The lid is the resonator, the cover was a piece of aluminum I had laying around. Would have been easier with a thinner piece but I made due.
I took a piece of fir plywood (how come really old fir gets so hard?) and planned an arc into it. Then I bolted the aluminum to it and beat it with a hammer. Eventually it took shape, then I filed it and sanded it smooth. Drilled the holes around the perimeter, marked the number, drilled them out and took a needle file to get rid of the waste.
A shot of paint (why did I bother sanding it smooth, the paint roughed up the surface anyway) and I came to the conclusion that the work was worth it.
Layered color on the surface, and actually layered. I got some tint from the painters at work that was good for water or oil paint, when I mixed it with the poly I was using I could see many little globules swirling around as I stirred it, was kind of neat. Tried it on the surface, did the orange on it and did not like how it looked so I stripped it off. Took the tint, mixed the yellow with water and let it dry. Took the poly and wiped it on. Did the same for the orange and black and then scraped it off with a blade. A little sanding then some more coats of poly. I would have liked to put more on and level and buff it but no time. Still not too bad.
Sounds quiet and tinny but I have not done anything to see if it can sound better yet.
I have had some positive response on the guitar as an art piece, seems it wood look good on a wall. I have a couple of resonators I picked up a while back, I might make a larger size copy of this one, hopefully it will sound better. I did learn a few things building this one and the next one should be better all around. But that is for a later date, too many projects on the go already. Thanks for all the kind words.
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