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"superglue Impregnation"?


abarson

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I've got some beautiful redwood burl I'm going to use as a top for my first fretless bass. Comments on a different forum stated that they thought the redwood would be soft and prone to damage. The solution recommended was "superglue impregnation". I get the concept, but how is this performed, and at what stage of construction would this be done? :D

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This is a shot in the dark, cause I can only guess what they were trying to tell you, but that sounds like stabilized wood. A vacuum process is used to suck an epoxy or something into the cells of the wood so it can be worked as if it is a much harder material. Fancy pens and gunstocks are sometimes made of stabilized wood.

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Yeah, but less hi-tech. Look up threads on working with Spalt maple, particularly Drak's, for info. Short version: flood the heck out of the wood with thin CA (water thin), NO ACCELERATOR, let it dry/harden, then go. Can be tricky, can dry to an annoying 'white' haze if you're not careful, so try various methods out on scraps. You want to do this as part of the final finishing process if the wood's evenly stable throughout, some do it earlier in spalted woods because it 'hardens' everything more evenly, making it easier to work with.

Edited by Mattia
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if you have access to minwax products try a can of their wood hardener. it's a water thin epoxy and much cheaper than the amount of super glue that you'd need to do an entire guitar face. you just basically pour it on or brush it on. it will soak into the soft spots and will need several applications in the softer ones.

it's sorta time consuming because you need some time between coats and then you need to give it 24-48 hours to totally harden. you also need lots and lots of sanpaper because it loads up pretty quickly but does a very nice job.

good luck

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There's also epoxy as used in wooden boatbuilding and repairing wood. The two big heavy hitters are West System and System Three. They both have great information on their sites regarding the use of epoxy. Raka is another supplier to check out.

I have no idea how any of this stuff impacts the sound of the guitar though. Would someone start a thread on how this affects sound so we can debate guitar sound voodoo for the next few days? :D

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Irrelevant. I use EMGs proudly, so you might as well build out of Danelectrolite, plastic or belly button fluff.

That's what I like to hear... :D

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