Ron Cook Studios

The last month I spent a little time back in the studio and shop using up a lot of my scrap woods to make a couple more cutting boards for potential Christmas presents.

The left one is black walnut and maple with a black walnut frame. The right one is all black walnut with a maple frame. The little white pieces are the remains of birch biscuits, used for joining wood together.

The rest of the time I spent writing. I finished another draft of my fourth paranormal mystery, A Warlock in Provence, and continued writing on my murder mystery, Strung Up.

While I was writing, we had two new Oriental-style carpets delivered and had new tile installed by the garage and laundry doors and under our coffee bar. We love it all!

The left photo is our new living room carpet. We have a second one, similar but with a different pattern, under our dining room table. The right photo is the new tile. The bamboo flooring (seen at the bottom of the photo) that was in that area always swelled up certain times of the year making an irritating hump.

That’s it for this month. I still have three psalteries in process as well as some dulcimer noters and spoons roughed out. I need to finish them all one of these days.

Everyone have a great holiday season. See you next year!

The next novel I’m writing, my fourth Charles Blue Paranormal Mystery, is taking longer to write than my first three novels. There is a lot going on, and I have to keep going back to re-edit sections to pull all the scenes together. Whew!

On the woodworking front, I do take breaks from my writing and head out to my studio once in a while. This last month I’ve working on and off on three new psalteries and trying to finish some carvings on spoons and noters. Here are some pictures.

It has been a busy month. Besides writing and “making sawdust”, Last Friday I went to the 40th anniversary, 2025, Open Studios Preview Party at the Santa Cruz Art League. This was an invitation-only event put on by the Arts Council of Santa Cruz. This year’s artists displayed pieces of their best works. There were several familiar artists who have been in Open Studios for as long or longer than I did (20 years), and quite a few new and younger talented artists who show that the arts in Santa Cruz will continue for another 40 years (or more, I hope).

October is not only the spooky, halloween month, but it is also my birthday month. I may be retired, but I’m still feeling young. (The gym helps!) Yes, I’ll be a young 79.

Okay, enough for now. All the above should be finished by my next blog entry. Onward…

Another month of editing my current novel in progress, and another month tinkering in my studio and shop. Last month I showed a picture of the new Fender-type Precision bass I made. This month, I completed another guitar kit (below).

Some more tinkering I’m doing: new psalteries.

The top is a new Cantigas psaltery, based on an illustration in the 13th century Cantigas de Santa Maria illuminated manuscript. The bottom one is a new wing psaltery, based on 14th century psalteries in paintings of that era. Both are comprised of salvaged poplar and first-growth Dougas fir.

A long term project is a couple more mountain dulcimers.

Both are hourglass-style. One will be mainly black walnut, and the other will be cocobolo. All the woods are salvaged and/or repurposed.

As you can see, August was a busy month. September will probably be busier. More news next month.

July was a “tinkering” month. To take a break from writing my novels, I went into my shop and studio to work on a Precision Bass kit I purchased a couple of months ago.

I finally finished it, and it turned out nice, and it does sound like a Fender Precision Bass. The all maple neck is smooth and much like the real Fender I used to have back in 1969.

The color I chose is a vintage cream color sold through Stewart McDonald’s Guitar Supply. Both the neck and body needed fine sanding before I could apply any finish. The neck is finished with several coats of tung oil varnish. After the body’s color coat dried I gave it a good polishing with a paste wax.

I plugged it into a little battery-powered guitar amp and it sounded great. It helps that the pickups and electronics were pre-wired. No soldering.

One last thing to do is to adjust the bridge for intonation and to lower it a little.

Sometime this month I’ll be working on a Telecaster kit I just got. Like the bass, the body is mahogony and the neck is all maple. I haven’t chosen a color yet, but it will probably be a vintage white. More news later.

For now, that’s it. Time to get back to my novels.

Even though I’m retired from lutherie projects, shows, and restoration work, I still like to “tinker” around with wood once in a while. After writing for hours on end working to complete my fourth mystery in a series, I like to take a break and make some sawdust.

I still have a few small items to finish for my Etsy shop, but recently I purchased a P-Bass kit. When I played in my first two bands, I played bass. My favorite was a 1957 Fender Precission Bass with an all maple neck. I loved that bass and wish I still had it. Well, I plan to replicate it with the kit.

I’ll work on it off and on for the next month or so. Like I said, it’s something to “tinker” around with. First thing is to cut the head piece into the Fender shape. It originally came with a “blank” head a person can shape any way they want. I want the Fender look. (Photo below)

The fretboard is already finished, but the rest of the neck and head need fine sanding before applying the tung oil finish. The body is the same way. It need fine sanding before applying whatever color I want to spray on it.

