Hand-spinning Replogle Cones

V-5794

Mike Replogle shows the complete process of hand-spinning in the old-school tradition. From circle-cutting and center-punching the metal, to the spinning of both the spider resonators and the biscuit cones.

Video Transcription

[on-screen text reads: Replogle Resos & Cones...]

Step 1: Circle cutting

[on-screen text reads: The first step in making Replogle Cones is to cut the thin metal sheets into an exact circle. This is called "Circle cutting" and requires a special machine to handle the delicately thin metal.

The next step in making Replogle Cones... Center punching the disks. ]

Step 2: Center punching

[on-screen text reads: Once the thin metal sheets have been circle cut into precise circles, the disks are then center punched. A special fixture is put on the punching machine to precisely align the disks so that the hole is punched in the exact center of each disk. This process is done by hand, and each disk is punched individually. This is an old school process that is time consuming, but must be done with extreme accuracy...

My hat was made for me by my spinnning mentor, "The Old Man" and its a brown bag tradition Im honored to continue...

Once the disks are center punched , they are then ready to be placed on the spinning lathe and hand-made into Replogle Cones...]

Step 3: Spinning the spider resonator cone

[on-screen text reads: First, the metal disk is lubricated with a special oil for spinning. Then, the part is ready and the 1st spin is started. The Replogle Spider cone requires two sets of spinning tooling and two seperate spinning passes. The tooling is changed on the lathe, and the disk is ready for the second pass. This is where the "bell" of the resonator is added, and the edges are very carefully shaped to result in the best spider resonator possible, in the long tradition of the Dopyeras and the Dobro Legacy.]

Step 4: Spinning the biscuit cone

[on-screen text reads: Replogle Cones are hand-spun in the "old-school" tradition - an art nearly lost to automation. Personally trained by the original Master Spinner that "spun the cones" since the '60s, Mike Replogle is preserving the legacy with Replogle Cones, spun by hand exactly the way it has been done for the last 45+ years...

The circle-cut and center-punched disk is placed on the lathe, and a special oil is brushed on so that the thin metal can be worked. The biscuit cone is spun from the center - the grooved edge requires a delicate touch with the tool. Finally, the edge is trimmed, and the Replogle Cone is done...]

About Replogle Cones

[on-screen text reads: Replogle Cones have been hand-spun for over 20 years in the exacting tradition of the Original Musical Instrument Company (OMI), the company founded by the Dopyera brothers - originators of the National, Dobro and Regal brands.

Michael Replogle was the General Manager of the OMI division of Gibson Guitars during and after Gibson's acquisition of OMI and the Dobro brand in the early 1990's. A guitar builder hiimself since the late 1970's, while at OMI Replogle designed the oringinal Jerry Douglas Signature Model Dobro, the revolutationary DobroLectric thinline guitar featuring Replogle's patented dual-pickup system, and the unique Dobro Bass.

Replogle has helped keep the Dobro legacy alive by supplying original parts for more than two decades. He learned the complete old-school hand spinning process directly from "the Old Man" that was the spinner behind the cones since 1968, and Replogle has meticulously spun cones that maintain the standard of the original hand-spinning process and arcane techniques of the orginal resonators. These cones are not and can not be spun by present-day automated lathes, and the Replogle Cones provide the continuity of the Dopyera Legacy.

Until recently, these "Original Equipment" Manufacturer cones have only been available to established manufactureres an custom luthiers. Customers of Replogle Cones include Gibson Guitars, OMI, OAI, Dobro, Beard Guitars, Crafters of Tennessee, Tim Scheerhorn, Wechter, Saga Music, and Weber. Replogle Cones are now available on a limited basis to resonator players and builders through selected stores and websites.

This video series presents an overview of the intricate techniques and skills employed in the production of the Replogle Resonator Cones.

Enjoy this glipse into the esoteric world of resonator spinning and the Legacy of Replogle Cones!]