Thread: #2 Build N. Silky Oak Classic

Week 13.

Not a lot to report this week, as LOML took me off on a w/e trip, visiting Sturt and Bungendore. Now THAT is a seriously humbling experience.

Anyway, neck carving is nearly complete. Just need to get a suitable rasp to refine the area around the throat, and we’ll be able to get into the sanding and finishing. I’ve gone for a less ‘classical’ classical neck profile. The guitar will be played by wife, son and daughter, and none of them are ‘formal’ classical guitarists, so I will eschew the flat apex for something a bit closer to an acoustic.

Also have roughed out the bridge. Eventually decided against ebony, as the QE I’ve got is extremely heavy. Settled for some NG Rosewood I had instead, which is much lighter. Saddle slot etc were routed out using the drill press as an o/h router, and with a half-section ground 2.5mm drill as a bit. Worked OK, once I learned to put the drill deep enough into the chuck, and stopped breaking bits.

Did a rough setup check, with straightedge, and 4mm drill as spacer at 12th fret, and looks as if saddle will be about 5-6mm above bridge. A bit high, but that is without any string tension, so I think it’ll be fine. Looking forward to the finish now!

Attachment 195084

Ready to drill the bridge block now, and add the bone edges. Also need the rasp to finish the wings.

I’m thinking of doing a back-edge PVA glue trial fitting of the bridge, and do basic setup, before removing and doing the FP job. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

regards

Wow very clean and sharp looking

Week 14.
Lot of work, with not much visible progress again, but I suppose that is usual at the finishing stage.

Bridge complete, ready for finishing, as well as saddle and nut roughed out.

Following advice against from the ANZLF, I have scrapped the idea of doing a trial fit of the bridge, and have decided to do the FP before gluing it on. Bridge position has been laid out and marked, and I’m into the depressing stage of finishing...................... the point where you find that in spite of all the care you’ve taken, there is torn grain, scratches, dings and dents, gaps in rosette and bindings &c&c.
After a weekend of sanding, scraping, filling and filing, she’s sanded down to 250#, ready for a second wipe with shellite, and recheck.

(And the cynic in me expects we’ll be back to the refining before we go to 320#).

Hopefully I can be at the point where I can start the FP over the long weekend which will give me something to show next week.

regards

Originally Posted by Alastair

After a weekend of sanding, scraping, filling and filing, she’s sanded down to 250#, ready for a second wipe with shellite, and recheck.

(And the cynic in me expects we’ll be back to the refining before we go to 320#).

Hopefully I can be at the point where I can start the FP over the long weekend which will give me something to show next week.

regards

Alastair, I'd have a hard think about going as fine as 320grit with the sanding. I generally stop at 220grit.....anything smaller is not really going to produce significant benefits for the extra work entailed.

On my spruce tops I generally sand down to 220grit and then raise the grain a couple of times with a coat of egg white followed by a light sand to take off the raised nibs.

Cheers Martin

Thanks Martin,

Did a wipe with turps last night, and there are still a couple of blemishes I need to revisit, so the 240# will have to be repeated anyway after I fix these.

I'll do a wet wipe of the soundboard and see how it reacts. SB is Engelmann. (and if I recall you have had a problem with this before?)

Any detail on you grain raising procedure?

thanks

Originally Posted by Alastair

I'll do a wet wipe of the soundboard and see how it reacts. SB is Engelmann. (and if I recall you have had a problem with this before?)

Any detail on you grain raising procedure?

thanks

Alastair,

Englemann can be a P in the A to get ready for finishing. Its often a very "fuzzy" wood and you can sand it till the cows come home and therell still be nibs sticking out of it. My procedure for dealing with this wood:

1. Sand to 220 grit.
2. Apply egg whites with a brush and let dry. Egg whites are simply seperated from the yolks and then applied as is (ie dont whip them or youll get a meringue!).
3. lightly sand back raised nibs with 220 grit. Make sure there are no big jumps between grits. I sand 120-150-180-220 grit. I use garnet paper rather than stearated paper.
4. repeat egg white size coat.
5. Sand back lightly with 220 grit.
6. Brush on shellac seal coat prior to beginning FP.

