Andyjr1515 Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 I find one of the problems of finding the right tools, fixtures and fixings is finding out what they are actually called! It's a 'jeweller's saw' you need - cheapo ebay, hobbycraft, etc, etc in UK will do just fine. It looks like a miniature coping saw but has an adjustable throat size. The key thing, though, is blades - the ones you need for this type of saw are called 'Piercing Saw Blades'. You want some decent quality ones. There are loads of options of TPI which is a bit confusing. I have found that Faithfull 130mm 42 tpi are the best compromise between cutting speed and strength. I think I got the blades through Axminster, but you'll be able to find a number of sources through web search. Still expect to go through at least a couple of blades per inlay. But they are less than a mm wide, so will turn on significantly less than a sixpence! As Mike says, they are so fine you can hardly see the teeth to work out which way up they go. Here's mine in action: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 26, 2019 Report Share Posted November 26, 2019 is anyone going to address the white elephant? - this is no way you made the nice list AD. also, I'm told that pearl dust (and other inlay material) is really not good to breath... it smells like tooth decay so I'm inclined to believe that. Have been thinking the next time I do inlay I need to get a dirt devil or other small vacuum to run nearby to suck up the dust as much as possible as I go. Not sure if there are other/better ideas to accomplish, perhaps a mask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted November 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2019 26 minutes ago, mistermikev said: is anyone going to address the white elephant? - this is no way you made the nice list AD. also, I'm told that pearl dust (and other inlay material) is really not good to breath... it smells like tooth decay so I'm inclined to believe that. Have been thinking the next time I do inlay I need to get a dirt devil or other small vacuum to run nearby to suck up the dust as much as possible as I go. Not sure if there are other/better ideas to accomplish, perhaps a mask. Eh, what nice list? yes I have a mask on when I’m cutting shell and periodically vac up the dust, I don’t like the idea of having a vac hose attached to the jewellers vice because I’ll lose pieces up the vac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said: Eh, what nice list? yes I have a mask on when I’m cutting shell and periodically vac up the dust, I don’t like the idea of having a vac hose attached to the jewellers vice because I’ll lose pieces up the vac you said "maybe santa would bring you a jewelers saw" so... wouldn't you have to be on the nice list, eh? good call on the lose pieces, but on those old dust busters they just collect everything in a clear box so... might actually save some pieces from the carpet for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 7 hours ago, ADFinlayson said: I don’t like the idea of having a vac hose attached to the jewellers vice because I’ll lose pieces up the vac Obviously there's no equivalent in your whereabouts to the hints and tips sent by readers on the magazine published by a major chain. Pantyhose, the omnipotent mother of all serious inventions will come to the rescue again! Simply attach a piece of tights over the vac hose to filter anything larger than dust, using ductape, the other almighty innovation. Check Susie Gardener's video about the subject, she built a nice split tube over her bench pin. I'd put the filter over the hose that's stuck into that tube. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted November 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 8 hours ago, mistermikev said: you said "maybe santa would bring you a jewelers saw" so... wouldn't you have to be on the nice list, eh? good call on the lose pieces, but on those old dust busters they just collect everything in a clear box so... might actually save some pieces from the carpet for me. ah yes, sorry I read your reply from my inbox and out of context. Well, I tidied the garage the other day - Tidying up ones toys usually results in being added to the nice list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 26 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said: ah yes, sorry I read your reply from my inbox and out of context. Well, I tidied the garage the other day - Tidying up ones toys usually results in being added to the nice list Perhaps that's why I never get anything for xmas... dirty garage. well, on the bright side the 1" coating of mdf dust really makes it feel like a white christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted November 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 On 11/24/2019 at 5:02 PM, Andyjr1515 said: I find one of the problems of finding the right tools, fixtures and fixings is finding out what they are actually called! It's a 'jeweller's saw' you need - cheapo ebay, hobbycraft, etc, etc in UK will do just fine. It looks like a miniature coping saw but has an adjustable throat size. The key thing, though, is blades - the ones you need for this type of saw are called 'Piercing Saw Blades'. You want some decent quality ones. There are loads of options of TPI which is a bit confusing. I have found that Faithfull 130mm 42 tpi are the best compromise between cutting speed and strength. I think I got the blades through Axminster, but you'll be able to find a number of sources through web search. Still expect to go through at least a couple of blades per inlay. But they are less than a mm wide, so will turn on significantly less than a sixpence! As Mike says, they are so fine you can hardly see the teeth to work out which way up they go. Here's mine in action: Thanks