Building a Case for a Serpent, Part I

In order to attempt longer and more adventurous Snake On A Bike journeys, I want to build a better case for Charlie the Serpent. The existing case is a box, lined with blue muppet pelt, with some padding on the two largest sides. But there's nothing that really holds the instrument securely within the box, it is very heavy, and the box itself is worryingly flexible. It has all the weight of a hard case with the reduced protection of a soft one, and while it is well-made, I'd worry taking it very far on even the most loyal and reliable bicycle.

So I'm out to build something better. This is going to be interesting -- most of the tools (and expertise) I need are at London Hackspace, but I want to cycle there rather than taking public transport as it is a much more convenient journey. And I won't take the serpent that far on the bicycle. There's a hole in my bucket... To reduce much to-ing and fro-ing with a serpent case in varying stages of completion strapped to my bicycle, I've made a cardboard dummy I can fold up and take with me:

My plan is likely to change as I go along and may end up adapted as I find or think of better ways of doing things. The general idea is to make a hard shell, then half-fill it with expanding foam insulation, carve a serpent shape out of the foam, cover that with film and repeat for the other half which will be attached to the lid. I'll line the expanding foam with some softer foam padding and either muppet pelt or some other soft cloth. Then I need to attach the lid to the case -- I am thinking a cloth cover for the whole lot, with a waterproof zip around the edges as well as some webbing straps, would be good. It will need a handle, too. And of course I'll put reflective strips on, and places for attaching bike lights.

In addition to this case being stronger and more protective than the old one, I'd like it to make better use of space. The rectangular box is a good shape to work with (and great for busking as the lid can be used to display information while the bottom collects money) but as the serpent narrows at one end there is a fair amount of wasted space. I haven't decided whether I should make a trapezoidal case, potentially easier to fit onto a bicycle, or stick with rectangular which will be much easier to build; most of the bits and pieces I need to carry on a regular basis with the serpent can fit inside the largest curve of the instrument, except a music stand, but that won't quite fit in the "wasted" space in a rectangular box anyway.

Here are the materials I've gathered so far:

• Three (3) plastic underbed storage boxes to be cannibalised for the outer shell -- Tesco, £10 the lot
• Two (2) bamboo trellises to be cut to size to fit into the outer shell to aid rigidity and protect from impact -- £11.49 each, Homebase
• Medium duty garden wire for holding the trellises to size if necessary -- £4.59 for 30 meters, Homebase. I'll be really surprised if I use 30 meters of this!
• One 300mL can of fast-setting UniBond NO MORE BIG GAPS -- £7.49, Homebase. It says this will make "up to 15 litres" of cured foam, which may not be enough, so I might pick up some more of this. I only found the little "How far will it go?" bit on the label after getting home.
• I suspect I will also be using significant quantities of masking tape and gaffer tape.

Here is a picture of the three lids fitting over the bottom half of the existing case:

As you can see, I'll be able to overlap the plastic considerably.

The storage boxes and lids have lips which will get in the way, so the first thing is to cut those off. The resulting angular bits of plastic can go inside the shell, at corners and vertically around the edges, to provide additional reinforcement.

That's all for today; I'm not sure when I'll next have a chance to work on it, but will try to take pictures along the way.

Snake on a Bike! Snake on a Bike!

On Sunday I tried an experiment. Carefully, gingerly, I manoeuvred the serpent case onto the back of the bicycle, and used several bungee cords to secure it there. The plan was to then walk the bicycle to St Mary's Wanstead, where the London Gallery Quire were providing music for Evensong. It seemed a better option than taking the Tube one stop, and a more comfortable one than walking with a heavy case on the end of my arm.

The whole set up seemed quite secure, though, so I decided to cycle instead. I was cautious at first, not wanting to take too many risks, but I do know the route to Wanstead quite well and the traffic on a Sunday afternoon is not exactly heavy. So off I went, like some sort of low-budget sequel to a certain film, and sure enough we got there all right. The journey back was in the dark but I have lots of lights (some would say I'm excessive in this, I prefer to think of it as "highly visible", which is surely a good thing!), and I was feeling confident enough to take a detour to a friend's house for a visit.

