Sometimes I like to prototype things before I do custom work or approach a new way of making things. Today it was stone shaping and inlaying, along with the usual challenge of making these longer stems.
This is what I sketched up last night as a concept for a custom order and liked it enough that I decided I would make a prototype for myself. This irons out the process on the first go which makes the next piece I do much easier and more polished.
I started by selecting a Fraser River agate with a nice pattern that I liked and ground it into a triangular shape to match. I did further grinding and polish after this but here is the stone half way through. This was my first attempt at working stone so I'm pretty pleased. I used an oak stick with a cupped point and super glue to hold the stone in a manner I could work on it.
Here it is finished. I decided to use figured Maple crotch wood in the center of the piece, Ebonite on the ends, and figured Cherry in between the Zildjian B20 rings. It's not a perfect piece with some rough spots here and there but I love it. The hits are nice and cool and the extra length is very nice to handle. The agate is half embedded in the maple so it makes for a nice worry stone under my thumb, stops the stem from rolling off the table, and aids in grip.
@Winegums, what is your other half?
English, Irish, Dutch, and German
You are the man, Winegums.
