Martin Simpson - Concert Conversation Part 4

[kernunoos]

interesting sound with your heavy slide, Martin!

[kernunoos]

For once that a musician has a good idea without simply "signing" when a company asks him to endorse a new product!! Tungsten carbide isn't the hardest material but it's much harder than all other slides in existence. To produce these, it would NOT cost 500$, it's totally untrue (he must be joking) :tungsten carbide is often cast to final shape, as it is sintered from carbide powder at low cost, thus diamond tooling, laser etc is unnecessary and far too expensive.

[ianLP59]

@kernunoos Actually, John Lynch has recently made me a couple of these slides. The cost was just shy of $600. And yes, EDM machinery was need to machine them.

[kernunoos]

@ianLP59 Interesting. However, EDM is -not- necessary. How do you think chinese make tungsten carbide rings in such great numbers ? At such a low cost and such a smooth finish? 600 dollars is a ripoff, sorry, and EDM is an exotic (and expensive) choice of machining. Pick a book on ceramic machining and you'll discover cheap and effective alternatives to EDM prototyping.

[Mouldytone]

No comments since 2008? That can`t be right surely? Five stars from me and many thanks to the Museum Of Making Music for these extraordinary Martin Simpson Concert Clips. Thanks and best wishes.

Tony