| Author | Message | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 1 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi everyone! First post. I'd love it if I could have a set of inlays (probably in sterling silver or abalone) of the periodic table element, such as a square box with Li, lithium, atomic element number 3 at the third fret position, B for boron at the 5th and so on. Alas, it is only a dream for me at the moment. I'm currently a student at Plymouth in the UK. No prizes for guessing what I study - Chemistry! | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 214 Registered: 8-2002 |
Hey Benjamin! Welcome to the club! That is a really cool idea. I'm sure you would get a lot of comments... By the way, I like the name of your band. We used Inconel on some of our products in my last job. Paul II | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 625 Registered: 9-2002 |
Hi Benjamin, welcome in the club! Student chemistry ??? Logical you choose an Alembic, taking in account the meaning of the "Alembic" logo, however an Alembic is more related to alchemy no???. I know John Entwistle has an Alembic with Gothic letters inlay I think names of notes. I proosed Brother Matt the use of the Greek symbol for the first letter of his name (the sing/letter "mju"). What letters are you prosing for the names of those elements?? Paul the bad one | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 2 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi Elzie and Paul, We chose the name of Inconel after Inconel X, the alloy they built the X-15 rocket plane from. The alembic is kind of a glass retort-shaped distillation flask I think. As for the letters, I would choose the element corresponding to the same atomic number and fret postion, so in full it would be: Fret: Symbol: Element: 3 Li Lithium 5 B Boron 7 N Nitrogen 9 F Fluorine 12 Mg Magnesium 15 P Phosphorus 17 Cl Chlorine 19 K Potassium 22 Ti Titanium 24 Cr Chromium I would also like to have an inlaid conical flask behind the bridge, with abalone or mother of pearl bubbles bubbling out the top. | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 627 Registered: 9-2002 |
Sounds explosive stuff to me!!!! Especially with the bubbling flask. However: my questrions still stands: what kind of typography are you going to use for those letters?? Gothic? Greek? Times NR? Arial? Or are you going for some completeley weird handwritten "symbols"? Paul the bad one | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi Paul, As for the typography, I think something similar to the Edwardian Script IT or the English111 Vivace BT; both of which are quite similar to the PL inlay you have indicated on the 'humble' bass project of yours. I think by going for these typographs, they would look similar to the handwritten cards Dmitri Mendeleyev first wrote out when he devised the table. Also, there is a much simplified version of the flask motif.  | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 1140 Registered: 6-2000 |
I've never seen the manuscript, can you point us to an image? I like this font, especially for Magnesium. Is your design for just the symbol in a thin frame (like a card) or are you planning on including atomic number, etc too? We should also add Gallium somewhere - maybe the back of the peghead - to celebrate the first element discovered after predicted by the gaps in Mendeleev's table. Mendeleev in the Wikipedia. Heck, wouldn't it be cool to have the entire table engraved on the backplate? As for an inlay behind the tailpiece, make sure the body shape you like has some room there. For instance, Rogues aren't good candidates for this job. | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 4 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi Mica! I don't know whether the cards I saw were the original ones that Mendeleev wrote out, but they looked similar to the ones that Dalton wrote out when he was working on the octects. The scripts I saw were in a Dorling Kindersley book of Chemistry for children when I was younger; I'll see if I brought the book down to Uni with me, but I think it may be at home. As for the flask design, here's a link to a simliar beaker idea which I was trying (very poorly!) to create: http://www.potamusplace.net/images/redbeaker.gif As for the design of the inlays, I would like something simliar to the square below, but in silver on a plain ebony fingerboard: http://www.educationalscreensaver.com/1209/periodictableanim.gif with the element symbol in large script in the middle, the atomic weight above the letter(s) (reverse of what is shown) and the atomic number 3, 5, 7, etc below. Of course, the atomic weight wouldn't be as precise, ie - Mg would be just 24, rather than 24.3050. I think by having both numbers, it would look more balanced. It could be v. difficult inlaying the upper frets, so maybe just the element symbol. I love the idea of the entirre table engraved on the backplate, as well as the gallium on the headstock reverse. | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 5 Registered: 9-2003 |
Whoops! Tony the Tiger moment there! Grr! Should be entire table. Ben | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 635 Registered: 9-2002 |
In short: bass history in the make ...again! BTW: how do you like the name "The Elementary" for your bass ;-) Paul the bad one (Message edited by palembic on October 01, 2003) | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 6 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi Paul! I like the name too. One of my friends suggested calling the bass Mr Watson after Sherlock Holmes saying the bass was, "Elemntary, my dear Watson." I finish my degree next June, so perhaps in 3 or 4 years, maybe just maybe... | ||
| bassicinstincts
New Username: bassicinstincts Post Number: 8 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hi everyone! Back down at uni after having bronchitis - not much fun catching up! I found some of the images I was looking for in the DK book I talked about.Here is a flask of the reaction between copper and nitric acid producing blue copper nitrate, water and nitrogen dioxide gas - always fun to do, but only in a fume cupboard!}  Mica, here is a picture of the cards I referred to, although the image is of poor quality:  |