Andy, Some really useful info there. I get on well with Faithful tools, so I'll give them a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2019 Been a bit quiet on my builds lately. Haven't done a huge amount other than tidying up the workshop and having a bit of a change around. I've now got 2 work benches that I can actually use I got this record extractor a couple of weeks ago, I was amazed at just how much it's improved the efficiency of drum sander - the makeshift vacuum attachement just wasn't efficient enough at removing the dust so it would clog up the paper and burn. I now get better results with fewer passes and the paper seems to last longer. I got a new workmate from my dad for xmas (he clearly want's his black and decker workmate back This one is bigger, yet folds up smaller and less wobbly so a definite improvement. I'm planning to put a router table insert in there, There is room where the Bosh logo is. Had some time today to finish shaping the inlay pieces and get them in - first time using a Dremel and plunge router bass instead of doing it by hand, Much faster than doing it all with modelling chisels. I did have a couple of slight wobbles with the dremel, but ziricote dust and super glue did a much better job of hiding mistakes than I thought it would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted December 27, 2019 Report Share Posted December 27, 2019 man, quite the collection of tools you are accumulating. monkeys look great. isn't it going to be problematic to get the fret to seat with the the wood removed? or am I seeing that wrong? hope I'm not being an asshat for asking, genuinely curious if I'm missing something there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2019 17 minutes ago, mistermikev said: man, quite the collection of tools you are accumulating. monkeys look great. isn't it going to be problematic to get the fret to seat with the the wood removed? or am I seeing that wrong? hope I'm not being an asshat for asking, genuinely curious if I'm missing something there. Hello mate, hope you had a good Xmas. That is a fair and reasonable question, I expect the only one that will be a problem will be the 24th and will probably end up using superglue, tapping the ends in and clamping in for a few hours with a fret caul. I’m not using stainless frets so I don’t foresee any serious pains in the arse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted December 28, 2019 Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said: Hello mate, hope you had a good Xmas. That is a fair and reasonable question, I expect the only one that will be a problem will be the 24th and will probably end up using superglue, tapping the ends in and clamping in for a few hours with a fret caul. I’m not using stainless frets so I don’t foresee any serious pains in the arse right on, and you as well (xmas). right on... I was thinking it must be something like epoxy or super glue and clamp... just wasn't sure what 'magic' you were going with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 @Andyjr1515 I wanted to say thanks for the tips on the inlay saw. I followed your recommendation on the axminster blades and got a decent adjustable saw to go with it. It's made a huge difference to my capabilities. Had a first go with the new saw this morning and cut out my logo, much closer to the line than I have before, you can see the corners that I cut in the offucts, I wouldn't have dreamt of cutting that with my coping saw. Then tonight and with a bit more confidence, I finally made a start on Snuffy's skull inlay, I was amazed at just how quickly those tiny blades cut through mop and how easy it is to cut around tight corners. About 2 ours of progress this evening. I'm now drinking a medicinal JD to cure my neck-ache 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said: Andyjr1515 I wanted to say thanks for the tips on the inlay saw No problem. That skull looks great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Whoa! I missed this.... Just caught the inlaying work....that's NOT easy work by any means. Very cool. I would recommend making or buying a graver tool and infilling the shadow details from the original design, if that hasn't already been decided upon or not. I have a stick of William Laskin's engraving filler (source from Stewmac, LMII, etc.) which would be perfect for that work. Give me a shout if you need a bit and I'll cut off a centimetre and mail it across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 On 12/29/2019 at 10:57 AM, Prostheta said: Whoa! I missed this.... Just caught the inlaying work....that's NOT easy work by any means. Very cool. I would recommend making or buying a graver tool and infilling the shadow details from the original design, if that hasn't already been decided upon or not. I have a stick of William Laskin's engraving filler (source from Stewmac, LMII, etc.) which would be perfect for that work. Give me a shout if you need a bit and I'll cut off a centimetre and mail it across. Ah a graver, I knew what it was but wasn't sure what it's called. I don't have one but I've been using a scalpel to start off, then the corner of a small cabinet scraper to scratch in the details. I've been meaning to buy a couple of those wax sticks too but up until now I've just been using dust and super glue to fill in those areas. Thank you for the very kind offer but I won't blight you with the ballache of international shipping. I'll get some ordered as I could do with a few colours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Got the pieces inlayed this evening. Started off by stick the pieces to another copy of the design to make sure they were in the right places. Then stuck that to fretboard so I could scalpel round it. Then use the dremel and plunger base to do the majority of the work. Took