Is there any interest in these? They will be extremely limited and not inexpensive?!
iluvsa
Los AngelesPosts: 28
Okay,
Here's a weird one, I love my Deluge so much but the cheeks were sorta just okay (I mean, hey I am not complaining they are nice!). I started racking my brain as to how to do something special with them, and I was able to acquire a very small piece of kauri wood from New Zealand that had been processed a long time ago. If you don't know about kauri wood, it's the oldest wood known to mankind (over 45,000 years old!) and fell into peat bogs where it was preserved. Google it, it's likely some of the most beautiful wood you have ever seen! Especially those pieces that have mega-curls in them! SO, why not mix some New Zealand ancient wood with some New Zealand modern technology and see what happens?! I'm from Boston what do I know?
Okay here is a prototype I still need to finish. I want to preserve the same design and size of the original cheeks (so that things like the DeckSaver will still fit) - question is, would other folks be interested in these types of cheeks? I may have some with a living edge as well if I end up running out of wood, I want to make sure to use every last bit of this wood. I will be hand drilling all of the screw-holes (so as not to split the wood) and will make the outer cheek and inner cheek out of the same wood (although I think this will be a two-piece unit same as the original cheeks, either glued or nailed together). I want to hand make everything.
I am not taking pre-orders or anything, and maybe you can find some kauri wood and do a DYI approach, but is there interest in these cheeks? And if they were somewhere around $75 for a pair, does that seem reasonable? If it sounds like I have ate a bunch of drugs, I will just make a set for myself and call it a day. I don't want to cut up the wood unless I think there is some interest!
Okay stay tuned! I still need to finish the edges and figure out the best top coats so this is very much a work in progress....
Comments
I'd love to have a pair! My father has been a woodturner for 15 years now and I know he'd get a kick out of me having some swamp kauri around. Is this authentic? What's the story behind how you got it? I searched for information and found the following wiki article. I'm unfamiliar with the wood, it looks beautiful!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_kauri
Some more info for those interested at Woodcraft's website:
https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/ancient-kauri-world-s-oldest-wood-now-at-woodcraft
This site has some blanks for $40 a piece so $75 + shipping for a pair cut for the Deluge seems fine to me
https://www.thewoodturnersstudio.co.nz/page/423637
Bugah,
Yes it’s authentic! I mean it didn’t come with documentation but it’s pretty hard to fake once you see it in person. I purchased this piece from a seller on Etsy, it is no longer legal to export this wood (to the U.S. anyway) unless it has already been processed into something else.
Working now on creating some cheeks made out of 3D printed material so as to save as much of the wood as possible. The last bit is getting a good finish on the outside that preserves the look of the wood and protects it. I will let folks know when I have some I will try and do some living edge cheeks as well!
Those are beautiful! Consider me interested :0D
Sounds great! Keep us posted!
Those are beautiful! Consider me interested :0D
Those are gorgeous! I would be interested just for the aesthetics, but my Deluge is in my backpack with me most of the time. The condition the original cheeks are in now, I'd hate to do that to yours!
However I would love to see photos as you create them.
BitFarm, i am trying some resin finishes on some of these to make them pretty tough.
I have the inner cheeks perfected now and will likely offer a few types of finishes. I have used Tung Oil on some pieces and it makes them a bit darker but really brings out the grain.
Here is an example of the resin coated ones again the goal for me was to preserve the natural grain of the kauri!
Thanks folks stay tuned!
Just an update, I expect these to be ready shortly - these will have a laquer finish applied (DEFT brand) and the resin pieces are a UV curing resin used on old surfboards. Take a look and let me know if you have an interest in these for your Deluge!!! Excited to get them out in the world!
Calling dibs on these two!
these are gorgeous. defo intrested
Okay,
I think these are ready to go! Sorry for the delay I had to switch to an inner pine cheek bonded to the kauri wood because in playtesting the plastic would bend different than the wood and cause separation. Also, sets 7 and 8 are fully incased in resin because I know some folks like to really bang their Deluge around (mine is a studio princess for the most part!) Those two sets should hold up great even with a thrashing.
These are all done by hand! Everything was hand sanded, hand shaped, and they look really unbelievable in person. Slight imperfections in the wood but THEY ARE 45,000 YEARS OLD!
I would like to charge $100 per set, with free shipping in the continental U.S.A., and a little more to other countries (decided between you and I on a per country basis). I know it’s more than I originally quoted but they took a lot of time to get nice and materials were spendy.
I realize this is a lot of money for most people, so I would also like to send a set of these to Synthstrom directly (maybe if a moderator sees this, can you send me an address I can send these to?) and maybe have them run a contest for best song inspired by something truly ancient?! That way if you are creative you could walk away with a set for free.
The way this works is based on the honor system - send me a message telling me which number set you want, i then send you my paypal address, you pay me, and then I send you the cheeks! I am a man of my word and will send them out within a day or two of payment receipt!
UPDATE: These are all gone now, so if you want a pair, it’s gonna require some diggin’ in a swamp! Thanks to everyone for the requests and the encouragement it was fun making these!
Sorry for the long post and thanks for looking - this was a fun project and they all look really amazing in person I added a collage so you can see what they look like on the box. First come first serve on the messages i will honor requests as good faith payments and reserve that set, but stay tuned if you are not first in line as someone could always back down.
WOW Incredible work! Can I switch my order to number 8? I love how the natural edge came out and looks on the Deluge! I'll send you a DM
Hi! Can I scoop up #7? These look amazing, great job! I love that they are so unique.
8 and 4 are> @midnightoperator94 said:
Hi midnightoperator, i am taking reserves via private message and #7 was scooped up this morning. I’m so sorry - if you want another pair just send me a message with a reserve #! Thanks!
I'm in love.
iluvsa informed me of shipping, gave me information about how to mount the sides, and gave me a nice handwritten note as well for how to take care of them. Shipped quick and with care in a cloth to prevent scratching. They're the same size and dimension as the original cheeks so they fit just fine on my Deluge. They're super beautiful. Thanks so much for making these, I'm honored.
Made my day! They look so fantastic! I still have a few left (see availability above) so let me know if you want a pair, anyone!
@iluvsa These look gorgeous. I'm interested in #3 if it is still available.
Ok #3 set is gone please see available cheeks above!
@iluvsa is a gentleman and a scholar! He shipped me a set of these last week and I just got them in today.
After the careful installation process, did a little photo shoot so other could see what they look like in the wild!
are you still taking requests for these ?
Hey the top post is up to date as far as what sets are left - i have #1, #5, and #6 left available for purchase!
Can you install these either way round?
Yes! The screws are asymmetrical on the top but no reason you can’t create two sets of holes (I can do this for ya). What you can’t do is flip them upside down because the inner cheeks are not in the middle of the outer ones. Hope this makes sense see pics above for inner cheek location!
Looking solid af
These look tacky AF.
lmao, alright cool guy.
Thanks guys the last sets of these made their way back to New Zealand so they are officially gone! Appreciate everyone who followed along the process it was an adventure! And keep making cool music!
This is sick! thanks for sharing with the community.