A water clock is a pretty easy, quick and fun project perfect for an elementary school student (with the help of a parent or two).
The concept is a simple one: use two water bottles and a couple of coffee stirrers to make an “hourglass” with water.
It’s Done
My research indicates that it takes a novice about one weekend to build a guitar kit.
The kit arrived well protected. Despite the fears I had of low-grade wood and bent necks induced by watching build videos, I was pretty pleased with the quality. The neck (to my untrained eye) appears unbowed and untwisted. The body is largely made of two planks – only a small bit of the left side is made up of a third plank. I kind of like the character the little pieces lend it.
After unboxing and examining all the parts, I quickly began shaping the body. Though not traditional, I wanted a bit of belly cut and arm rest to knock off the sharp corners, as I will be playing almost exclusively while sitting down. I went really subtle. In retrospect, I could have done a lot more, but it is pretty comfortable to me and I eliminated the minimal amount of tone-delivering wood. The headstock was a big blank paddle. I went with a Telecaster-inspired look – not quite a copy, but similar in shape and scale.
I sanded and sanded. Then sanded some more. From 60 to 100 to 150 to 220 to 320 and finally 400. I got a smooth-feeling finish, but it’s far from perfect. I decided to finish with a spray-on oil-based polyurethane because I’m no good at finishing or waiting. I put on three light coats, sanding between each. The result is a pretty rustic look, but not at all unpleasant. I figure that when I get bored later on I can experiment. For now, it looks okay. I admit it feels a bit rough, but that’s probably because I didn’t wait long enough to handle it after it dried. I will hit it with some fine sandpaper or 0000 steel wool after I’ve given it a couple of days to harden.
Once the finish was one (but apparently well before it was ready to handle) I got going on the electronics. As inexperienced as I am with woodworking, I am doubly so with soldering and wiring. Watching a couple more videos gave me the confidence to go ahead, and with minimal trial and error, I had it working.
Pre-drilling screw holes and lining things up to the best of my ability with my available tools, I took the plunge and put it all together.
It works. Not only that, it doesn’t sound half bad. The unplugged body resonates surprisingly well. The tone is very “Telecaster-y.” It’s sharp and twangy despite (or if you believe some folks, because of) the top-loader bridge. Borrowing some drill press time to make a string-throug body might be my first upgrade if I don’t replace the absolutely deplorable pickguard first.
All in all it was well worth the minimal expense and considerable time.
Getting Started
The Falconey is our new old place in the hills of West Feliciana. Living here has made me feel like a burly bear of a man, so I’m going to start doing manly projects. I’ve so far successfully installed appliances and doors, fixed a couple of chairs (failed to fix another), re-soldered a guitar pedal Continue reading “Getting Started”