oblaty Posted December 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 HUGE discovery I´ve made today for your better understanding, the top on the 7 string build is actually Sycamore. While browsing through internet I´ve found that you guys call our maple /acer pseudoplatanus/ with this name. I just can´t find reason why actually my figured maple comes from a violin-maker/friend of mine, so I guess it´s the highest grade of maple you can find here sorry... sycamore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 Yeah,sycamore is a softer maple....Same as a box elder is a softer maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted December 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 well, I don´t think it´s softer I use canadian hard maple pretty often and it´s just the same... sometimes I have feeling that our sycamore is even harder. Of course I haven´t used all the maple in the world or tested it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted December 29, 2013 Report Share Posted December 29, 2013 Actually,at 770 on the jenka scale it is almost barely over half as hard as rock maple(1440) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 Janka hardness is more of a broad guideline than a rule, plus it is purely about the ability of the material to be crushed using a shaped probe under specific pressure (penetrometer?). It might be that the growth ring orientation affects hardness, or that high-grade "selected" wood has properties different to that of representational samples. Either way, if you guys have nothing better to do on New Year's Day than discuss whose wood is harder then you've got some serious problems that I am sure there are other websites better suited to "solving". hahahaha Happy new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 That was days ago...catch up Pros I must disagree anyway,object penetration depth is a very accurate way to determine hardness...sort of why they do it. Soft maples are almost every bit as tough to sand as rock maple though in my experience,most likely because of the grain structure rather than the actual "hardness". And regardless of the myth,no matter how hard wood is,a cat can scratch it...so if you have a cat store your wood behind locked doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 And regardless of the myth,no matter how hard wood is,a cat can scratch it...so if you have a cat store your wood behind locked doors. Truer words were never spoken. My understanding has always been that sycamore was the European name for what is called maple in America--same tree two names...? Our sycamore is a different tree altogether. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 Bagel. A boiled bread donut by any other name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 1, 2014 Report Share Posted January 1, 2014 You make that sound so unappetizing. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 My understanding has always been that sycamore was the European name for what is called maple in America--same tree two names...? Our sycamore is a different tree altogether. SR The "maple" I use is european Acer Pseudoplatanus.. we call it here the "mountain maple". This one is the mostly used, not ony for instrument making but also furniture making. The hard maple /you use/ is, or should be, Acer Macrophyllum or Saccharum /big leaf or sugar maple/.. and it´s the same family of Acer. Of course everything depends on weather conditions - ocean winds vs. mountain winds and so much more on my 2 cents.. 10 years of wood oriented schools left marks on my brain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 hey guys, finally I´ve managed to work on the 7 string... today I shaped roughly the neck profile I love that wenge more and more every time I work with it... only I wish I don´t have to wear a mask when sanding it. I love the smell but it burns in my nose also I was considering on the finish on that neck... oil is probably the best way, but have you finished wenge with nitro? I mean just 2-3 coats of clear on it, leaving the grain open Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 Can't see why not. It looks great under a clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 A few light coats of nitro work great. I usually thin it 50% so it shrinks up nice.Just don't try to go heavy without filling the grain as the surface will end up very uneven because of the large pores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 A few light coats of nitro work great. I usually thin it 50% so it shrinks up nice. Just don't try to go heavy without filling the grain as the surface will end up very uneven because of the large pores. Don´t worry, I´m not a fan of thick lacquer... I´ll just sand it to finer grit and spray a few light thinner coats of clear and that is it. Same on the mahogany back, just top will have slightly thicker coat of lacquer because I´m probably going to use tinted lacquer which has to have sealer under and clear over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblaty Posted January 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Did not have much time besides school and other projects, so I just managed to drill some holes on the 7 string body... this is it besides that, I´m planning on making my own bridge line in the near future. Baseplate should be stainless steel and saddles will be most certainly made of aircraft grade aluminium. I´ve got made one headless bridge all of this aluminium and the sound of that was out of this world Edited January 31, 2014 by oblaty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowa90 Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Just don't try to go heavy without filling the grain as the surface will end up very uneven because of the large pores. Really? Im finishing my first wenge soon and find that strange. Wouldn't it be flat after sanding it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted February 8, 2014 Report Share Posted February 8, 2014 Just don't try to go heavy without filling the grain as the surface will end up very uneven because of the large pores. Really? Im finishing my first wenge soon and find that strange. Wouldn't it be flat after sanding it? Sure it will be flat after sanding it. However if you start throwing clear without grain filling the lacquer will sink into the pores and you will have dimples in the coats. Then lacquer will gladly shrink into the grain after a few weeks. Fill the grain if you plan on putting more than 3 or 4 thin coats on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Definitely. Wengé is immensely coarse and has some of the largest pores of any wood in instrument building. Florida would be jealous. If you want a glassy finish over it, you really need to pack those pores like crazy. I got a good result with Brummer rub-in grain filler (thixotropic filler in powder form, mostly a UK product) for a solid black neck which hasn't fallen through in five years. Cyanoacrylate or thin epoxy are other options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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