. He partakes of a legacy or lineage that goes waaay back, and can be clearly seen in the way British historians, over many generations, continue to deal with Revolutionary and then Napoleonic France.
In the end, despite my own more left-leaning (or at least sympathetic) history, I find myself mostly – tho’ not entirely – in agreement with Hastings.
The Korean War was an object lesson to the US (which it failed to learn, viz. Viet Nam, etc.) and the UN, in how post-WWII warfare – especially against so called under- or lesser-developed (in terms of capitalist style industrialisation) nations or peoples – was both morally and practically (strategically and tactically) far harder than the victors of WWII might’ve liked.
Ultimately Hastings concludes – and it’s hard to disagree – that, whilst it’s a war that’s largely been forgotten, sidelined/overshadowed by ‘Nam, it was worth fighting; a just cause. You may not agree?
But, whatever the ‘truth’ may be, this enjoyable and informative book is certainly well worth a read.
NB – This book has several useful maps, and quite a few black and white photos. But, frustratingly and inexplicably – esp’ given his other books usually do – there’s no glossary. These ought to be mandatory in such books; they’re esp’ useful for explaining the many potentially confusing abbreviations!
Upon finishing N. A. M. Rodgers’ astonishing maritime trilogy, I wanted to keep up the naval reading theme. This was the book I chose.
Funnily enough I saw Hastings give a Topping Books author’s talk on this very book/subject, in Ely, about a year or more prior to my actually reading it.
It’s a gripping account. And I’d highly recommend it. I won’t synopsise the events. Suffice to say Hastings sets the scene, and handles every level, from the whys to the hows, and addressing both strategic and tactical aspects, balancing an unsurprisingly Brit’-centric perspective with due attention to both Allied (American, French, etc) and Axis (German and Italian) combatants.
It’s also fascinating how much of the book and the real world events give consideration to the whys and wherefores, which extend beyond the events, to continued shades of opinion as to whether Pedestal was an Allied or Axis victory; and/or worth the effort/sacrifice. Was it justified, or necessary?
All told, a fascinating narrative, liberally peppered with engaging firsthand testimonies, of an exciting moment, oft’ overlooked, in WWII.
NB – This book has several useful maps, quite a few black and white photos, and – crucially – a glossary (esp’ useful for explaining the many abbreviations!).
After the trip, we watched a couple of Hockney documentaries, on the BBC iPlayer. And I started reading about things that were mentioned at the same time.
One such was Richard Silver, a fellow Bradfordian, and the man who bought and developed Salt’s Mill. There was a piece by Hockney in The Telegraph, about Silver. It’s a fascinating read.
Green velvet sofa-bed.Sofa-bed under construction, plus footstool.
It was at about this point that I realised something… This was clearly not the sofa I had ordered.
It was the arms (which, to compound matter, didn’t work), that really nailed the realisation. The sofa pictured on the Amazon listing could be totally flattened: both back and sides fold down.
Whereas, with the sofa we received the back didn’t adjust at all – the two panels were just solid – and the arm mechanisms are very clearly totally different!
The clearest point of of difference is #3.
After much wrangling – during which the manufacturer, Yaheetech, maintained that it was the correct sofa-bed; whilst their middleman supplier, Monumart, agreed it wasn’t – a resolution was eventually reached.
But the biggest annoyance of all this is the waste of time and energy. And we still don’t have a replacement for the ‘old and busted’ sofabed.
Bummer!
Very pleased with this!
On a happier note, my restored footstool looks ace. And is now doing sterling service.
