MiKro Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 9 hours ago, Prostheta said: Hi Mike! Always good hearing from you. Good detailed info on the shellac, especially as Zinsser products are something totally unavailable here. A week or so for drying? That's definitely one to watch out for. I didn't realise shellac was so prone to holding onto the solvents. That's what 30yrs of experience does for you though. We need more of that valuable input some days. Carl, It is not so much as the solvent being held by the shellac but the wax that is in it holds it longer and does not harden properly. Dewaxed shellac is not 100% wax free. As far as using Flakes, again use the best alcohol to dissolve your flakes. If you have sticky crap in it after it is dissolved then strain it through cheesecloth to remove these impurities., Most likely one of three things cause left over crap in your shellac, Alcohol % is not high enough. Too much flake in your alcohol (mix incorrect), Flakes have impurities.; Any combo of this usually causes this problem. Remember to weigh your flakes to your mix, to get the correct ratio you are looking for. It is very easy to get it wrong. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted May 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2016 After a couple weeks away from my project I'm at the grain filling stage on the body. I had no problem spreading the grain filler evenly and smoothly on the flat sample piece but the complex curvature of the body is presenting a problem. The stiff grain spreader I have is useless for curves so I'm trying to find a flexible alternative that doesn't just pull the filler out of the grain. Rubber seems to pull it right out. What do you use for the tight and complex curves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 You can cut plastic to different shapes or in really hard to reach places, your fingers will work. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted May 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 49 minutes ago, ScottR said: You can cut plastic to different shapes or in really hard to reach places, your fingers will work. SR Fingers! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2.5itim Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) I use a piece of walnut veneer to apply grain filler actually multiple pieces because I break them on occasion. Edited May 3, 2016 by 2.5itim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Well I started my first neck carve today and I couldn't be happier with how it's going so far. The neck profile templates I made are really only good for a reference. I started roughing out the first fret profile, thinking I would then do the 6th and 12th fret and then join them at the end. I don't care for that method personally. Next time I'll try roughing out the whole neck at once. I used a round and flat surform, a curved and flat rasp, scrapers and sanding blocks. I'm just waiting for the last coat of shellac to dry on the body before I put the neck in to figure out the heel shape. The flame figure in the maple is already showing up very nicely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Interesting headstock shape! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted May 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 1 hour ago, Prostheta said: Interesting headstock shape! I think it was harder to come up with an original headstock shape than the body shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMpleONe89 Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Nice! I'm also working on a flamed maple neck but the figure doesn't really pop for now. Hopefully after I carve it the flames will be more obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Lovely neck carve and yes, very interesting and individual headstock shape. I like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted May 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 1 hour ago, SIMpleONe89 said: Nice! I'm also working on a flamed maple neck but the figure doesn't really pop for now. Hopefully after I carve it the flames will be more obvious. Mine stands out more and more the smoother it gets. Roughness seems to hide it quite a bit. 1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said: Lovely neck carve and yes, very interesting and individual headstock shape. I like it Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Remember that you're working against the grain constantly with figured wood! It tends to "pop" a lot more when you start the finish sanding process and apply any kind of finish. Roughness definitely hides it since there is little contrast between the rising/falling and flat fibres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) Well, after quite a bit of work trying to do the fretboard inlay I had planned, I pretty much butchered my fretboard and I actually really don't like the inlay once I got it on there. So I'm thinking I want to remove the fretboard and start over with a new board. How do you remove a fret board without damaging or warping the neck? I used titebond 3 to glue it on. Edited June 2, 2016 by birch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 2, 2016 Report Share Posted June 2, 2016 Depends on the inlay material. Heat and water should be a last resort. Planing or routing if the truss rod is safely away from the cutters. Pallette knife, clothes iron, water spritzer and foil works however you have to pay close attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 I tried the iron and wet rag method and worked carefully. It worked without any visible damage or warping to the neck. I made the replacement fretboard from flamed maple, which I think looks much better on this guitar than the Ebony board. the maple neck has gotten quite dirty from all the handling so I need to clean it before I varnish it. I'm thinking it would be a mistake to clean the raw maple with any kind of soap before I finish it with varnish. I was thinking some kind of solvent might be a better idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 Or sandpaper. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 9 minutes ago, ScottR said: Or sandpaper. SR That too but there's a bit of grease or something too. Not sure where it came from... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 7, 2016 Report Share Posted June 7, 2016 Acetone can work well, however that can easily lift oils from darker woods and contaminate Maple further through spreading it around. Scrapers are excellent at shaving off contaminated wood rather than sandpaper which occasionally spreads it around also. I vote scraper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Working on a headstock inlay in gold and black mother of pearl. So far I have found that nail files and needle files work well but I have yet to find a file small enough to get into those tight inside points. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 Oh man, that's nice. The only way I can think of is with a jewellers saw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 36 minutes ago, Prostheta said: Oh man, that's nice. The only way I can think of is with a jewellers saw. That's what I used to cut them out but I think I need a lot more practice. I broke 4 blades and I had to correct some mistakes with the files and sandpaper. The hardest part is yet to come, making the filler pieces from the black MOP fit the holes... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 9, 2016 Report Share Posted June 9, 2016 That should be a lot easier since the CA or epoxy that you use to fit them will cover up darker gaps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birch Posted June 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 I found a set of needle files with a grit type coating that works much better than the cut files. Took quite a long time to fit one tiny piece of black mop in one of the smallest voids. I think my cutting was not perfectly square so I had to do a lot of minute trimming. I have a ton of respect for inlay artists. It is not an easy thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Inlay artists are usually very invested in their tools and well-practised with them also. It makes a world of difference. That's not to say that it IS easy, but a lot easier when you've bought into the craft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 8 hours ago, birch said: I have a ton of respect for inlay artists. It is not an easy thing Amen brother! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.