Page_Master Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 hi i was just checking out the StewMac Hot Rod Truss Rod. and if all it is is two long threads inside two blocks of brass either side, all parallel with each other and leave about 20 odd mm of one side of one thread pertruding and weld a nut at the end, couldn't you simply build one? you know it would save me a lot money if i did build one. in Aus a double action truss rod cost about AU$40 or US$28. what a rip off. i could build one for about AU$5 or US$3.50. go figure so i went to the hardware and i have seen long stainless steel threads, brass blocks and allen nuts - everything to build a truss rod. and even more it would be easier for me to do this as all the parts would be metric and not imperial like the Hot Rod dimensions and it's router bit. so what do you think people? should i build one? or go ahead and buy a hot rod? Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 I think you should give it a try. If it works, maybe ask Brian if he could add it to the tutorials? What type of adjustment nut would you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted October 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 screw on an allen nut (a metric one for convenience) should i put some epoxy in the nut and titely screw the nut on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 screw on an allen nut (a metric one for convenience) should i put some epoxy in the nut and titely screw the nut on? you might want to weld that don't you need a specific grade or steel to make a truss rod? or just any old metal will do? if you're going to make one, there are other designs besides the hot rod, like ones with a flat plate instead of a second rod which makes the rod a bit smaller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feylya Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 As far as I can tell, one end of the bar has to have a left hand thread on it and the other end has to have a right hand thread, in order to pull the blocks together or push them away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 10, 2003 Report Share Posted October 10, 2003 stainless steel has a tensile strength of 100,000 pounds per square inch(if i remember correctly),compared to 70,000 for mild steel,so it is perfectly strong enough.stronger than you need as mild steel is also strong enough. epoxy does not stick well to steel,and even less to stainless,but if placed around the threads on both sides of the nut you want to be immobile(all the way around),it can catch the threads enough to prevent turning,but you would be better off welding it. mild steel can be welded with a number of methods,but for stainless the best way is to tig weld it.a proffesional MUST do this.go to a local welding shop and they won't charge you much,but don't let some hick tell you he can stick weld it with mild steel rods,these rods do not weld the much harder stainless well at all. my suggestion is to use mild steel threaded rods,brass blocks,and have the nut tacked on.much cheaper than using stainless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnuk Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 You could build one easily! I would say you'll need access to a tap and die set for cutting the threads. The blocks could also do with being milled if you can get on a mill, vertical or horizontal will do. If I remember rightly, both the threads on the Hot Rod are just right handed in nature. If you turn the rods themselves by hand you can move both the rods in and out of the brass nuts on the ends at the same time. Use brass for the nuts because it's easier to shape and work. You can also buy oil impregnated brass which has had oil forced into the structure of the brass under an evil amount of pressure. The brass effectively self oils as it is abraided. Stainless Steel wise I would suggest 316 since it's a high chrome alloy which will never rust; well, not unless you put it in acid or something like that! I would replace the bottom screw thread, as someone has said, with a fixed bar purely for ease. If you can get on a vertical mill you could just get a strip of brass and then machine a section out of it from the centre, leaving the strip behind on the bottom. Drill & tap the holes, thread the rod through and that'd be it. If you want to attach a hex nut on the end, I would question having it TIG welded unless you have a friend who'll do it for nothing. Usually if you go to these places the guy you speak to will say something like $10 just because it's an effort for him to change the job he's doing, not because he'll do $10 worth of welding. I have MIG welded stainless steel to mild steel myself. It stank, literally (It was a boat's exhaust pipe), and didn't look as nice as a TIG weld, but it worked. Even a tack will be strong enough to hold a screw thread. I used to have a 2k stirling welder which welded up to 400 amps of clean DC. My boss gave me a 3 - 4 mm thick stick electrode made out of 316 and the welder promptly put down a beautiful shiney join. We were messing around with it for about half an hour welding junk together until eventually we had the most expensively welded junk mild steel I'd ever seen. I turned it up for a joke and the electrode was vapourised instead! You want it DC welded, not AC. 316 stick electrodes work fine with a good DC welder. MIG welding anything is horrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 for informative purposes only,not to argue,i must say...i am a certified welder on mig and stick all position 4g. i speak from personal experience,if you tack a stainless nut with a mild steel rod it WILL crack...they do make stainless rods for dc welders,and if you feel you must use stainless and you must stick weld it use the proper rods.the last thing you want is to finish your neck and adjust your truss rod on the initial setup and have the weld crack off,because you can't reweld it without removing the rod the reason i mention it is that it seems everyone has a success story of a stainless weld with the wrong rods...i have even done it myself in a pinch,but it makes a paper thin weld and will not hold up.do yourself a favor and do it properly...but there are ways to do it without welding if it seems too much. how many rods are you planning on making? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 http://www.welding-advisers.com/Welding-stainless.html here is a good informative site it also has reccomendations for types of rods for dc or ac welding stainless of different types Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted October 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 hey my pops has a welder. he welds all kinds of ****. stainless, aluminium and mild steel, i can get welding done for free. i also know this other dude, a friend of my dads that has stainless threads and brass blocks and **** like that at his steel shop. i haven't got aroung to talking to him yet, but he could weld and supply me with everything. i am still experimenting at the moment, i plan on making 5 - so i can sell them . i am still thinking about if i should persist with this minor project, as Rhoads sent me an email about the prices of Hot Rods - sent to Aus. and now i have second thoughts. thanx guys. if it is too much work for me, i will just buy the hot rod. as time = money Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnuk Posted October 11, 2003 Report Share Posted October 11, 2003 I wouldn't carry on with it really. Wes is correct that unless you are only looking for a tack weld, using a normal stick welder or mild steel rods won't do. The Hot Rod truss rod is only about $14 US, or 5 - 8 pounds UK. Other than chaning curreny to AUS $'s, I don't see how it gets much more expensive. For me, 5 - 8 pounds outweighs the day I'd have to spend making the rods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted October 12, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 hello i have abandonned this project altogether. with the amount of work it would take me to make one, i could make AU$60 at work. that's enough to buy 2. thanx for your help and thoughts anyway. Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 HOME MADE TRUSS RODS!!!! this is a page brian pointed out for shaping guitar necks i think, but i also found a neet little thing on how to make your own truss rods http://members.fortunecity.com/jtfish/lpc/...truss/trusr.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 I reserve the right to re-open this topic when I'm making my truss rod. I've decided that I want to build the whole guitar myself, probably with exception of the machine heads and tone/vol pots. Unfortunately events mean that the money isn't there at the moment to build the guitar (I've just bought a new motorbike) but as the design is still evolving I'm not too fussed. I will still be asking questions though and experimenting with bits of wood in my new shed (I've just moved in to a new house too) If I plan for twice as long the guitar will take half as long to build with less nasty suprises. Only problem is that I've been playing for years and I'll still be crap no matter how good the guitar is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 I'll look good though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisllub Posted October 21, 2003 Report Share Posted October 21, 2003 HOME MADE TRUSS RODS!!!! this is a page brian pointed out for shaping guitar necks i think, but i also found a neet little thing on how to make your own truss rods http://members.fortunecity.com/jtfish/lpc/...truss/trusr.htm I am doing this on a bass I will post my findings. I am a bit confused by the need for truss rods at this point. I have never touched a truss rod in 25 years of playing. I am guessing that well seasoned timber in an environment with stable humidity is far less likely to need adjustment than guitars in climates where the humidity drops too low and temperatures are extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted October 21, 2003 Report Share Posted October 21, 2003 like canada eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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