First, blocking-up all the holes in the body and bell in order to seal the bore against moisure. The holes are blocked up with plasticine and masking tape, and the bore is filled with a 50/50 mixture of finishing oil and yacht varnish. This is allowed to soak into the wood for 10-15 minutes and then poured out again. The same mixture is applied to the outside of the instrument and then wiped off with a rag, and then the whole lot is left to dry thoroughly.
The remainder of the day was spent doing brass work.
Making the staple - this is a tapering tube that joins the reed to the instrument. It starts out as a piece of sheet brass:
It annealed by heating to red-hot and then allowing it to cool slowly back to room temperature. Then it is formed to shape around a tapering steel mandrel, initially being pressed into shape using leather-faced jaws in a small vice, and then shaped on the mandrel with a plenishing hammer.
After silver-soldering, the staple is cleaned up with a file and then sand-paper, and then finally some notches are filed into the staple to help anchor it when it is glued into the shawm body. The notches also help to prevent the cord binding that will be added to the staple from sliding up the taper.
Having finished the staple, I turned to the keywork. These pieces have been drilled, and folded, ready for attaching to spindles and mounting on the instrument.
And finally, a selection of some of the other instruments being built on the same course...
A clavicytherium (similar to a small spinet, but turned on-end)
A tenor viol
Lute-backed hurdi-gurdi
Bluegrass mandolin
Lute
Acoustic bass guitar
A theorbo (like a lute on steroids)
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