I have developed an interest in building musical instruments, mostly Cigar Box Guitars and/or some kind of stringed instrument kits. I have built from a kit: a Strumbly (a 3 string dulcimer tuned guitar), a banjo from Backyard Music Inc., and a Cigar Box Guitar that's tuned as a dulcimer.
The head design is taken from a t-shirt I saw on my favorite website, Banjo Hangout. It uses the Coca Cola font and I engraved it on Kongsberg/I-Cut at work then wood burned it. Learning the banjo is harder than earning my degree.
This is a Strumbly that I made for my daughter. It was a kit I bought from Music Makers in Minnesota. The sound hole cover is a design I took from a tattoo that my daughter has on her ankle. It reminds her of my Mom who loved angels. This was also done on the KongsbergI-Cut.
This Cigar Box Guitar I made for my brother who always had a hard time playing a 6 string guitar. The spacious fret spacing is dulcimer fretting and it is said that you can't play a wrong note with it set up like this. The sound hole cover is my design and is also cut on the Kongsberg/I-Cut. It is in the shape of a crown because my brother fancies himself as "King" of his domain. The stain I used on this guitar is made from soaking steel wool in vinegar to get a nice ebony look.