Note that even after the above process with a thin finish like FP you may still have nibs poking through the finish. At first glance it looks like the finish is breaking up or like theirs lint trapped on the surface.

Hope this helps.

Martin

Thanks for that Martin.

I'm taking Fri off, and will be pushing on with this. Hopefully I can get the fp far enough along to warrant posting some pics by Mon.

regards

Take your time with the preparation...Englemann will drive you crazy but that's part of the fun of guitar making

And now the bar has been raised even further.

My son has just taken delivery of his first 'real' guitar................. A Blackwood OOO from Gerard Gilet.

Must say it sounds absolutely beautiful, even to my tone deaf ears.

regards

Week 15.
Picking up from the conversation with Martin, I was pleasantly surprised after the shellite wipe, as there were only a few defects which showed up, so I laughed off the higher grits, and after the last touchups, had at it over the w/e.

I’m working from the excellent tutorial at fp banner frames page, and while in the past I’ve had mixed results, (mainly from taking shortcuts), I stuck to the script, and so far results are shaping up well.
Up to 4 bodying sessions now, and apart from some minor sinkout from torn grain on the soundboard, it looks good so far. These have had one round of superglue touch-up, and may need one more before the final 2 bodying sessions. Back and sides are looking good, and probably could be leveled now, but as above, stick to the script.
Tempted to post pics, but decided to wait until finish is complete.

Then the bridge to go on, and final set-up

regards

Originally Posted by Alastair

Up to 4 bodying sessions now, and apart from some minor sinkout from torn grain on the soundboard, it looks good so far. These have had one round of superglue touch-up, and may need one more before the final 2 bodying sessions.

Alastair, be careful using superglue on spruce..sometimes it will leave a yellow stain.

Cheers Martin

Originally Posted by kiwigeo

Alastair, be careful using superglue on spruce..sometimes it will leave a yellow stain.

Cheers Martin

Hi Martin,

I don't think it will be a problem here;

Soundboard is completely sealed with shellac, and we are talking of fly-speck type sink-out; just tipping in specks of SG, using the point of a pin, followed by a scrape back.
The first round I did was invisible after the following body session.

regards

Week 16.

What can I say?

Bodying, bodying, spiriting off, bodying, leveling, filling defects, bodying....................

And not much tangible progress to show for it. Apart from another visit from the fairy:

Started the leveling. Had tried out using Shellite as lubricant, instead of olive oil, with good results, so took a deep breath, and set to on the back. Strangely on the larger area, it seemed to be far more volatile than on the test piece? Also the surface matted off far quicker? Oh well..... And the dried surface seemed to be much grittier????
Finally looked at the bottle, to find that I had picked up the metho standing next to the shellite............

Fortunately, no harm done that couldn’t be fixed by another day of bodying sessions. Oh yes, and I went back to leveling with olive oil.......

However, I now hope that I’m on the final straight.

Bought the long-reach clamps for the bridge, and she’s ready for the final glazing sessions, so (once again) I should have something to show this week.

Regards

A second update for the week, since there is some visual progress to report at last, (and I’m excited to be in the final stages).
While I’m not yet happy with the finish, I’ve decided to complete the build and set-up, as with my close relationship with the fairy, some blemishing is expected before I’m finished, and I will need to correct that later. Also I need to draw a line somewhere, or else I’ll still be finishing this next year.


Attachment 197866Attachment 197867Attachment 197868

Attachment 197869Attachment 197870


Then we convened a conference of clamps to fit the bridge. A few heartstopping moments here, as the clamps are large and heavy, and only just could get all three into the soundhole, with mm to spare. Also had some fun convincing the bridge NOT to skate away on the glue film, before I got it to grab.

Attachment 197871Attachment 197872

A rough shot with the machine heads fitted, and rough nut and saddle in place, ready for set up over the weekend.

Attachment 197873

And finally, with LOML’s 40 year old entry-level Yamaha, (which it will replace, IF I’ve got things right.)

Attachment 197874

That will have to wait for the musicians in the family to deliver a verdict.

regards