I didn't take any pictures, so you'll just have to imagine a great rectangular box with a red light on it sticking out off the back of the pannier rack. I'd definitely do the same again for short journeys -- but I'm still not happy enough with the case to try this method for getting to and from Quire.

Bucket Bass at London Hackspace

Tuesday night after teaching I wended my weary way to London Hackspace for their social night. I recently joined, since I always have a few more making-random-stuff projects than is good for me and not quite enough time and space to work on them; the idea is that if I can get there regularly enough, I might get on with some of them.

I was locking up my bicycle and saw someone else arrive with some sort of thing on a bicycle; at first glance I had no idea what it was and wondered if it was some sort of carrier. Inside it was explained: this was a bucket bass, strapped to a bicycle. It was duly unstrapped and assembled, and I had a few tries.

I don't really play any string instruments so it was hard going at first. Another London Hackspace sort had very carefully marked the neck of the instrument with lines to show where the semitones would be; that's okay, if you keep the neck tension absolutely constant, but I found it difficult to use this visual aid without losing my bearings. When I stopped trying to do things visually and just listened, I found it easier going. It's certainly an instrument that anyone with a good ear and strong hands could learn, though I think for now I shall resist the temptation to add another instrument to the list of things I feel guilty about not practising quite enough...

A transport of delight...

Allow me to indulge in a little off-topic blogging...

Today was my day off, and it is nearing my birthday, so I went to pick this up:



Her name is Millicent, and she is a birthday present from a certain boy who seems to take inordinate pleasure in spoiling me rotten. No complaints here!

Since I was a teenager I have been hankering after a bicycle that is a grown-up version of the big old blue pushbike I had for a few years. I want to be able to sit absolutely upright, I don't use many gears and dislike derailleurs, I want to be able to carry a fair amount, and I don't want to get too muddy or have to wear much in the way of special clothing.

I think I may have found what I've been looking for. Millicent is more sophisticated than the old blue pushbike: she has three gears, which will be a help for hills, and also a front caliper brake to supplement the back-pedal brakes. In the picture above she's only got one pannier on but the rack is quite sturdy and will easily take one on the other side and a top rack as well; I haven't opted for a front basket just yet, but that is also a possibility in future. The model I opted for has battery-operated lights, and I have some extra ones to attach for added visibility. I have my cycle maps and I know that as I ride more, I'll get more confident riding in the traffic and be able to deal with unfamiliar routes and busy roads more safely.

Unfortunately, I'll still need to rely on public transport a fair amount. I like the pannier but there is no way it will take the serpent! Any trailer rack that will would add sufficient length to be a problem in traffic and sufficient width that getting through the keep-the-cars-out barriers would be a real pain. I don't want a longbike (longbike is lonnnnng), Millicent only just fits in the hallway as it is. In any case, bikes offer less padding for the instrument than either walking or being in a car, and that's just not going to work with such a fragile beast. It might be possible with a custom case, or a trailer with some shock absorption.

The horn is a little easier: I have a Marcus Bonna backpack case already, and though it isn't great for wearing for long periods it could be adapted (I've done this before when I had to carry it a lot). It will be a while, though, before I'm confident enough with the bicycle and the traffic to be happy about wearing my horn on my back whilst zooming about London. Give it three or four years, maybe.

Trying to cycle with a piano or a pipe organ? Right out of the question.

I do hope, though, that in a year or two I will be fit enough to manage my commute from Leytonstone to Hendon for teaching. I'm told there's a rather steep hill in the way, which isn't so noticeable on the Tube.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I am traveling to Addington Village via Wanstead with no Central Line (or not the bit of it I need) and a serpent. I don't think it's time to turn in the travelcard yet!