iburkard.worklog
Saturday, June 02, 2007
What have I been doing? I've been really busy working on too many projects at once, which seems to be how I operate. How can I truly enjoy creating so many tasks for myself? It feels anticlimactic whenever I complete something, because I know that I have five more tasks waiting to be done.
I started a series of illustrations based on a Russian folktale, which I can no longer find on the web. I made the mistake of being inspired by the tale, and beginning work almost immediately (from memory). Four illustrations later, I've realized that I have forgotten the rest of the story. I've now started writing the story on my own, which is a good thing I suppose (better than lifting someone else's story without adapting it).
I refinished an old treadle Singer sewing machine for a friend of mine. The wooden cabinet was in horrible shape, but after disassembling, cleaning, sanding, staining, three coats of polyurethane, and a final polish, it looked amazing. The machine itself was in fine shape, just required a little cleaning and oiling. I wish that I had better photos of it, but just know that it looks amazing now. I also didn't take before and after pictures, which I should be shot for. Whenever I get something new to fix, I can't help myself. I just start work as soon as an object enters my apartment.
I thought it would be fun to take up the violin, so I purchased a good quality student violin. Playing has proven to be ridiculously challenging. Thank goodness for violin mutes, since they spare everyone my horrible play. There are so many variables that impact the sound: fretless fingerboard, humidity, quality/cleanliness of strings, bow construction, bridge, bowing technique/direction/rosin, violin construction/finish... so many more things.
To learn more about my violin, I decided that it would be fun to fix an old one. I purchased a clunker off of eBay for a song. It was well loved, but horribly neglected in later years. It was literally filled with dirt when I got it, but it's cleaning up nicely. I wiped it down with a slightly damp rag to remove caked on dirt and dust, and then used lacquer thinner to soften and polish the old finish. I've ordered a new tailpiece, pegs, and end peg for it, which was surprisingly cheap. The only thing that I dread is setting the sound post, which I may have someone else do. I'm interested to hear what it sounds like.
I started a series of illustrations based on a Russian folktale, which I can no longer find on the web. I made the mistake of being inspired by the tale, and beginning work almost immediately (from memory). Four illustrations later, I've realized that I have forgotten the rest of the story. I've now started writing the story on my own, which is a good thing I suppose (better than lifting someone else's story without adapting it).
I refinished an old treadle Singer sewing machine for a friend of mine. The wooden cabinet was in horrible shape, but after disassembling, cleaning, sanding, staining, three coats of polyurethane, and a final polish, it looked amazing. The machine itself was in fine shape, just required a little cleaning and oiling. I wish that I had better photos of it, but just know that it looks amazing now. I also didn't take before and after pictures, which I should be shot for. Whenever I get something new to fix, I can't help myself. I just start work as soon as an object enters my apartment.
I thought it would be fun to take up the violin, so I purchased a good quality student violin. Playing has proven to be ridiculously challenging. Thank goodness for violin mutes, since they spare everyone my horrible play. There are so many variables that impact the sound: fretless fingerboard, humidity, quality/cleanliness of strings, bow construction, bridge, bowing technique/direction/rosin, violin construction/finish... so many more things.
To learn more about my violin, I decided that it would be fun to fix an old one. I purchased a clunker off of eBay for a song. It was well loved, but horribly neglected in later years. It was literally filled with dirt when I got it, but it's cleaning up nicely. I wiped it down with a slightly damp rag to remove caked on dirt and dust, and then used lacquer thinner to soften and polish the old finish. I've ordered a new tailpiece, pegs, and end peg for it, which was surprisingly cheap. The only thing that I dread is setting the sound post, which I may have someone else do. I'm interested to hear what it sounds like.