As I mentioned, this project will take a month or more. My main goal is to finish the novel I’m working on.

So, until then, Onward!

In April, I took a break from my writing to work on a couple of woodworking projects. The main project was a set of steps for the bed. The mattress is high and has always been a little difficult for my wife to get into. The steps have made a big difference for her.

They are maple plywood with black walnut steps with ziracote detail on the risers. This was all salvaged and repurposed material.

A smaller project was to make small, 5/8 inch buttons that my wife can put on one of her sweaters. These are also black walnut.

Even though I’m not creating more instruments or furniture, I still have a large stash of wood in both my studio and shop for the occational project for our home.

On another note, I’m selling off some of my power tools. My table saw is currently on Craigslist, and might be sold soon. Some other tools will go up for sale this next month. Downsizing. I will hold on to my bandsaw (it gets a lot of use), and my drum sander.

Well, for now, I need to get back to doing a little more writing today. I’m working on my fourth Charles Blue Paranormal Mystery, A Warlock in Provence, and I hope to have it to my editor by the end of Summer.

Onward…

Not much happened in Ron Cook Studios in March. My woodworking days have wound down, but I still have a few small items to finish up to add to my Etsy shop. One of these days I’ll get at them.

Here’s what went on in March:

A few weeks ago we returned from our seven days in Denver where we attended the Left Coast Crime conference.

The paranormal panel I was on went well. The 45 minutes seemed to go by very quickly and it was over before I knew it. We panelists then went into the bookroom to sign books. Being my first time, I did okay. Next year, Left Coast Crime will be in San Francisco, just up the coast from us. Minimal driving!

Now, about Denver! Yes it is a mile high city (5280 feet). And the air was so dry, my sinuses hurt. The airport? Huge. And the worst we’ve ever been in. We planned to take the light rail from the old Union Station downtown, but it was only running from a station nearly an hour away. We had to board a bus that stopped at three stations before letting us off at the fourth to finally catch the light rail to the airport.

Now, the light rail station at the airport is next to the security area, which we started to go through thinking that was the route we had to take to get to the ticket booths. Nope! All our bags got pulled because we had sharp items not aloud for carry-on bags. So, we were directed out and up to the third floor where the real ticketing and bag drop-off was at. By the time we finally got through security again and got to the gate, we were late for the original loading time. Fortunately, the planes were running late, so we still had to wait an hour before loading. Whew!

Okay, we finally got home, and on the following day I came down with a humongous cold… the first one I’ve had in maybe ten years or more. I’m doing fine now, and finally started going back to the gym again.

At least, while sick, I was able to do some writing. My new novel, A Warlock in Provence, is coming along at about 30,000 words. That’s maybe half way through. I hope to complete it by maybe Fall of this year so I can send it to my editor to check over.

Anyway, for now, that’s it for this month. And, once again, Onward Through the Fog!

We’re starting the year out with sunshine. However, it’s chilly. Frost warnings have been in effect in the mountains and valleys, but usually not in our part of Santa Cruz. Where we live is just a half block from the ocean, which keeps our temperature a few degrees higher than further inland. It is very rare for us to have a freeze here.

As for Ron Cook Studios, I’ve been working on some new, small instruments to add to my Etsy store. At the end of December, just after Christmas, I finished two mini mbiras (thumb pianos). I’m now working on two full-sized mbiras. One of them will be electric. It will have three transducer mics with a 1/4″ connector. It will come with a tiny, battery-powered Fender amplifier that has a small speaker in it. I’ve purchased and sold several of these with other electrified instruments I’ve made, and they do sound very good for their size.

I’m also trying to finish up several other items. So, since it’s January 1st, it’s time to make some resolutions. Here goes:

1. Finish carving dulcimer noters
2. Finish carving spoons
3. Work on third medieval trestle stool
4. Finish two more mbiras (thumb pianos)
5. Work on my writing (not Ron Cook Studios, but Ron Cook-Author)

I probably should add a few more to this list, but I don’t want to be unachievable.

Once again, Happy New Year.

Not too much to report this time. I’ve been spending more time writing than making sawdust. However, I did purchase some more hardware for several thumb pianos (Mbiras). I plan to make two more “mini” 8 note thumb pianos and two more standard sized ones. Also, one of them will be electric. I made an electric one several years ago, and it sounded great amplified and unamplified.

I still haven’t finished my next mini hog nose psaltery. It’s got very little left to go on it, and I need to take the time to complete it. Also, I haven’t finished carving several dulcimer noters that I roughed out months ago. When I finish my next book, I can then take a break and work in my studio again.

To see my novels and books, check out my other website at www.roncook-author.com.

Until next time…