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CDH

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I know of the masking tape and superglue thing, and I have a deep dislike of it. Fundamentally it's unreliable and more expensive than double sided tape. I've tried it with a number of tapes a few times and seen everything from glue squeezeout to straight failure. I wouldn't put anything of value at risk to such a poor alternative. Glad it didn't write anything off!

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That's one of the largest sources of the problem. Ben is very poor at qualifying his information, and unfortunately new builders do not have the critical thinking skills to do anything but take him at his word. Masking tape and CA is poor at best, and as a professional woodworker by day such half-measures simply do not confer reliability. If you're against the wall and nothing else is available, it would be better than nothing. If Ben was willing to compensate people who lost money due to this shoddy technique failing, fair enough. As such he takes zero ownership of the amount of bad information he puts out into the wild. Apologies for the rant, however responsibility in guaranteeing your information as being fit for purpose is an important aspect to any sort of instructional work.

I've used the 3M pressure-sensitive film adhesive for almost two decades now for guitars and all manner of other woodworking tasks. Especially for routing templates and layout work. Other sorts of double-stick tape - such as carpet tape - tend to be thicker and more liable to move through their gummy nature. A product of their intended end use. The 3M tape was designed for the print industry in joining rollstock ends from bale to bale. Its properties align very neatly with that we need from a tape, and it works very well as long as the surfaces are flat and clean. Dust tends to reduce efficacy. Being pressure-sensitive, ensuring a strong bond by cinching it between a clamp enhances the bond hugely. The adhesive on masking tapes is not very good at resisting movement from shear forces.

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29 minutes ago, Prostheta said:

I've used the 3M pressure-sensitive film adhesive for almost two decades now for guitars and all manner of other woodworking tasks. Especially for routing templates and layout work. 

Can you tell me which one (model #)? The roll I have is the 3M from Stewmac. Not sure if it's the same thing.

 

9 hours ago, Prostheta said:

I know of the masking tape and superglue thing, and I have a deep dislike of it. Fundamentally it's unreliable and more expensive than double sided tape. I've tried it with a number of tapes a few times and seen everything from glue squeezeout to straight failure. I wouldn't put anything of value at risk to such a poor alternative. Glad it didn't write anything off!

I've found blue 3M painters tape and CA to be much less expensive ($8 for 100 meter roll and $3 for a couple tubes of CA) than double adhesive tape (Stewmac $20.88 for a 33 meter roll). Again, maybe my source of the double adhesive is the problem.

Glue squeeze-out is never an issue because I use small drops evenly spaced. I've always found it difficult to get the pieces apart when I'm done, which has given me more and more confidence in this technique as time goes by.  

I'm relatively new to all of this, so I'm always open to suggestions from people like you who do this professionally.

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I've forgotten which part number it is now. The tape that StewMac sell is also available from G&W, albeit in a larger and wider roll for less money (as I recall). RS Components in the UK have a variety of different 3M products with different adhesion strengths and film thicknesses. I think I can work it out again. Let me have a look....

I think it's 3M's 9088 tape:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/double-sided-plastic-tapes/5034890/

Tesa also make a similar product:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/double-sided-plastic-tapes/4362835/

I'm a curmudgeonly old bastard now, and not one for taking expensive risks over the sake of pennies. Film tapes work admirably, and are a single product with known working properties. Made for the end purpose. If we used DST more at my workplace (we use toggle clamps for shaping templates) a product that is designed for the job would be the only choice. Painter's tapes are low adhesion, and the substrate itself has built-in stretch. 3M DST has around five times the adhesive strength. So much so, that I find using a few small squares at the extremities of routing templates is more than sufficient, and extremely economical.

I'm all for "tricks" (although I wouldn't use cheap words such as "trick" and "hack") however consistency and reliability take pole position for me every time.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I got home from a several week long road trip a week and a half ago...just in time for the flu to kick in hard. 

Before I went on the road I glued the top on.IMG_2843.thumb.jpg.0116c6bb3464c5a648093792bf43aa3d.jpgIMG_2842.thumb.jpg.911ff2d48ce8c7dfdad344abb0cbce22.jpg

 

I was finally able to get a little work done this week.