a couple of hours to get the pieces fitting nicely because I was fighting against the radius of the fretboard. Annoyingly I miscalculated the required thickness for the bone/knife handle and it was too thing at one end - The only way I could get it to go in properly was to snap it in the middle. I'll see what it looks like once it's all sanded flush and will maybe glue is some mop dust if needed. I filled in my hap hazard edges with ebony dust and super glue, but used some dust from ziricote sapwood on the lighter side (knowing that superglue tends to darken things up a bit). So we'll see what it looks like in the morning 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 funny I saw this on facebook earlier today and was like "I like what you did there with the fork and knife"... shame on me for not throwing a like at it (I might have... don't recall). long story long - I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted January 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 20 hours ago, mistermikev said: funny I saw this on facebook earlier today and was like "I like what you did there with the fork and knife"... shame on me for not throwing a like at it (I might have... don't recall). long story long - I like it. Well I will forgive you, but only because it’s new year. Got the rest of the monkeys in, dots and filed everything down on the bass and also did the headstock logo. The ziricote fretboard still needs a fair bit of tidying up before I can start scratching in the details, but they’re both coming on nicely. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 Rogue foot shot! Rogue Quality Street shot! Good to see you're not monkeying about with this build. </thread derail> 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted January 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 @curtisa There's a rogue foot in nearly every photo and it wouldn't be xmas without a tiny of quality streets Frets are in the bass - I say frets, they're more like load-bearing steel girders, it's Sintoms 3mm stainless jumbo wire. Won't be in a rush to do these again for a while. They were a nightmare to get in. I bought pre radius (12") lengths so they didn't need bending (because my Crimson fretbender is shit and won't bend stainless) but I had to wick fine superglue into the ends and hold each one down for a min or so to keep the ends fully down. Got them all trimmed and bevelled this evening. I used my new Crimson end cutters as they were advertised as being able to to cut stainless frets. Happy to say they cut them with ease, in fact they were more efficient than trimming with the metal cutter on the dremel. Also made a start on the other one. Again using pre radiused lengths but this time it's Sintoms 18% nickel silver. I got them all cut to length and got the 24th fret in and glued, so I can leave it over night to dry so it doesn't work loose when I hammer the others in - this is the one where I was worried about the fret seating and staying in due to the inlay take up so much room. I flooded the slot with medium viscosity superglue before tapping it in. Happy to report it tapped in fine and stayed down, even in the middle where there isn't much to catch on to. More fretting tomorrow, I think I'm ahead of schedule 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted January 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 Got the other ones hammered in and bevelled over the weekend, The nickel wire was far more civilised I'm trying to pay special attention to rolling over the edge of the fretboards on these ones as I think it's something that's let me down in the passed, going to tidy the ends up with a levelling beam and knock off the sharp edges, then I'll probably leave the fretwork until after lacquer. On to carving the necks next, I've got a couple of new microplanes to play with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 6, 2020 Report Share Posted January 6, 2020 It's probably worth considering your coarse dressing now so when you come to fettling the ends to your liking, you're not doing so with a final finish to be concerned about protecting. At the very least, tidying the ends where they transition into the side of the fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted January 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 20 hours ago, Prostheta said: It's probably worth considering your coarse dressing now so when you come to fettling the ends to your liking, you're not doing so with a final finish to be concerned about protecting. At the very least, tidying the ends where they transition into the side of the fretboard. I'm going to be oiling the beck so I'm not too worried about damaging lacquer when I do the fret ends, although when I mentioned knocking off the sharp edges above, a rough dressing is essential what I meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted January 7, 2020 Report Share Posted January 7, 2020 1 minute ago, ADFinlayson said: I'm going to be oiling the beck so I'm not too worried about damaging lacquer when I do the fret ends, although when I mentioned knocking off the sharp edges above, a rough dressing is essential what I meant. when you oil beck... it's best to have him sing "loser". also good to be drinking becks. fretboards are looking great. doing some slotting myself right now... I hate this part. I like it when it's right... but hate the work and constant fear of slip/scratch. putting a pretty large rollover on my current and am really liking the feel but prefer the look of bound neck. might have to try the thicker wood binding like you do to get the best of both worlds. anywho, be careful... beck might take a liking to you if you oil him too much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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