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23rd June 2007, 01:41 AM #16
using double action rods i have the brass blocks flush with the top suface of the neck so that it sits against the fingerboard when its glued down. as kiwigeo says the rods will be 2-3mm under the fingerboard.
ray c
dunno what's more fun, buyin' the tools or usin' em'
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23rd June 2007, 11:12 PM #17Senior Member
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bricks, thats a neat idea for radius blocks, PVC. What radius is the fingerboard? it looks pretty tight. I found with a 6" radius I did, that I was always slipping strings off the side of the fretboard. I ended up going back to 12"
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25th June 2007, 06:22 PM #18
the pipe is 350 pvc. I also have 300, 250, 200.
The radius isnt exactly what is asked for when converted to inches but does the job well for free.
Best thing is i have about 20 of them so i dont have to stuff around with changing papers all the time.If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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2nd August 2007, 07:57 PM #19
Full steam ahead.
As always work got in the way, for a month but hey,
I've got rhoads too post me some gear that i need,
I have everything else- but i might make a new body the old one just dont cut it i think- have to let go i think, throw it on the scrap heap.
Just a few questions.
Never used shellac before, once i make it up can i keep it in a tin or just have to make what i need?
Does shellac mess with any hardware- eg tarnish chrome or whatever?
I'll post more pics as i goIf you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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2nd August 2007, 08:59 PM #20
Hey there Bricks,
Make up only enough shellac as you'll need. I usually make up 250ml of 2lb cut blonde shellac for each of my guitars. I then cut it back to 1.5lb for bodying sessions and 1lb cut for final glaze coats. I make the stuff up in a large glass jar and once the flakes have dissolved I transfer it to a smaller glass jar which I let sit for about 2 weeks to let any wax settle out. I pour off the dewaxed shellac into a plastic tomato sauce bottle from which the shellac gets applied to the French Polishing pad.
Shellac is an inert substance and the solvent is alcohol so in theory it shouldnt be corrosive on metal. Note that while shellac has pros it also has cons, the main one being its durabilty compared to laquer. If the guitar is going to get a hard life then consider laquer, an oil finish or maybe Ubeaut's hard shellac. PaulB has sprayed the hard shellac onto his acoustics with success.Whatever note you blow youre never more than a semitone away from the correct one....(Miles Davis)
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3rd August 2007, 01:56 AM #21SENIOR MEMBER
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i wouldnt go any lower than the 350, unless you are quoting radius (i assume it is the diameter you are quoting) as a 350 is aproximately 7", which is already very tight. i have just made a 11" radius block by bending 3 pieces of thin plywood or particle board un a u chanell (basically putting 2 pieces of wood either side of another wide piece and screwing them in, then forcing 3 into a bend by screwing the other pieces down the centreline, which gives them the curve. worked perfectly.
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11th August 2007, 08:01 PM #22
body!
I've just cut the body shape today ( roughly) got given a peice of oak from an old school desktop, the top is really discoloured but only for a couple of mm then its pristeen.
Heres some photo's- Ps the old body i was going to use just is not going to work anywhere- might nail it to the shed wall
Im only using one pickup, to decrease the overall length of the guitar to a reasonable size the neck join is 130mm, over-all length is 80mm-130mm longer than a standard guitar ( depends which model)
The bridge is a little further back than standard. Im thinking i might need to go srting through to make it work i'll see when my stuff gets here from rhoads.
The neck is 60mm with virtually no taper to it for wider string spacing in the chord positions
The lower cutout is deeper into the body to allow for low end fret access
Im also putting in a "black ice" resistor before the tone pot, this is basicall like on-board overdrive, rhoads sells them.
The body is slightly larger all round than a standard les paul im hopeing this adds 'ballast' to balance the guitar due to the slightly longer neck, we'll see how it goes, if need be i can enlarge the control cavity later to reduce weight should it be too much, then only thing i dont want is the guitar taking a nose dive every time you let go of the fretboardIf you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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12th August 2007, 05:31 PM #23
better photo's
better photos than yesterday, flash is broken
If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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12th August 2007, 06:46 PM #24SENIOR MEMBER
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looking good, id be a bit concerned about the balance as its so long and the top horn doesnt go too far forward, but it shouldnt be too bad as the body is oak, to make it heavier.
overall it looks great.
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12th August 2007, 07:00 PM #25
How long does shellac take to be touch dry?
And will more coats make it darker or can i get a stain to add to it ( I want to have the body much darker than the neck)?