IMG_2852.thumb.jpg.5756ce9366257785e0dfc0aac68d3111.jpgIMG_2853.thumb.jpg.c65aa2754da405590beadb7c41eb9725.jpg

IMG_2854.thumb.jpg.1737a3e996c0083a8f845f6721ba5db3.jpg

 

A little mockupIMG_2855.thumb.jpg.b9f3bcbdca2d5f11c8f286ab62d1bdb3.jpg

 

The first step towards the slide out waist bout.IMG_2856.thumb.jpg.0f6297e687f0082f563c66e4c49ed597.jpg

I have this hose in the shop that is a perfect fit for a bushing materialIMG_2857.thumb.jpg.8e9b0506494f59d0b1a7f1c4bc2bae0e.jpg

 

No guts, no glory! I was agonizing over this cut. I was trying to think of the best way to make this cut, circle jigs, etc. After practicing on scrap, I just cut along a line freehand. There is something to be said for a high quality band saw! IMG_2858.thumb.jpg.12e5512f55b62932db200da15d9f5963.jpg

It's official! I'm doing the slide out bout.IMG_2861.thumb.jpg.d9902e337c4f00c4cc647e2d3471e965.jpgIMG_2860.thumb.jpg.f3eac7e212f17b78e91feff413e80c90.jpg

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I've done some more work over the last few days. I inlayed the MOP side markers with an oversized holes filled with ebony dust to make them stand out, as I am only doing a 12th fret marker on the top.IMG_2862.thumb.jpg.cceb62b473750a4b4069a4aaa7c5c10a.jpgIMG_2863.thumb.jpg.a64f3c5cef7411c94b089ab32e5de78b.jpg

Next was the neck contour using my router jig to get the rough shape.IMG_2864.thumb.jpg.1a8ab7b0b871e77fb417f22885eaaa82.jpgIMG_2865.thumb.jpg.0f6c3c1c10d60321c7a8e95540a9b1a2.jpg

IMG_2867.thumb.jpg.a10ff7aa5274d3ce29a1d925ab81d254.jpg

I drilled the neck screw holes and put together the sliding bout.IMG_2870.thumb.jpg.bb0f1bc9c658315ef12582e4e5b9e4b1.jpgIMG_2871.thumb.jpg.18b7eda19d5009fe46cfeb2a2d08cfb7.jpgIMG_2872.thumb.jpg.69d27a632d18598f1e8b6063356ac026.jpgIMG_2873.thumb.jpg.8644b97ec3dbc07011ae0df22b0dddd3.jpg

 

Attaching the tuners.IMG_2874.thumb.jpg.7a19bfc92b4b1db3348c4802b5a48262.jpg

 

Cavity covers.IMG_2876.thumb.jpg.ce51f321f03103efc4019909d6f716df.jpgIMG_2877.thumb.jpg.24a4b9b6888663d758cf8b03c7e4b0c3.jpg

 

Dying the top.IMG_2878.thumb.jpg.6576b1abb3cde179834ba3e18d7a9db9.jpgIMG_2879.thumb.jpg.110b6385cb5249a28ecb005c6887cfe8.jpgIMG_2883.thumb.jpg.d2427f3a9c47c232d9127f64e81609e1.jpg

 

I'm not sure I like how the faux binding looks. For some reason it looks cheap on this guitar. I'm going to fill it in tomorrow.

IMG_2884.thumb.jpg.d5dd8c62a7d6ae732cf9838a67358821.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by CDH
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Here is some of the work I've done lately. 

I sanded out and filled in the faux binding on the top of the guitar, but I left it un-dyed on the sides. I'm much happier with this.IMG_2888.thumb.jpg.f278f37175b97d709f906c1bf8300677.jpg

 

I did some grain filling. I like how the black looks.IMG_2886.thumb.jpg.37aebfaf404c8de7f14f48b2eab4b7eb.jpgIMG_2889.thumb.jpg.7226bce95b405363d2a48c697711b0e2.jpg

 

The covers in place.IMG_2890.thumb.jpg.615a6b1bfddb43c3b4eaf57be221de0b.jpg

 

My logo. I did it in Photoshop. I like that it matches the body a bit.IMG_2891.thumb.jpg.683c52d9155ceafba05cf06d56c62646.jpg

 

I've been building up layers of Tru-Oil the last few days and will be continuing for another week or so. I will post pictures soon.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I haven't used Thru-Oil since my first build, so I did a little research to re-familiarize myself on how to get the best finish with it. During my search I found a post on another forum from a guy who said that "Tru-Oil finishes are matte at best." He also prefaced that comment with "don't flame me, but..." lol

 

Pictures don't do it justice. It looks like glass, but it has taken me weeks to get it that way and I'm not so sure it will hold up to the abuse I will give it as a travel guitar. If it gets to beat up later on I will sand it down and finish it with Solarez. The Solarez sealer seams to stick really well to just about anything including Tru-Oil and the Solarez clear coat is very durable. I should have used it from the start. Oh well!

