Casework

Now that the instrument is actually playing (both 8' sets of strings), Roman spends some time tuning.















Normally, we would have completed the case and done all the painting before stringing and voicing the instrument. Since it was preferable to make sure that the builders got some voicing experience, and it was unclear if we could get the entire instrument done before the end of the academic year, we chose to work slightly out of order.

Before we can start painting the case, we must prepare the various pieces. Since the lid of of veneered plywood, we need to cover the edges. Here Karen is attaching an edging to the flap of the lid. The edging is heat sensitive, and the iron melts the glue on the underside.















The edging is just slightly wider than the wood, so we sand the excess off. This produces a perfect edge.
















One more detail--the name batten must be attached. Roman works on the three countersunk holes needed. The name batten will be attached to the name board which is the vertical piece at the back of the upper manual. The space the name batten covers allows the keyboards or individual keys to be removed.
















Someone is flauting the "no open toed shoes" rule!