Milestones, New Aprons, And Gallons Of Glue!
Good Morning, Y'all, and Happy Friday®!
I'm joking about the ® for "Happy Friday." Though I probably could successfully register the phrase as a Federal Trademark, since "Happy Friday" only has two active trademarks. One for class 36, which deals with banking, and the other active mark is for class 43, which deals in "Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying." Seriously.
I think I'll stick with the trademarks I already have registered: Folkcraft, FolkRoots, and a few others. All of which are in Class 15 - "Musical Instruments And Related Accessories."
So, this has been the typical Folkcraft week. There are things happening all over the building. Dad and Cheyenne have been making instruments, and I've been spraying lacquer. Pam's been making cases and shipping orders. Who started the avalanche of book orders around the middle of last week?
Congratulations To Pam!
And speaking of Pam, she reached a milestone last week. She's been with Folkcraft for nine complete years. I'm impressed! That's a long time for any job, let alone a job at a small company that doesn't have the resources, or deep pockets, of a giant multinational corporation. Pam started out working strictly in our sewing room, but with a sudden change in staff - a week after she started - she was thrown headlong into all kinds of roles. And she's managed them all beautifully.
Here's Pam in her sewing area, surrounded by balloons. There are balloons attached to her sewing machines, her shelves, and even the wall.
One of Pam's (many) jobs is to make good shop aprons for the wood shop crew (me, Dad, and Cheyenne). I buy perfectly good canvas aprons online, and Pam "fixes" them for us, adding extra pockets, and making pockets for specific tools we keep handy all day, every day. Each apron lasts us about a year before it gets so raggedy it becomes dangerous. Having loose apron parts that can get caught in a power tool can be VERY hazardous!
This morning, Cheyenne and I both got new aprons. Here I am wearing mine:
UPS brought us a case of glue this morning: four, one-gallon bottles. We use a variety of glues in the shop - CA (CyanoAcrylate) glue (a.k.a. "Super Glue"), epoxy (a two part mix of resin and hardener), and regular yellow wood glue. That's what came in this morning. We use Titebond brand glue, their "Type II" variety. This is a great glue for instrument making - it is flexible enough to move with wood as the seasons and humidity change, and it is very, very strong. The manufacturer claims that a glued joint (if done well) is stronger than the wood itself. We've tested that idea - we glued two pieces of wood together, waited a day, and then tried to break the joint apart. The wood breaks somewhere other than the joint. The glue is amazing, for sure!
So, I'm excited! A new apron, which always feels like the first day of school, and plenty of fresh glue. A day in the life of a dulcimer builder, getting excited over little things...
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend. Go and make some music, now, it'll be fun.
I'm going to go make some sawdust!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-has-dreams-of-all-kinds-of-mundane-shop-activities
P.S. - THANK YOU, PAM!
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: WENDY HOLLOWAY
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Wendy: I fell in love with the dulcimer in the summer of 2007 at a music teacher workshop. Somehow, I had lived my entire life (25 years at that time) in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina and never seen one, much less played one. There are even people near me who build them, and I had no idea! Our instructor at the workshop let me take a dulcimer home over the weekend to try it out and show my family, and I knew I needed one of my own.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Wendy: That same year (2007), my husband bought me a Folkcraft dulcimer for Christmas, and it is still the one I play almost all the time. It’s all cherry, and has a super sweet mountain twang. On Christmas Day, my new dulcimer travelled with me to every family gathering, and by the end of the day, I had a few carols sounding pretty good!
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Wendy: I play my dulcimer everywhere! I love having an instrument that is so very portable (unlike my piano). I play at home, of course, and enjoy just messing around, figuring out my favorite songs by ear. And I have learned a lot from books, YouTube, and online workshops. I play at church sometimes, accompanying songs that I sing with chords. I love how easy the dulcimer is to sing with and how it allows my not-so-loud voice to still be heard (also unlike the piano). I take my dulcimer camping (because it fits in our little camper), and if I play in public, someone is usually going to ask what in the world I am playing.
I also get to play my dulcimer at work! I am a public school music teacher, currently teaching K-2, 6th and 7th grades general music. Several years ago, I was able to...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF WENDY'S INTERVIEW AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE WENDY & YOU!
HELLO FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
We don't have a new player to add to our global, online dulcimer community today, but we are pleased to be able to re-feature Wendy Holloway. How's your summer been, Wendy?
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week it’s The Blues! Let’s have some fun playing an easy 12-bar blues progression. You’ll need a capo and the 1.5 fret for this lesson. Have fun! Just click on the image below to listen & learn.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
FASTER, CLEANER, BETTER!
by Aaron O'Rourke
This exceptional book (from dulcimer superstar Aaron O'Rourke) will teach you how to play just like he does. Ha! For most of us, that's unlikely to ever happen. But by working through the exercises in this book (and paying close attention to his text instructions, too!) you'll get a lot closer.
A lot of "how to" books are dry, and a bit dull. This one isn't. You'll see progress from the first week you use it, and keep on getting better every day you work on your technique. (57 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
