The gig went great, Video's, recorded from the desk, band on after us requested i stand in for their guitarist who'd had car trouble. Then a set by a 50's rock n roll band, then a all bands jam. Went onstage at 8:30 and didnt come off till 1 am. Had the pleasure to play with the most beautifull harmonica player i've ever heard (seriously) a very humbling experience when someone like he asks you to play a solo. Our singer looked stunning. Like a jazzy version of the Joker from the batman series without the green skin. I'm utterly exhausted, a merry night was had by all.

Ceri surely if you can get bone I can. Dean court you say, anywhere near the forest of Dean? If you would like to send it to me then please feel free I do have some pig bone soaking as we speak though.

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[quote="nikininja"]

I raise a pint in honor of your jolly good time and wish you many more happy returns of the day.

As for your pursuit of the 'nut of distinction', we await with baited breath to eventually know which, the bovine, or the porcine, yields the 'bone tone from heaven'.

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

Been reading up on it a little more and it seems the lower leg of a cow is indeed the one for the job: load carrying density, as you said earlier. I feel I should boil it for a time before putting it in the mail, if that's OK?

Not the Forest of Dean, BTW. South Devon, and as it happens I know the farm and I think the very fields in which that organically raised cow was born and lived. (Got an uncomfortable feeling I might have patted it on the nose over a gate some time.)

A couple of miles from there to the small local abattoir, two miles back to the butcher and two more over to our house. If "food miles" are something people care about then this bone has around six of 'em (so far). That's an eco friendly guitar nut for you!

If you want, remind me how to reach you by email and I'll get a postal address from you and put a section of that thing in the mail in a day or two.

I trust we're going to get a picture thread on the making of Earvana-style compensated nuts out of this...?

- C

That will get you to me.

I'm going to go with the stephen delft method of compensation. As i said before the earvana is good but very generic. Look forward to the intoned tele thread.

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[quote="Ceri"][quote="nikininja"]

Not the Forest of Dean, BTW. South Devon, and as it happens I know the farm and I think the very fields in which that organically raised cow was born and lived. (Got an uncomfortable feeling I might have patted it on the nose over a gate some time.)

I trust you checked your shoes after that outing

Doc

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"Another day in paradise!"

Always changed at the door, I assure you. An absolute necessity in these rural parts...

Cheers - C

[Tuesday 19 May] OK, it's in the post.

Just for anyone who's interested to follow how this thing develops...

I first cut the ends off that bone (see earlier on this thread): they are largely gristle inside and not good for nut making. (Though I have put them in the freezer for now, Niki, in case you turn out to want them after all. If not, the neighbor's dogs can have 'em.)

The middle section is where the thick, strong bone is, so I cut that in half to remove the marrow inside and then boiled in a couple of changes of water for a few hours to get them as clean as possible. And that's all the treatment this bone has had so far. Here's pix of either end of both halfs. The piece on the left seems to offer the best nut making material (the other has all that gristle) so that's what I'm mailing. The other piece I shall keep for now, but you're welcome to it as well if you want, Niki:



Incidentally: I've read carefully the recipe for bone preparation on the first page if this thread. I certainly don't know any better, but I read in one of Stew-Mac's Trade Secrets emails that Dan Erlewine used to use bones his dog left around the back yard, which had merely been aged and bleached in the sun.

And the couple of bone nuts I have made followed exactly that method, made from bones discarded by my neighbor's dogs. No other treatment than leaving outdoors for many months...

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/ts0 ... clk=151926

Further down that page it also implies that using chemical bleach on bone might have undesirable side effects tonewise... Just a thought.

Anyhow, people: if Niki pulls off what I suspect he wants to with this bone it is going to be very interesting indeed for us all. Watch this space!

Cheers - C

EDIT: spelling

Yknow if this bone splits the packaging there could be awkward questions asked

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Yes, I put a sign on the outside saying, "Contains body parts"...

BTW: the cats did their bit to help clean up those pieces too.

Now it's down to you - have fun!

Cheers - C

Contains body parts!!!
Surely neck parts would have been more accurate.

Anyway as an update for all people interested.

What i plan to do is make a one piece compensated nut. Without the horrible steps in it. I'm going to measure the low end intonation offsets, mark them on the one piece shelf made from the kindly donated bone. Then spend a bit of time shaping a nice curve instead of the horrible steps to the front of the nut.

I must add half the work is already done for me. The 2 piece earvana nut base will be used as a template to shape the hidden part of the shelf. The sliding top of the earvana is going to be used to measure the individual offsets for the guitar its going on. The earvana whilst good is very generic and a little bit ugly too. It will make a great tool though.

BTW after reading up on the stewmac article i think i'm going to go with the unbleached look on my mim strat and bleached with the tele.

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Umm! Never mind!

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Well I've never known my dog to hassle the postman. Usualy he treats postie with an air of distain but this morning he was a hound possesed. Luckily he didnt chew my bone.

Ceri sir, you are a gent of great note. Many thanks to you.

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Ha - it arrived: good.

I knew you had a dog and so wrapped it accordingly...

I'm unsure whether there's a thick enough section to get your compensated nut out of, but if anyone can pull it off you can. Go to!

Cheers - C

Theres a few spots around the bone that are deep enough just about. It will require a bit of care with the initial cut but should get the job done. No oversized massive file downs on this job i'm afraid.
Is this the neighbours present or the butchers bone? The neighbours bone doesnt need much curing does it?

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This is a section of the big leg bone from the butcher. Boiled clean, as described above. You are welcome to that "garden-cured" bone from the neighbor's dog too if you want, though I think the one you have is thicker, so probably better for your needs.

If this one ain't big enough, why then I'm afraid you either have to find an elephant carcass to raid, or pop down the Natural History Museum and nick one of their dinosaur bones! I got arrested last time I tried that...

- C