IMG_2922.thumb.jpg.f52d948b8d34d68a53df65484cf09220.jpgIMG_2923.thumb.jpg.66e9efc47802c77ee6afb52047a5f339.jpg

 

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I finally got the finish on the fretboard ready for frets!

IMG_2926.thumb.jpg.fc3115b98557369e34dee002893c8de7.jpg

 

It was time to break out my trusty home made fret bender. Much cheaper than the store bought version!

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Ready to go.

IMG_2928.thumb.jpg.398d7405746654d3c46782bcc5789027.jpg

 

I was using my drill press as a fret press, but I was in danger of breaking it. I picked up this 1 ton arbor press from Harbor Freight for $50 and modified it to accept my fret press caul. It works so much better than my drill press!

IMG_2929.thumb.jpg.7610e475b5121ef5c805074dba9793d3.jpgIMG_2930.thumb.jpg.c045f67be5bc313378dee37bac2410b5.jpg

 

 

I really like this new fret end bevel file. I lost my old one that did 35 degree bevels.  This one does both 90 and 35 degree bevels and since the file sticks out on each end, you can quickly do spot filing as well.

IMG_2931.thumb.jpg.4d0cd4d5993ecae928b18c2fc9439ea8.jpgIMG_2932.thumb.jpg.73c82102d5767355d6ee414b91874b04.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm on the road at the moment, but here are some photos from my progress before I left town.

I continued to struggle with the Tru-Oil on the body. Every time I thought I had it done and perfectly buffed, I would find a spot that had buffed through or a bad scratch/scuff would show up. 

I decided to pull the trigger on Solarez. I only had three or four days to work on it before leaving town and the days were all cloudy or rainy. I still managed to get the finish close enough to assemble the guitar and test it out.

It felt strange to take my orbital sander to a basically finished guitar body!IMG_2935.thumb.jpg.efc1a6d8bb2b953029334ce7015146c0.jpg

 

After touching up the dye job the body was ready for the Solarez base.IMG_2936.thumb.jpg.b0df74f40f3355b66d9546e6a21b4872.jpg

 

After curing over night (Solarez cures slowly in cloudy conditions and it seems to benefit from curing overnight despite what the marketing says), time for the gloss coat.IMG_2938.thumb.jpg.81de59a5cf7e99fbb3b8a59559a48129.jpg

 

Time to assemble!IMG_2941.thumb.jpg.66811cb62b9e6460c05af4f7db688d83.jpgIMG_2942.thumb.jpg.9fc7632039ccca53b4a0aa769564ea42.jpgIMG_2943.thumb.jpg.9ec7b05635940f1083603a69a89633a0.jpg

 

The neck and the slide out waist bout are still finished with Tru-oil. I'll see how the slide out finish holds up over time.

When I get home I'm going to make some tweaks. The neck still needs some work. It's a little too thick for my liking. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with how it plays and looks. I can't wait to build the carry case and take it on the road!

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  • 2 months later...

Here are some long overdue pictures of the guitar on its first road trip.

I bought a sewing machine to try my hand at making a travel bag as well.IMG_2953.thumb.jpg.ce3c2ae8224d6196eed31d6de115769d.jpg

IMG_2954.thumb.jpg.3b2e3bc961fe1c246fab1bda8d01045d.jpgIMG_2955.thumb.jpg.fa996bcfa005aca78c60ee997d26f200.jpgIMG_2956.thumb.jpg.c040fd8eeb6ae49d8a4525fb25b79106.jpgIMG_2957.thumb.jpg.c27beb568f2b92bc469eacf68056ebec.jpg

 

Some more shots taken outside 

IMG_2961.thumb.jpg.c47c8d1240ee8a401608ae4dcd418ff5.jpgIMG_2963.thumb.jpg.ca84df7a672d35e50074ed8b7438e0aa.jpgIMG_2965.thumb.jpg.0b56f3d150b505a37f49abf1d9224ae0.jpg

 

I'm really happy with how it turned out. It plays and sounds great!

 

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Excellent work!

I was thinking whilst looking at the headstock....with it having a locking nut, a detachable "accessory" headstock to bring the strings up to pitch before locking them down would reduce bulk even further. So technically headless whilst still being Floydular. I bet this is one deep rabbithole.

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1 hour ago, Prostheta said:

Excellent work!

I was thinking whilst looking at the headstock....with it having a locking nut, a detachable "accessory" headstock to bring the strings up to pitch before locking them down would reduce bulk even further. So technically headless whilst still being Floydular. I bet this is one deep rabbithole.

Thanks!

You've got me thinking! 🤔

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