The "Bronze Age"

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 31 Dec 2004 4:21 pm

Welcome to the Bronze Age ...

40 pounds ...

Poured at 2150 degrees F.

... abit scarey this time ...

Happy New Year ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield
[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 31 December 2004 at 04:22 PM.]

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 31 Dec 2004 4:32 pm

Now that's a hot axe!

Jay

Andy Zynda · Post by **Andy Zynda** » 31 Dec 2004 4:46 pm

Rick, you're always walking the razors edge.
I love reading your posts. It's always something stone-age, mixed with James Bond kinda stuff. lol
-andy-

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 31 Dec 2004 4:46 pm

All that heat and you forgot to bronze the kids shoes!

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 31 Dec 2004 5:04 pm

Rather consistently, Rick, the areas in which you eloquently display impressive expertise--the whole magnet thing and metalurgy for starters--are fields in which I am plug ignorant. In fact, considering that I am a person of reasonable curiosity and above average capability, it's peculiar how ignorant I am in these areas. You have probably expounded on this in other posts and I probably have tuned it out. But.....can you talk about what you are trying to do with this? What do you hope to achieve? Are you working on a hunch? On a hypothesis? On some other precendent? If this works out, what will it sound like?
Just curious what you think this material can do.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 31 Dec 2004 5:49 pm

Jon ...

Chas Smith had mentioned that Silicon Bronze was a very "musical alloy" and since my furnace has the capability of melting it ... I kinda wanted to give it a shot.

It was much more involved and scarey ... but after casting 9 aluminum ones ... I figured I was ready ... and asked my wife for 2 ingots of CDA #873 Silicon Bronze for Christmas (it ain't cheep) ...

So I took advantage of a nice day today ... and made it.

So now I guess I'm gonna be called the "Quasimodo" of steel guitars ...

I was thinkin' "Big Bells" ... but I probably will develop a Hunchback from luggin' this thing around.

For some photos of the birth of this rascal ...Bronze Birth

Edit for mis-understanding Jon's question ... sorry
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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 01 January 2005 at 11:26 AM.]

Jackie Anderson · Post by **Jackie Anderson** » 31 Dec 2004 6:05 pm

Rick, many of us would humbly carry your shoes (...). Bless you, yours and your endeavors in the new year!

All, please see my thread.[This message was edited by Jack Anderson on 31 December 2004 at 06:05 PM.]

Bob Hickish · Post by **Bob Hickish** » 31 Dec 2004 6:55 pm

Quasi
If your bronze works out OK
and you need more , look for old
Navy surplus boat fittings ! They are
a good grade of silica bronze - stay away
from the yacht stuff made in Taiwan ! to
much zinc in it .
Good Luck & Happy new Year

Bob

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 31 Dec 2004 6:56 pm

I'm so far in the "hole" (monetarily) ... I'll never break even

There are times where it's not all about the money. Achieving a personal goal is reward enough. You can't buy a sense of accomplishment.

You're right Rick, it's not easy being serious.

but frankly ... I don't care....Scarlett

....

There, that's better!

to much zinc in it

I zinc he's right.....

[This message was edited by HowardR on 31 December 2004 at 07:00 PM.]

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 31 Dec 2004 7:21 pm

Thanks for taking the time for that answer, Rick. Hope my question didn't sound like I was demanding an accounting of what the hell you are up to (it sort of reads that way). Really just wondering what gave you the notion of trying bronze but the fuller answer is good reading. Any guitar precedent using bronze that you know of or is this going to be new territory? I'll be most interested in what you hath wrought.
Happy New Year.

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 31 Dec 2004 8:24 pm

This year we must of got a hundred catalogs for Christmas gifts in the mail. Not one of them had ingots of CDA #873 Silicon Bronze for sale.

My wife complains about not knowing what to buy me (and I'm easy, I just want guitars).

Your poor wife...

Rick, you are so easy to buy for!

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 31 December 2004 at 08:36 PM.]

