Prototype V Completed 5/2007
Serpent V is nearly identical to serpent IV except that it has a new exterior treatment. The exterior of the resin, which is still impregnated with carbon, was lightly sanded and sprayed with a textured plastic bonding paint. I have to apologize for the first two photos because my camera did not want to focus on the serpent from directly above. The slightly textured coating has a dull sheen similar to polished cow hide and seems to be extremely durable. I have actually been playing this serpent for about three weeks and the paint still looks like the day I applied it. Another bonus to this finish is that it does not take fingerprints, a minor problem with the first four serpents. This serpent also has the least obvious seam line of my prototypes thus far. I have been getting progressively braver with the amount of material I take away from the bonding seam after the instrument is cured. While it is still easy to tell this is a composite instrument up close, at a distance it looks like the real McCoy!
This serpent has finger trim of hard rock maple, a bell ring of spalted maple, and a mouthpiece of Honduran rosewood. I also think this is the best playing instrument so far, partially attributed to the fact that I think the mouthpiece is the most historically accurate I have ever turned.
