West Dean 2008, day 7

Here are all the brass components finished.



Buffed up the brass ferrules ready for permanent fitting to the fontanelle.



Glued the staple into the pirouette (I also glued the ferrules to the fontanelle, but forgot to take a picture if it)



Buffed up the remaining brass components



Stitched a pad to the key flap. This is made of chamois-leather and is lightly stuffed with lamb's wool.



Inlaid cork strips to the joint between the body and bell, and also onto the lower fontanelle mounting. This latter place shouldn't really need a cork insert, but when I turned it, I sanded it a little to much and it is marginally undersized - hence the inlaid cork to secure the bottom of the fontanelle.




Here are the two main key components (the 'touch' and the 'flap') laid in their approximate positions on the body, ready for fitting.



And finally...
It is a tradition of the Making Musical Instruments course to hold a boat race on the river that runs through the college grounds. In reality, it is little more than a giant game of pooh-sticks. The rules are simple: all boats must have been built on the day of the race, and they must posses a mast and a keel. Other than that, pretty much anything goes.
There are 2 prizes: one for the best boat, and one for the first boat to emerge from under the finishing bridge.

Here is the boat that won the best boat prize:



A couple of scenes from the start:




This was my entry (it came 2nd to last in the race).