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Black Limba Flying V


Stu.

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I'm loving this build. Black Limba is a favourite of mine and that headstock is as mean as they come - always fancied building myself a V based on Ran's Invader with that headstock. 

I look forward to seeing this finished. Hope the filler and clear coat works out... What will you use to fill the pores? I'd recommend Z-poxy Finish Sealer :)

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Thank you for the kind words! It's high praise coming from you chaps.

 

I finished my inlay drawings and milled them this week, ready for inlay work at the weekend. Unfortunately, there was a power cut just as I started on 15-24, so I had to pack up and drive home. I also discovered that celluloid does NOT like ca glue; it melts, expants, distorts, screams... I glued the bottoms with a tiny bit of high viscosity ca, and then carefully wicked thin ca into the gaps with ebony dust. It just needs to be left alone to dry, for as long as that takes!

40275718244_58dd2863d2_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

40304786354_7ae34ff4fb_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

40304784484_a3f6f4e8fd_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

 This is red glow in the dark pigment mixed with epoxy. The air gaps were filled later:

27142835368_75b0144712_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

27142859448_3135e593fe_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

40120676295_5c3250be62_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

41013921121_9fb695e76a_b.jpg by S K, on Flickr

I'll give those a week before attempting to level and radius anything.

 

I also had a look at the body. I think the dark section is going to blend really nicely when I work the bevels in:

26143287447_7197496578_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

26143291287_a85eb9816e_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

Very premature mock-up:

40304803784_a780cb9c61_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

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  • 2 weeks later...

Between work and travelling, I've made the tiniest amount of progress this week! Only a little sanding and cutting the pockets for the last inlays:

26454199117_8193f905e1_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

39516463140_b7fab1c303_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

41283206622_17874955cf_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

27453733128_b3631a5c3e_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

26454197857_1342f4c9fd_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

41283204892_702112d8ac_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

There are still some glue and paint pen marks to sand out, but they'll disappear later. I'll be using ebony dust and epoxy resin to secure and fill those inlays. Hopefully the celluloid will be stable with that.

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On 10/04/2018 at 5:29 PM, Prostheta said:

Been meaning to reply, but I've been sick again....

Celluloid might shrink over time, but I'm unsure whether than is a "vintage celluloid" issue or common to the material on the whole.

Hopefully you're feeling better! What's the timescale like for shrinkage? Fingers crossed it's the kind of issue that presents after decades of my terrible playing!

 

A little quick-set epoxy and ebony dust did the job very nicely for the remaining inlays. I finished those off, radiused the fingerboard, and then carved the bevels into the body. The bevel angle is actually closer to 20°, so using a chamfer bit wasn't an option; I went with my Shinto and Dragon rasps, which worked wonderfully! There's still lots of tidying up to be done, and I have to be super careful not to ding it now.

 

Edit: I chose to carve matching bevels on the front and rear (more akin to an ESP SV/Alexi), to shed some weight and make it look sleeker. There's enough space between for the Strat style jack plate.

 

41433901922_4578293291_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
27604895438_de9580e045_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
26604529837_46c8d88a50_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
40762512284_18c556007b_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
39667743550_7844c6cfd3_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
26604597287_992317513a_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
41476218661_9cbefdcdb6_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr
 
The weekend wasn't without problems, as you'd expect! There were air bubbles in the red epoxy, which I'll need to fill when I get chance. I also trimmed the fingerboard down a little too far; I was going to glue the fingerboard on with maple veneer between it and the neck, but I've decided instead to glue the veneer on and then hide it under the binding. Hopefully it makes the fingerboard look taller without compromising anything.
Edited by Stu.
I forgot things!
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This is kind of unrelated...

I fancied extending the working area of my little CNC machine. I used 2020 and 2080 aluminium extrusion to extend the X axis and bed, with a longer lead screw to match. The 8mm stainless steel rod should arrive this weekend to support the cradle. Hopefully it won't flex, but I'll find out soon!

39914108900_2d695c932f_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

If everything goes to plan, it'll have a working area of 500x100mm (just enough for a 25.5" fingerboard with 24 frets).

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On 4/26/2018 at 7:54 PM, Prostheta said:

Ask @MiKro

I saw his CNC build thread... that thing is insane! I have the rails installed - there's a bit of deflection in the Z axis, towards the weight of the motor. I'm thinking about attaching a bearing beneath the cradle, with a length of 2020 and PTFE strip to run against. It might be enough for the thing to reference against and stay level.

I took things very easy this weekend. Just a bit of slot sawing, fingerboard binding, and truss rod routing jig prep:

41782367661_06d889706d_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

26914409057_c041cca6b3_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

41782367501_3a34d8aa6d_b.jpgUntitled by S K, on Flickr

 

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