Official Luthiers Forum!

Have I been missing something!

BR Rosewood Fingerboards on ebay

Must have a real problem with luthiers using Brazilian

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Whale Lard is this guy kidding or what? I just use Crisco. It's available in most supermakets real cheap.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

35 beached pilot whales..... dead..... free.... I wonder if submarine sonar caused it? I've heard that before, the sonar just destroys them.... Pete any hint as to truth in it?

Great stuff for fretboards.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Bruce I'm going to stay up all night posting untill I hit 300+ posts like you do.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Go ahead Bob, I'll match ya post for post....

Now tell me, if you were in a Nuclear Submarine, would you be afraid of thirty five whales nosing around your sub?

[QUOTE=Dickey] Go ahead Bob, I'll match ya post for post....

Now tell me, if you were in a Nuclear Submarine, would you be afraid of thirty five whales nosing around your sub?

[/QUOTE]

No, I'd be more afraid that the guy in the bunk above mine had the beans for lunch.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Ya I don't think I'm ever getting in a sub.. Small spaces don't work for me.

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CVT Inc.
A tour of our shop (Somewhat outdated)
My Personal eBay profile. BCWoodBug

It's got to be sonar testing. Two other completely different species of whale beached the morning of the day before. If it is though, you'll never get the govt. to admit it. Or care about it.

C. Lavin

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www.handcraftinlay.com

No one really knows why pilot whales and other whales and dolphins strand themselves.

Bruce your sub marine theory is not too far off I bet.

The shoals and vast tidal flats around cape cod make for a very confusing and hopeless maze sonaraly speaking. It is my theory that stress is main reason for mass strandings. They simply get confused and stress out and give up.

My father was the genral manager of an aquarium here on the cape. we were the original marine mamal rescue network in this area.
we would go out on rescue missions quite often and He nursed countless dolphins, whales and seals back to health and released them.

The new ones are cool. My son is a nuke officer on a LA Class SSN. When they commissioned a boat he was on in 96 or so, went on a 3 day ride. If was great, but I don't understand why they didn't let me play with all the stuff and be captain. I have read a bunch of Clancy novels and the inside of the boat was just how I had I pictured. He is hoping for his own boat in next few years an XO now. They don't like broadcast of what boat he is on, but it is a very nice City. Hope he is home in next few months for a visit. Don't know about the sonar thing, will have to ask him

Matt that's awesome about your stranding service. I did that too in new Jersey, and I was a senior aquarist for a local science museum here in Florida. Yes they do strand due to stress, and "follow the leader" type causes, and yes no one really knows, but lately in the news there have been a few strandings linked to Military tests, etc..
The fact that more than one species (three actually- pilot, minke, and pygmy sperm whales I believe) are involved to me is suspect.
But we'll never know.

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www.handcraftinlay.com

Hmmm, just heard that on the evening news some time in the last thirty years or so. It just may be thirty-four males chasing one fast female.

Mnnnn ... Whale lard pounded up with berries makes pemmican — a tasty snack between sips of everclear while French polishing.

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D..

My dad did a T.V. commercial for the american cancer society back in the early 80`s, where a dolphin jumps out of the water a takes a cigarette out of his mouth.

that was one of his many signature tricks that he trained his beloved dolphins to do. he also trained them to do many others, but my favorite was the putting out a fire on a small boat trick. The dolphins would pump water out of there mouths and put out the fire.

My Dad passed away in 1987 and soon after the aquarium shut its doors for ever.

But in an ironic twist the buildings that were the aquarium were bought by a local luthier, Don Mackenzie who is A highly respected violin bow maker. He and I have lots to talk about when I visit for sure.

Matt
here is a shot of my dad and my brother Dana. My brother by the way, earned his Dolphins as a sonar tech on Nuke subs and I hope he can shed some light on this subject.

Maybe the pollution in the ocean is causing them to get a little crazy and they run in a straight line ending up on shore? Kinda like guys stoned on speed trying to run faster then trains. Or being drunk and doing really stupid things. The chemicals now in the ocean and fish is not good. Back to the original statement" Whale Lard" what is he using it for? As a sealer for the boards or a lubricant to cut them?? Sorry I was not following the thought here. Do you use a oil or some product to seal your fretboard? William C. says in his book that you can use old engine oil on fretbd.. So why not whale Lard?

Based on your discussion I did a couple hours of Internet research on the correlation of marine mammal strandings and Navy sonar employment. At this time there exists no conclusive data linking the two. According to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (and other sources) cetacean strandings have occurred for many centuries--way before the development of sonar.

I do believe that isolated strandings can be caused by the use of shipboard active sonar, however. A normal part of a "repel boarders" drill, for example, includes going active on the main sonar, which will immobilize (and most likely kill) any nearby diver.

Submarines rarely "go active" while out at sea, though. This would compromise their position and is therefore not done (unless attacking another vessel). Surface ships, however, employ their active sonars almost constantly. This may or may not have caused the strandings. And until more research is conducted, we may never know...

Take care all,
Dana
ex-submarine sonar tech

Dana what boat and time was you in. My son is a nuke since 93. Your right about going active on sonar. He says whole thing about ssn attack subs is quiet in the patrol area.

Great post Dana...I love it when scientific facts can be brought forward to shed light on such phenomena. I have also read where whale beachings have occurred long before the age of technology. Thanks for sharing your research.

The best thing that ever happened for the cause of whales was the outlawing of the whaling industry in most developed nations. While beachings are sad to see, they represent a small fraction of what it used to be like when they hauled whale carcasses into port by the thousands...or rendered just as many at sea in those horrible whaling ship factories.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Thanks for chiming in Dana....

what exactly is a Wyoming quahog? no I dont want to try one.

Matt

Thanks, guys.

Stan, I rode on both USS Parche and USS Pogy between '83 and '89. I'm afraid I missed serving with your son. Good for him, though. I know the Navy was the best career decision I've ever made.

JJ, I agree. I, too, believe in anti (or at least restrictive) whaling laws--for various reasons.

And, Matt, a Wyoming Quahog can best be described as a displaced Northeasterner out on the Great Plains.

Take care...