Terry Farmer · Post by **Terry Farmer** » 31 Dec 2004 9:23 pm

WOW!!!!!!!!! Beautiful casting. What is the width at the nut, Rick? Will this be a six or seven stringer? Will it sport an MRI? This puts a new slant on Chuck Berry's immortal words...."He used to play his guitar just like a ringin' a bell" Go, Rick, go! What's your ETA for a soundbyte? WOW!

Terry Farmer · Post by **Terry Farmer** » 31 Dec 2004 9:27 pm

Oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Precious metal and precious family! God Bless.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 31 Dec 2004 9:28 pm

Jon ... the short answer is ... I wannit to sound like a big bell with strings.

Terry, mines are always 6.

Happy New Year ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

Mike Simpson · Post by **Mike Simpson** » 31 Dec 2004 10:16 pm

Rick,
How much does the finished casting weigh? Is the 40 lbs the amount that you heated to work with?
What next...???

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Big Mike
http://www.blueswizards.net

Gary Boyett · Post by **Gary Boyett** » 1 Jan 2005 5:07 am

Can I be there when you tell your wife that the next project is in GOLD? Let's see 40 lbs @ $389.00/oz= One nice present!!!

I applaud your accomplishments. I hope to see you at a show someday to see your babies.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 1 Jan 2005 5:57 am

Mike, it weighs 40.5 lbs ... the C873 ran like water at that temp ... so little was left in the crucible.

I did cast some octagonal bronze knobs for it ... but that was with the drippin's from the crucible.

Whats next ... basically the same finishing process as the "Dustpans".

It has low priority now ... gotta do the folks' Dustpans ... and hard mount my MRI in my prototype pan.

I just wanted to take advantage of a 60 F cear sunny day here yesterday .... cause they won't be around long ...

Happy New Year

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 1 Jan 2005 8:01 am

From the looks of your family there Rick, you already have a gold mine!
Have a great year.
Danny

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 1 Jan 2005 12:48 pm

Thanks Danny ... more like a "Diamond Mine" ... Emmie is a "Hi-Ho" fanatic

Here's a cool picture my father-in-law took yesterday ...

Please, sir, I want some more

That last chunk had to be heated to over 1000+ F before adding it to the molten bronze ... or we would have all been wearing bronze masks

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 1 Jan 2005 1:55 pm

One more ... 'cause the indoor shots didn't show off the color that well ...

Mike Simpson · Post by **Mike Simpson** » 1 Jan 2005 2:06 pm

Rick,
That is a way cool accomplishment. That's going to look beautiful when finished. Any comment on the "tap tone" as compared to the others? I know it's hard to describe but I assume that you'vr hung it on a wire and gave it a tap...

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Big Mike
http://www.blueswizards.net

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 2 Jan 2005 4:25 pm

Big Mike ... its Sunday ... and time to "Ring the Bells"

Bronze Ring

Aluminum Ring

I picked one of the new Dustpans that was closest to the thickness of the Bronze Pan.

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 02 January 2005 at 04:26 PM.]

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 2 Jan 2005 4:49 pm

The sperctral analysis for the Bronze Pan ...

And for the Dustpan

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 2 Jan 2005 7:02 pm

And if that doesn't ring in the new year, I don't know what does.

Way cool and interesting stuff here Rick.

Denny Turner · Post by **Denny Turner** » 2 Jan 2005 10:20 pm

Gorgeous,Rick. What a man......!

Have you considered chambering that steel, ...into specific resonant chambers divided by corresponding wall thicknesses between chambers?...(with the idea that a bell is not solid and it's shape and thiknesses contribute to it's resonance and sustain, ... not to mention weight!). I have supposed a number of times that a SCHEME of adjoining chambers that is overall shaped like a triangle, with engineered-in chamber sizes and wall thicknesses, might provide a "full" spectrum of air and conductance resonance in the scheme's ganging each chamber's "band" envelope side by side; And carrying the idea further by shaping the overall scheme like a bell vertical slice profile rather than a triangle, might enable "graphic equalization" of the collective scheme envelope.

I would be most interested in hearing your ideas along these lines.

Thank You,
Aloha,
DT~
[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 03 January 2005 at 02:23 AM.]