Usually the process of making instruments is a process of turning big pieces of wood into smaller pieces of wood, with a fair amount of cutting going on. Well, for once I am turning little pieces of wood into bigger pieces. I developed a way to use all those little scraps that I could not bear to throw out to create what I have been calling ‘Picasso’ headplates. One starts with little pieces, and using CA glue and some colored veneer (black in this case) one build up bigger pieces. I have worked it out so that I am always gluing a straight edge to a straight edge (easy to produce). There is no ‘fitting’ of pieces, just slapping two straight edges together. I think the result is pretty neat, and looks even better when it is cleaned up. (The blue tape is so I remember which side is ‘up’) I have made one so far on a finished instrument, (a U-Base I made for my sister) shown below.
By the way, for anyone working with CA glue, I got some teflon baking sheets (cheap from Amazon) and the CA glue does not stick to them at all. I can press things down, smush glue around, and the pieces come right off. Even bits of dries CA glue scrape right off with the edge of an old credit card.
