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  1. #1
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    Default Unbelievable guitar repair resource

    This is incredible: Trade Secrets! | stewmac.com and FRETS.COM

    Probably 200 videos and turorials on every imaginable aspect of guitar repairs, preparation and modification.

    I've learned an enormous number of trick and tips useful outside of lutherie, especially for box making and finish repairs.

    Very worth your time to watch them on the iPad in bed

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  3. #2
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    Stewmac used to publish these in their print catalogue in the pre-internet days. There were some really useful tips and techniques occasionally.

    Frank Ford at frets.com has more of a similar nature, but probably with more focus on the trickier stuff (I only skimmed the Stewmac list). FRETS.COM

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evanism View Post
    This is incredible: Trade Secrets! | stewmac.com
    stewmac has grown quite considerably as a business in the last 10 yrs, and I believe it has a lot to do with dans video tutorials.

    just remember they are geared around selling products and go a little over sometimes on the tools used to do some repairs, but hey that's business

    steve

  5. #4
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    Haha! I welcome their commercial-ness! The reason I found out about them was I needed their little precission plunge router base for the dremel (which is amazing BTW).

    What has me particularly excited is the way those tutorials translate directly into furniture and box repairs. I've had a few items come back due to abuse/environment/mods and in my mind, they are the hardest part of our hobby.

    Watching Dan work on expensive guitars and words of wisdom have given me countless (well, a great many) pointers on how to repair breaks, wear, splits, gouges and whatnot in what I make and service.

    The next warpath I'm on is finishes. A few plain boxes with guitar-like finishes should attract a market in the jewellery space.


  6. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evanism View Post
    The next warpath I'm on is finishes. A few plain boxes with guitar-like finishes should attract a market in the jewellery space.

    Finishes are all about preparation, wood is one of the hardest things to paint right and get a mirror smooth finish, we paint guitars weekly, so if you have questions more than happy to try and help

    always start with a pore filled surface, this can be achieved by epoxys, uv gels, water base fillers, shellac, even gyproc and egg whites, there is lots and lots of options

    steve

  7. #6
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    Simso, your offers are very welcome!

    Your business looks fantastic. If I lived in WA, I'd think you'd my newest best mate.

    I'm looking for a copy of Ubeauts Polishers Handbook and I'm about to buy a polishing, finishing and repair book off Amazon. I've also just bought a big bottle of TruOil, which is used by gun stock makers, but overall I'm really trying to explore to whole range of finishes.

    I'm not a complete novice, for I do gobs of finishing in oils, oil paints, nitro, waxes, Konos products, poly and WOP, linseed and various tung oils.

    What I've been unhappy with is the final finish. It's a pretty consistent theme of mine over the years for I'm persistently looking to perfect all finishes.... Especially paint for kids toys.

  8. #7
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    Most people struggle with getting the final finish scratch free, with copious amounts of paint and levelling a perfectly flat finish can be achieved by anyone, a more experienced person will use less coats to get the same result.

    Its about abrasive grit sizes, I always flat sand smooth with 800-1000 grit, then buff, three grades of buffing wheels gets a scratch free finish to the eye for me.

    But remember buffing is like sanding, its an abrasive, you just need to work patiently through the grades, practice does make a difference in this situation
    Steve

  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Evanism View Post
    What I've been unhappy with is the final finish. It's a pretty consistent theme of mine over the years for I'm persistently looking to perfect all finishes.... Especially paint for kids toys.
    Not to sure if this helps, here is a guitar I painted for a customer, from raw to finished

    The difference between the middle picture and the final picture is about 12 minutes worth of buffing of three different grades

    Steve
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #9
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    Dan Elewines book that you have pictured in the background is exactly whats in my Amazon cart right now. Hopefully order it later in the month (this month's order just left today with heaps of goodies! I didn't order it as some of the items were big ones....)

    That book reviews well and many talk of it.

    With sanding, I've been having a bit of fun with it. Im lucky for FenceFurniture sent me a huge pile of sandpaper which is very fine indeed - 800 right through to 3000 for the big Festool ETS150/3!

    Tell you what, being 100% honest, some of the finishes guitars (...luthiers), knife makers, gun makers and kids toys have on them are really amazing. Exploring non-traditional methods of wood finish by non-woodworkers has been the richest vein of skill, methods and finishes I've encountered in 4 years.... its exactly like finding a hidden treasure. Anyone looking to improve their options/quality would be very wise to explore these methods too.

  11. #10
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    The beauty with dans book, is that there is a selection of pages inside that show graduations from one colour to another in 5 percent amounts, I use the graph regularly to colour match my jobs.

    saves a lot of time when attempting to colour match a transparent colour

    i make knives as a hobby, and getting them scratch free is a real test of your sanding skills

    steve

  12. #11
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    May 2018
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    我刚买了一把吉他。我是一个新人,我准备学习吉他。所以对于你的文章,我想我学到了一些东西。当然,我不希望我的吉他出问题。

    Mod edit - Google translate.

    I just bought a guitar. I am a newcomer and I am ready to learn guitar. So for your article, I think I learned something. Of course, I don't want my guitar to have problems.

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