Popular Post komodo Posted November 30, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted November 30, 2019 @Prostheta Wow you lost me on that one! Well I painstaking scraped the pinstripe purfling to reveal the maple stripe better and it was worth it. Just enough to make it pop more. Peeling my pinstriping tape away revealed that it did a good job, but still had seepage in several places. Unfortunately it was swamp ash and not maple and it sinks in deeper as the wood is so soft and porous. There were also a couple spots on the sides that looked like the dye splattered but it was completely covered so Im baffled as to how it would get there. Weather is raining and cold. but I opened the garage door, turned off the heater and sprayed a few light coats of vinyl sealer to get it locked in. You can see how the ebony tail block really stands out now. Once its oiled (or even dyed and oiled), it’ll blend. I’ve got some voids to fill, a couple annoying gaps in the purfling, etc. Stuff that screams at me right now, will recede later. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 1, 2019 Report Share Posted December 1, 2019 If in doubt, grab a beer and things work better.... ....unless you're at work I guess. The quilt is nicely symmetrical in the centre! Often they are a mirror image but with the reactance to light being out of phase with each other due to the rising/falling grain being 90 degrees out from the bookmatching process. Dyeing a top this way tends to reduce that phenomenon, which is positive. In comparison to the warm colours in the Ebony, that Maple is an exceptionally light blonde, almost to the point of being cold side by side! I presume you're going to give it a warmer colour at some point? I can't remember what the intended scheme was now because the process has been detailed at such depth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2019 You mean the light wood on the back/sides? Thats swamp ash, flanking the ebony core. My plan was to leave it completely 'blonde' but I can easily change direction and tint the lacquer if it needs it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 1, 2019 Report Share Posted December 1, 2019 The Maple. I'm surprised how white that piece is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 2, 2019 Report Share Posted December 2, 2019 I'd use a tint coat to add the transparent purple touch you want. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZekeB Posted December 3, 2019 Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 This is going to be awesome 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2019 Thanks all. I’m taking a mini break as I wait for a couple parts and inhale for the final sprint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 that finish is inspiring. I have not really been a big fan of the black/grey quilt thing but you've got the best variation on it I've seen. nice work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatnersBassoon Posted December 4, 2019 Report Share Posted December 4, 2019 Looking great! The modern clean lines, combined with the contours are very appealing. Awesome stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post komodo Posted December 28, 2019 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 Some CA fill, it’s never gonna be hidden, I’ve made peace with it and am plowing forward. Mixed fresh shellac and a temp spray booth. First pic is shellac, next is some nitro. I’ve got a new fretboard, the blackest piece of Gaboon ebony. I’m still planning starfield, but kicking around lots of ideas with it. Working on that and the neck, hope to get it glued in and then do build coats of nitro. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 28, 2019 Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 Craziest RS this side of Vega. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADFinlayson Posted December 28, 2019 Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 looking flippin awesome @komodo What's the rationale behind spraying prior to glueing the neck in? I've never seen that done before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 Thanks! Neck isn’t done yet, racing the weather. I’m finishing neck now, will glue and then lay final coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2019 Also, the neck is solid ebony and will be oiled and polished to hell and back. No nitro. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Oh my....! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 1, 2020 Report Share Posted January 1, 2020 This is getting better and better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted January 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Whats the fretboard plan? Very similar to the original idea, I’m using the sterling silver wire, three different gauges. The glow powder just didn’t work. I mean it WORKED, but didn’t look great. Also, I probably won’t be playing in the dark at home, sooo... The silver sparkles in the light, edges are sharper and stars are smaller. Smallest stars are punched with awl, next size is a tiny end mill, next is my smallest drill bit. Everything is done over the paper template done in Illustrator. Wire is inserted, clipped and flooded with CA. Last pic is bad, but shows comparison of test silver star near the glow stars. Glow stars have irregular edges, flat color and air bubbles that could be filled. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Veeeeery cool. I think you might need some kind of protection for the silver against tarnishing, however fret polishing every few months should cover this. Pure silver is double the price but tarnishes less than copper-alloyed silver. Other silver alloys such as Argentium are available at Rio Grande. A bit late now, I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Wow indeed! As a reminder it looks like you haven't yet filed the edges off the fret slots. A few strokes with a small triangular file helps to drive the frets in and it also prevents tearout should you ever want to pull the frets out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 I'm sure that is in Komodo's to-do list....the slots look like they still need cutting to depth, so bevelling the outer edges is usually done after that. At least, to me anyway....bevelling before slotting to depth risks making the slot feel "shallower" to the saw, leading to non-vertical cuts and screwy slots. Unless you are using a slotting box....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Kudos for having the intestinal fortitude to re-do the fretboard. I always struggle with that. I hate doing things twice....almost as much as I hate them not being nearly perfect. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 Ah jeez, you and me both. Nina was haranguing me today to assemble our new bed, in spite of me wanting to alter a couple of minor details such as pencil bolt access, recessing the legs for non-slip feet, etc. Those minor details take away from the grand whole and affect how happy I can feel about the finished item....because those things are always going to be there in the back of my mind....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted January 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 I struggled on redoing the board, mostly because I REALLY hate to see ebony wasted. But, c’mon this is the playing surface. The new Gaboon is so black, it’s hard to photograph. No worries on beveling fret slots. I’ll finish the stars, tackle an inlay, then do final sanding, recut slots that lost depth (I cut them on the sled when the board was flat), then get it glued on the neck. Tarnish has been a constant in my head since way back when I first thought of it. I’ve done a LOT of silver smithing, and and I’ve seen lot’s of inlay using silvers that look great, I’m not too worried. Minor buffing would take care if it. This is 925, and really sparkles. Three sizes done, I kept it sparser this time which adds to realism. Adding any in the future if needed would be easy. The inlay is going to be tricky, and cannot be done in the usual way (ie. cut, glue down, scribe, peel off and route). They are way too thin and delicate. Mostly I’m worried about making it realistic and not clunky. I might try a practice run on a piece before I commit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 4, 2020 Report Share Posted January 4, 2020 The majority of tarnishing in silver is conversion to silver sulphide rather than the expected silver oxide from oxygen. Silver is pretty unreactive in general in that respect, and the alloying with copper (to increase strength/hardness) is the largest culprit for tarnishing in Sterling/925 silver. I think your basic light coat of linseed should shield the silver from sulphur in the atmosphere, and a polish every once in a blue moon with the fretwork doesn't go amiss. The reason I've had to learn this about silver is for inlay work on furniture. I would have elected to use fine silver rather than Sterling as it tarnishes less with exposure to oxygen; sulphur is the major cause. That said, tarnishing is useful for pieces where the inlay is raised from the surface and you want a shadow between the wood and the silver. I'm thinking of experimenting with sulphur derived from match heads, then polishing off the patina. Different end use, and certainly getting off track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post komodo Posted January 5, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 5, 2020 MADNESS!! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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