Here are some pictures of the making, sent by Mr. Visser via Mr. Mei.
It seems that the building needed some different attempts in order to get the right curve with the brass rod.
« These pictures are about bending the brass tube, which is the hardest part of the whole of the Cello-Phone. The trick is to keep a natural curve and a fluent line. It is essential to 'anneal' the brass tube first. This is a heat treatment, which alters the microstructure of the brass material and causes changes in its properties. That allows the material to be worked and bent. Annealing is required before the next step can be applied before it can be bent, which is filling the tube with shell lime. I continuously press this shell lime firmly into the tube, which is very important: only then will the tube be fully supported from the inside, so that it won't crack or disfigure. When the tube is fully filled and firmly pressed, I seal the end of the tube by means of a wooden plug. Now the bending process can begin, which needs to be done very carefully. If not, the tube will break, which has happened on my first tries in making the Celllo-Phone. »
[thanks to Maikel Mei for the translation]
And here the work with a blowtorch, sawing and drilling:
Magnificent! Great to see a second builder taking on historic replicas. The Cello-Phone truly is a grand design, so fabulous to have it recreated! I just love the photos and the description of the building process.
ReplyDeleteI reckon the 1925 Cello-Phone is the most futuristic model to date, even more so than the 1988 Froby. Some of the designs of Mr Carolus's architecture students though might go even further than that: how I would love to see those made...!