The Steel Guitar Forum

My 5 future Dustpan owners have been nothin' but great ... some hard times have kept me away from my projects.

Howard even volunteered to get one from my next batch ... after one ended up under my "chop saw" blade.

Just want to say thanks ... and give you guys a peek at the new look (fretboards).







It won't be long now folks ...

PS: A special thanks to Mike Neer ... who drove down to hang out with me this past weekend. Not only did he give me a much needed "pep talk" ...

But he gave the locals a huge thrill by showing up at an annual pig roast/music festival ... and treating them to some Tricone work that would have Sol envious.





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<font size=1> Aiello's House of Gauss</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

Rick...
Those are gorgeous!!!

Just sign me....
Drooling in Arizona

Billy Easton

Rick, glad to see you at the top of your game and hope all is well on the home front.

I'm curious. Are you able to melt down the defunct pan and re use the aluminum?

!! Sweet-lookin' boards....

Hey Rick,
I really like those frets. You just helped me make a decision that has been bugging me for months. My aluminum "Shorty" will sport "frets"! Thanks, and welcome back!

Those dustpans are really looking sharp.
By the way folks those pictures of a pickup Rick posted a while back that looked so good. It is one he did for me and it is really super nice. I am finally ready to put it in a lap steel guitar I'm building tomorrow. I got the changer I designed and built installed today.
Thanks Rick.

Thanks Y'all

Howard ...



Long live HSGA ...

Terry ... yea man, they look very cool. Jumbos from Stewart MacDonald. I got a special hacksaw blade ... then ground down the "tangs" some ... then layed them in with methyl cyanoacrylate.

I just finished today ... still need to dress up the edges and polish them ...

Danny ... can't wait to hear how it comes out. Danny wound his own Fender Trapazoid bobbin ... ... did a great job too. Hope my magnet does it justice ...

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<font size=1> Aiello's House of Gauss</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

Rick,

Your pans keep getting better with each batch. I like the frets and the dots. Nice new addition.

Can't wait to see them at Joliet.

Stop at my house on your way to the convention, because as an HSGA board
member I am required (as per HSGA bylaws) to personally inspect, play and lust after each guitar that may come in contact with our membership. I take this obligation very seriously.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 02 June 2005 at 06:48 PM.]</p></FONT>

The froth is starting to build in my mouth,

My wife just thinks it the rabies again, but...


I think I need a GASex,,, NOW!

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JCFSGC,RMSGC,HSGA member since 2005
Fenders- Georgeboard- Melobar
Boyett's Glass Bars

Very classy dots, Rick!

Very nice as always Rick!
I like the select Paua Abalone dots, that's what I like to use on my guitars too.
Looking forward to my 7 string dustpan in the future!
Keep up the good work

Finger lickin' delicious.

Aloha,
DT~

Rick, Any chance of posting or emailing a pic showing your fret slotting setup?

Jon

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 02 June 2005 at 06:58 PM.]</p></FONT>

Too cool, Jeff!

I really like th math..two plusses and an equal sign. Lookin' good Rick!!

Rick...

Absolutely fantabulous, super colossal, extra ordinary, condonconduliated...and, well you get the idea. Gosh! Bet they ring like a bell with that "never die" hoss shoe pickup.

oj hicks

Yeah Man! I second the emotion about the abalone, it looks way cool!

Hi Rick. I get this feeling of watching your baby grow up right before my eyes! The dots are a nice touch o' class.Don't let the setbacks set you back sport,just shove 'em aside & keep on keeping on!! Soundhound

Thanks y'all ...

Jon ... I really don't have a fret slotting setup. I tried a miter box but the necks are so thick and taper abit ... it was more hassel than it was worth.

So I just ordered some hacksaw blades that corresponded to the tang width ...

I used my belt sander with 60 grit belts to take down the tang by about 50% ... the heat changed the color of the fret wire to a darker goldish hue ... serendipity

Cut them about 1/2" too long on each side ... and used methyl cyanoacrylate to secure them in the slots.

Methyl is better than Ethyl ...

<font size =1> For metal to metal ... I doubt it matters though </font>

Then after it cured ... I nipped off the overhang ...

<SMALL>Don't let the setbacks set you back sport,just shove 'em aside</SMALL>

I try ... but they keep bouncin' back


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<font size=1> Aiello's House of Gauss</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

Nice looking axes, Rick, but I want to see more pix of your kids!

On the other, though, it looks like you are getting a nicer looking casting -- this surely must involve a lot of elbow grease on surfacing, but aren't you also getting fewer pinholes etc.? Have you changed your process?

Concerning "setbacks," who was the famous inventer, after trying 567 different approaches to do something, all of which failed, was asked, "aren't you discouraged after 567 failures (a number I grabbed out of the air)?" To which the famous inventer (Franklin, Bell?) said, "Oh no! Now I know 567 things that don't work! I'm closing in on it!"

That may be a poor quote...but you get the idea.

Rick...you have already contributed greatly to the steel guitar community. Thanks.

oj hicks

If I'm not mistaken it was Thomas Edison who said that.

They asked him if he felt frustrated that it took 1000 failed experiments until he invented the light bulb.

He said "I'm not frustrated, I invented the light bulb".

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Jack ... two things are different.

I'm monitoring the pouring temperature with a rather expensive pyrometer now (yep, I know how to spend $$$) ...

There is a very narrow temperature range for optimum results.

Too cool ... and it binds up before filling the mold.

Too hot ... and it forms stratified layers as the overheated metal runs over the cooled portions in contact with the sand.

Even at the right pouring temp ... these pieces are so long ... that by the time the aluminum reaches the headstock ... it is considerably cooler than when it initially hit the pan.

Thats the second difference ... I'm removing the "skin" now ...

No matter how well I packed the sand ... the texture of the piece was much different at the headstock than at the pan ... because of this cooling phenomenon.

This was much more apparent on the Bronzepan ... it was about 2X as hot coming out of the crucible.



So after foolin' with it for along time ... I just decided to take it down about 1/8".

As far as the "setbacks" ... it wasn't the screwed up pan ... that was just a function of me being too tired to work ... yet still going out and doing it.

My Ellie has had a rough winter/spring ... healthwise.

But she's tough and doin' better now ...



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<font size=1> Aiello's House of Gauss</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 03 June 2005 at 12:37 PM.]</p></FONT>

Hey Rick...I like your other "production line",with their smiley young faces. I just wanted to ask you if a MRI would be possible for a 10 or 12 string? Or would it be too much? Have a good one! Soundhound