by KenK | Apr 10, 2015 | Banjo
Aside from shaping the nut a bit to get it just right, everything is done. There is not much to the final assembly really. The neck is attached to the rim and the strings put on. The bridge is held in place on the head by the tension of the strings. Now I just...
by KenK | Apr 6, 2015 | Banjo
I started to shape the nut, which is where the strings travel from the peghead to the fretboard. The nut will have grooves to hold each string in place. I made a cover for the truss rod out of a thin piece of ebony. I will lacquer it and hold it over the truss rod...
by KenK | Apr 6, 2015 | Banjo
The tuner for the 5th string is installed in the side of the neck between the 4th and 5th frets. I drilled a hole which then needed to be tapered a bit to match the peg on the tuner. The tuner is just pressed into the hole, held in place by friction. To press the...
by KenK | Apr 6, 2015 | Banjo
The skin for the head comes dry, so it needs to be soaked in water for about 20 minutes to become pliable. After soaking I draped it over the rim and tone ring. I made a flesh hoop from a piece of bare copper wire. The flesh hoop is placed around the rim and head...
by KenK | Mar 28, 2015 | Banjo
I covered the neck and rim with 5 coats of spray lacquer, masking the fretboard with painters tape. When the lacquer was dry, I wet sanded it with 1000 grit paper to smooth it and then polished it with compound.
by KenK | Mar 28, 2015 | Banjo
Each fret is cut from a long piece of fret wire so it is a little longer than the fretboard width at the point where it is to be installed. The fret wire has a tang with barbs that will hold it in place once it is hammered into the slot. I used a block of wood to...
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