Shiraki mandolin

[sgrexa]

Luthiers, please take a look at this thread:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...25#post1307625

These were evidently made in the late 70s and seemed to be available in Canada and other parts of the world. I have never seen one of these mandolins, but wonder how someone could carve a top like this? The pic below is from a guitar but I assume the mando tops are similar. Some have suggested high pressure water (it is cedar, so that would work) but how would the grain lines (lignen??) stay intact? Others say laser, but late 70s laser carving seems unlikely, but what do I know?



Thanks,

Sean

[CedarSlayer]

If you adhere a rubber template on it and then sandblast, you can get just that sort of effect. I have not seen it done to pass entirely through, but it makes sense that it could. You have to play with the pressure to maximize the effect.

Bob

[Pete Jenner]

They use trained termites.

[bart mcneil]

What is the white surface?? is it paint or another such surface? It could be that the white surface is acid resistant and the bare wood affected by acid. That sort of technique would be easy to use with a silk screen on the instrument surface.

I think the sand blasting technique mentioned by Bob above is quite likely.

[Bernie Daniel]

Luthiers, please take a look at this thread:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...25#post1307625

These were evidently made in the late 70s and seemed to be available in Canada and other parts of the world. I have never seen one of these mandolins, but wonder how someone could carve a top like this? The pic below is from a guitar but I assume the mando tops are similar. Some have suggested high pressure water (it is cedar, so that would work) but how would the grain lines (lignen??) stay intact? Others say laser, but late 70s laser carving seems unlikely, but what do I know?



Thanks, Sean

Obviously Ive never seen one but and it it hard to tell from the photo but suppose the "linear grid" is really just glued to the back of the top board after the pattern is cut out? Hard to tell from the photo if the grid is actually in the spruce of the top board or not. If the carving on the back is in the top board won't that weaken it considerably?

[Rick Lindstrom]

Almost certainly sandblasted through a mask that had the design cut into it. Here's a web page showing similar stuff that is sandblasted:

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/04/17/dip...tt-milan-2014/

The blasting eats away the softer stuff and leaves the hard grain lines.

[Bernie Daniel]

Almost certainly sandblasted through a mask that had the design cut into it. Here's a web page showing similar stuff that is sandblasted:

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/04/17/dip...tt-milan-2014/

The blasting eats away the softer stuff and leaves the hard grain lines.

Very cool link thanks! But Pete's idea of trained termites would have been even cooler!

[Pete Jenner]

Did you hear about the termite who walked into a bar?

He said "Where's the bar tender?".

[sgrexa]

It is likely an optical illusion of sorts, even if you had a rubber or metal template, how would you consistently mask the grain lines on individual tops? I would think they are so thin that they would inevitably break or get damaged during the process. However it was done, I am sure there was a lot of scrap and it was a time intensive process. I have seen incredibly intricate spruce carvings of carp and other objects done by Japanese woodworkers, but never examples like this where the grain lines appear to be left in tact. If those lines are somehow glued under the top, it is a very well done illusion.

Sean

[sgrexa]

Ervin Somogyi is a master:

http://www.esomogyi.com/carpclassic.html



Sean

[Rick Lindstrom]

It is likely an optical illusion of sorts, even if you had a rubber or metal template, how would you consistently mask the grain lines on individual tops? I would think they are so thin that they would inevitably break or get damaged during the process. However it was done, I am sure there was a lot of scrap and it was a time intensive process. I have seen incredibly intricate spruce carvings of carp and other objects done by Japanese woodworkers, but never examples like this where the grain lines appear to be left in tact. If those lines are somehow glued under the top, it is a very well done illusion.

Sean

Well-

I've done some sandblasting of wood in the past, and I can tell you that it's entirely possible, and not a hard trick at all to produce results like you see on this mandolin. You just have to use wood that has well defined alternating hard and soft grain lines. The blasting removes the soft grain lines and leaves the hard. Cedar, as was used on these mandos, is a perfect choice for such a process.

A more high tech approach is to use a laser. Laser etching of wood has been around for at least twenty years, and is capable of producing incredibly intricate designs in wood.

I'm still going with sandblasting as the culprit on these mandos though

[Dale Ludewig]

I'm going for the sandblasting also. If you look around, you will see business signs made of redwood and such that are sandblasted. Admittedly, on that top they were using some pretty fine sand.

[Franc Homier Lieu]

I posted some photos in this thread:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...96#post1312396

Here are the close ups of the sound holes:

[des]

Did you hear about the termite who walked into a bar?

He said "Where's the bar tender?".

Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar eats you.

There's a line in The Big Lebowski for all occasions

[High Lonesome Valley]

I have this through-design on my Hora Bouzouki OM soundhole, probably CNC'd It's very stable.

I wonder if that old duplex mirrored mill, the one you do by hand, might've cut it.