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lost and found at tiny thing
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how to build a twang box
Build a wooden box to the dimensions given. At one end insert a 1/2 to 3/4 -inch (12-19 mm) piece of pipe and anchor it firmly to the sides of the box. At the other end use a piece of 1-in. (25 mm) wooden dowel rod. Fasten a wooden handle to the rod as shown in the drawing. This rod must be able to rotate freely. At the end of the box the farthest distance from the rod and handle, attach a piece of 10-guage 0.024-in. (.06 mm) diameter tinned music wire so that it is anchored slightly below the metal rod that runs across the box. Run the wire to the 1-in. rod (with handle) and wrap it a couple of turns around the rod, then fasten that end of the wire securely to the dowel rod.
To use, pull the handle in the direction of the heavy arrow just enough to take up the slack in the wire. With the free hand pluck the wire, then instantly jerk the handle back and forth so as to alternately release and tighten the tension on the wire.
A little practice will show just how much tension on the wire and how much pull on the handle will give the desired effect. The boing box gives a similar effect except that usually the tone of the sound is higher and the instrument can be worked faster.
transcribed by Brian Carusella from the book Radio and Television Sound Effects written in the early 1950's by Robert B. Turnbull
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