Does anyone know of a thread that'll show me in more detail how this shellac finishing works?
PS is finishing with shellac the same a a french polish?
Sorry to sound so clueless but really i'm clueless?If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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12th August 2007, 08:27 PM #26
Found this site..
Looks pretty informative....
http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpmatcontents.html
We'll see how i go.If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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12th August 2007, 11:30 PM #27
Bricks,
Shellac is the name of the finish...french polishing is one method of applying the shellac (you can brush, wipe and spray the stuff as well). With French Polishing the aim of the game is to build up numerous thin layers of shellac by use of a pad charged with shellac and lubricated with a small amount of oil to stop the pad sticking to the finish while the pad is moving over it.
Read the Milburn tutorial for the low down on FP. Also try and get your hands on Robbie Obrien's DVD on guitar finishing...it contains instruction for a simpler approach to French Polishing than detailed in the Milburn tutorial. The DVD is available from GuitarAustralia for about $Aus35 and it contains info on many other finishes as well as shellac.
Milburns tutorial is good but they use pumice for grain filling which is a P in the A compared to other grain filling methods. I use Z-poxy finishing resin to fill rosewoods and other open grained woods.
I cant advise you on stain as I dont use it on my acoustics. PaulB probably knows a bit more than me about staining and shellac. Hes sprayed Hard Shellac on his acoustics.
I would ask you why you want to french polish your guitar. Be aware that shellac isnt as durable a finish as laquer. I use it on my acoustics mainly because I believe French Polish is the best finish to let a top vibrate as freely as possible. The pay off is the difficulty of the French Polishing technique (I will never be an expert at it even 20 years from now) and the need to repair damaged/worn finish on a regular basis if the instrument is going to be doing time on the stage.
Cheers MartinWhatever note you blow youre never more than a semitone away from the correct one....(Miles Davis)
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13th August 2007, 06:53 PM #28
Cheers for your help, as far as I'm aware the guitar won't see any hard action, and it won't be played everyday. I'm only building it as an interesting project re: scale length and width. Thought I'd throw a finish on that i havn't done before aswell.
However thanks for the advice, ill keep it in mind if I do build a gigging guitar.
While i'm building this for a friend, He's not going to pay me, and he only has limited knowledge of what im doing. It's a gift from one to another. I'd like it to be well made and playable, and hopefully have a long lifespan, but if i string it up and it snaps in two ( like my last build) then i'll just have to start again.
Thanks for all your help fellas. Post more pics soon.If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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15th August 2007, 09:44 PM #29
New Issue of Aus Guitar is out today, Rhoads is still building for an article, I have been following it and it's not too bad.
I've routed the bodyshape, all good.
Routed the neck pocket, only to about 5mm shy of the actual width, then chiselled the rest out by hand.
I bolted the Body through the bench with coach bolts into the future pickup cavity to hold it still- Rhoads screws his templates on like this- ive just adapted it to my build ( no template), and I tell ya it works a treat, no clamps or vices to get in the way of the router, or your elbows, and it holds damm tight.
Dry fit the neck, and it fits well, amazing really. You can see the length of the neck join in the photo's , it's huge.
With the neck in place I could get a good feel for the weight and balance of the guitar, picked it up by the lower horn, one handed, not too bad maybe if anything it's a little body heavy didn't expect that, but oak is heavy, english lime isn't. It's all working out well, by the time i route the control cavity and the pick up cavity It should be pretty right. If not i'll route a cavity for no purpose at all and make a dummy plate for the back.
And I need to make a scratch plate for the front around the neck joint and up to the bridge for the pickup to sit in, mainly due to the height of the neck above the body, or introduce a neck angle of some sorts. I'll work that out this week.
It's all going pretty well, just waiting on some special gear to get here and I'm away.If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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16th August 2007, 10:33 PM #30
Carved the body today.
carved the body today,
The grain isnt very tight ( sorry photo's arn't that good) can i put shellac straight on or is it imperative that i grain fill, seal and then apply the shellac? Im after a smooth finish, Ive sanded from 80-240 grit in stages and there are still little tiny tearouts.
I dont mind the look of the guitar at the moment- the tearouts arn't readily noticable but once it gets shiny and catches the light it will be if the finish isn't glassy smooth? ( i'm assuming)
I Am planning on leaving the older more weathered middle section as is ( Ive sanded same to 240 so far as well) when I polish this should give me a sunburst-ish type finish?
Anyway here's some pics.If you dont play it, it's not an instrument!
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