Flat Stanley

Posted by Jeff on Jan 25, 2012 in Education, Travel

Flat Nathan

Flat Nathan v2.0 -- Click me to see a full sized version or right-click me and download the linked file

My youngest son Nathan is participating in a Flat Stanley project for school. So, he’s created his “Flat Nathan” and Flat Nathan v1.0 is en route to North Carolina to visit his grandmother. However, before climbing into the envelope for the trip down via snail mail, Flat Nathan scanned himself, and created Flat Nathan v2.0. You can see him here and download him to your computer. In addition, you can download a copy of the letter from 3D Nathan for instructions on how you can participate in the project. Since Flat Nathan v2.0 is digital, you could download a copy of him to your laptop or smartphone, and take him on an adventure in your home town. Then email a letter back to his teacher, Mrs. Marstaller at marstallerj@link75.org, and tell the class about your adventure. Or, you could print out Flat Nathan and take him on an adventure, and then take a photo of Flat Nathan v2.1 and email it back with a story as well! Anything you’d like! Thanks! To view Nathan’s letter and more instructions.

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yet another clarinet…

Posted by Jeff on Jan 12, 2012 in Music

Silver ClarinetThe silver-plate clarinet is great, but why stop there? I picked up another clarinet. This one is old and in great need of repair. But, that was what I was looking for. Made it cheap, and gave me an excuse to learn how to do some work on a clarinet.

It’s a Carl Fischer which means it what is often called a “stencil”. That is, it was manufactured by someone, imported by Carl Fischer (of New York) and then stenciled or stamped with Carl Fischer. On the back of the instrument, I can just barely make out the words “Made in Italy” and a serial number, 5536. That basically is meaningless, but it does tell you that it wasn’t made in one of the potentially well known French clarinet factories like Buffet-Crampon or Selmer. Carl Fischer was a pretty well-known importer of instruments in the first half of the 20th century.

So I visited Faith again at Maine Winds and she helped give me some pointers on what to do and set me up with some materials to get going. As you can see from the gallery below, the clarinet started out in pretty rough shape. It’s getting better, but it isn’t done yet. The clarinet had been stained or something with some sort of waxy substance. It may have been lacquer?
Some 0000 steel wool help clean off most of the gunk on the wood as well as helped bring back the shine on the key work.

I also installed new pads and new corks, but I have yet to really play it because it needs new tenon corks in order for me to even put it together. In addition, the tone holes turned out to be deteriorated wood (maybe?) inserts. In addition, the thumb tone hole was completely missing. That one is usually a metal insert.

Faith found a replacement thumb tone hole, so I have it ready to be installed, but I think that may require drilling out the space a bit as the replacement is slightly larger than what had been there before. I don’t want to force it in, because I think it will split the wood. The other tone hole inserts probably need to be recreated from scratch. I need to check in with Faith to find out if the effort and expense is worth it or not.

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Clarinets…clarinets…and more clarinets…

Posted by Jeff on Jan 12, 2012 in Music

So I purchased some clarinets…first I picked up a silver-plated clarinet. Always wanted a metal clarinet, just because they look cool :) This one was on sale on eBay and it was shiny…so of course being easily distracted by shiny things, I put in an offer. For only $49, it was mine! Turns out to be in really good shape. I took it to my local woodwind repair technician, Faith, at Maine Winds (http://www.mainewinds.com), and she helped clean it up and installed new pads.

It plays surprisingly well. I’ve been looking around on the Internet for free/public domain jazz sheet music…only seems right that this clarinet should be used for jazz!

Conn Pan American Propeller Wood Clarinet

Conn Pan American Propeller Wood Clarinet

Of course, surfing about and I saw some clarinets made by Conn in the 40s that are often called “Propeller Wood” clarinets. Apparently they were made from wood laminates similar to how propellers were being made during WWII, and with the war on, African Grenadilla wood was hard to come by, so Conn tried making some. Stories are that some delaminated, and while they fixed the problem, no one wanted them anymore after that, so they were a short-lived creation. But they are really nice to look at, even though reports are that they don’t play all that well. Anyway, I didn’t get one because the price was just too much, but I’m still watching for others to appear, and maybe one day I’ll find a good deal, or I’ll be feeling wealthier :)

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Merry Christmas!

Posted by Jeff on Dec 25, 2011 in Holidays

Merry Christmas everyone! We’re spending the day at home, and enjoying the snow!The snow just started falling, and the boys already took advantage of the couple inches we got the other day. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day :)

The Mao family :)

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Dinner at Fish

Posted by Jeff on Oct 16, 2011 in food, Travel

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Back at Fish restaurant for dinner with my brother and family before I fly home tonight. Great place for a family dinner. Outside seating and good seafood…almost like Maine…just warmer for October…

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