ScottR Posted March 24, 2020 Report Share Posted March 24, 2020 Doesn't it always seem that the stuff that is hardest to see takes the longest to get right? Maybe that's just me.... SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2020 3 minutes ago, ScottR said: Doesn't it always seem that the stuff that is hardest to see takes the longest to get right? Maybe that's just me.... SR Always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lumberjack Posted March 24, 2020 Report Share Posted March 24, 2020 Awesome looking build - love the multiscale and rear-mounted jack! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 My normal warning - I will always describe what I do but for you never to assume this is how it's supposed to be done The refinishing of the body has started. I will be doing a variation of the Tru-oil slurry and buff method, but using the thinner version of the Osmo ranges, their 1101, instead of Tru-oil. Other than their full gloss - which personally I don't like - many of the Osmo products are a guitar/bass builder's godsend. Low odour, wipeable, great finish. There are apparently some issues with thicker coats (it's a hardwax so can sometimes remain dintable with your thumbnail) but applied thinly, I personally find it an excellent finish. So, other than some kitchen roll to wipe-down, this is my finishing kit: For the initial coats, I put a generous amount of the Osmo on with a brush as the wet and use (proper woodworkers cover your eyes), yes, 120 grit emery cloth in a wet 'n dry sanding approach. For a softer wood I would probably use 240 grit, but this particular wood is very hard. The slurry of finish mixed with wood dust effectively fills any pores and small voids (but remember that I am not trying here to end up with a flat, flawless finish). I finish by sanding the slurry along the grain to remove any swirl marks. And then I wipe it all off, again (in this case) wiping along the grain. If I was looking for a smoother finish, I would wipe off across the grain to leave the maximum amount of slurry filling the grain lines. After the first coat, it looks like this: I will leave this a full day before the second coat. This first one will have soaked into the surface and pores of the wood and I want it to have chance to fully dry before I add another coat. Tomorrow, I will repeat the process, but slurrying with a finer grade (probably around 240 but maybe as far as 400 - I'll see how the wood responds) and again wiping off the excess but leaving it to soak in. Friday, I will decide whether to slurry and buff, or just apply a couple of very thin coats with the fan-brush. And for the enquiring minds amongst you, why is handle of the fan brush (Hobby Craft Artists section) cut short? Because I've decanted a cm or so of Osmo into a jam jar to use and can pop the brush in there after each coat and close the lid so it doesn't need to be cleaned or dried before its next use (because trust me, that's where many of the dust buggies come from). While this is drying, it seems to be an ideal time to do the final sanding of the neck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 25, 2020 Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 Thanks for revealing the grits for slurry! I can tell that applying Osmo 3101 (the thicker one) with 1500 grit Mirka plastic abrasive similar to ScotchBrite pads the fill rate of pores was pretty low. Also, it most likely didn't help that I wiped the excess off. Applying a layer or two daily for a week still left some pore grooves on the surface, then again the looks is very organic, almost like bare wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2020 47 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: Thanks for revealing the grits for slurry! I can tell that applying Osmo 3101 (the thicker one) with 1500 grit Mirka plastic abrasive similar to ScotchBrite pads the fill rate of pores was pretty low. Also, it most likely didn't help that I wiped the excess off. Applying a layer or two daily for a week still left some pore grooves on the surface, then again the looks is very organic, almost like bare wood. It depends on the wood, but normally, for the slurry & buff process, I start with a couple of coats applied and left to soak in and then dry as the first step. That seals the top surface and then makes the slurry process happening over a more solid base and not constantly trying to carry on soaking into the wood. With this wood being so hard and tight-grained that step wasn't necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10pizza Posted March 26, 2020 Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 nice work ! question: are Swifts the same as swallows? or is it a different type of bird? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 26, 2020 Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 15 minutes ago, 10pizza said: question: are Swifts the same as swallows? or is it a different type of bird? They look similar but are of different species. Swallows are Hirundinidae while swifts are Apodidae. They are superficially similar to each other but are not closely related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10pizza Posted March 26, 2020 Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 ha, thanks Birdman62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted March 26, 2020 Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 Always happy to help a fellow ornithologist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 1 hour ago, 10pizza said: nice work ! question: are Swifts the same as swallows? or is it a different type of bird? Thanks As @Bizman62 says, they are superficially similar but completely different in other ways. Fascinating species and, to my wife and I, their arrival in May (from S Africa) hails the start of summer and their early departure (August) hails the coming of autumn. As with many bird types, I'm afraid, they are dramatically reducing in numbers - we normally would have 3 - 4 pairs nesting in our roof eaves each summer, but that has recently dropped to 1 or 2 and last year there was just 1 pair and they didn't fledge. Because they fly low and fast, they are particularly susceptible to the miles and miles of invisibly fine netting that some of the folks in N Africa and other countries have started putting up to catch them and where they are treated as delicacies. As they always return to the 'home' nests, their flight paths are very predictable and it is possible to wipe out a species in a very short period indeed. Funny old world. In the spirit of shared responsibility, of course, I suppose the same could be said of rosewood... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted March 26, 2020 Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 Cool to hear the story behind your swifts, Andy. I didn't know there was one.....I now wonder how many other little stories there are out there that tie to our designs. SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2020 8 hours ago, 10pizza said: nice work ! question: are Swifts the same as swallows? or is it a different type of bird? Just spotted why you asked the question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted March 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2020 Probably got as far as I can go at this stage. Other than applying the finish to the neck maple (which will darken and amber it a touch) and fitting the trussrod cover, this is now pretty much just waiting for the hardware. The neck has been tidied up: And the Osmo has come up nicely. Just one more slurry and wipe with 400 grit and then two more very thin applications wiped on with kitchen roll has given just the level of sheen I was after: The pickup rings will be properly lined up when the final install is ready to be done but this sort of gives the vibe: It's not over until, etc, etc, but I'm really pleased with how this has turned out so far 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Andyjr1515 Posted October 9, 2020 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 Do you remember this one?? If you recall. Tom had ordered some bridge parts and tuners from Hipshot in the States just before everything cracked off with Covid and everything ground to a halt both sides of the Atlantic... Well. they've arrived And so I've spent the last few days starting to get to the finishing stages of the build. I drew out the string runs to work out how much wiggle room there was on the tuner angles (Tom likes angled tuners): I then drilled the tuner bush holes and that let me determine the bridge blocks positions: Lots and lots of checking and double checking before drilling the fixing screw positions! Then the 'drill from both sides and meet in the middle' approach to fix the through-body string ferrules Then out with the Dremel and my teeny hand router to sink the bridge blocks flush with the top: And the positioning screws in place in the 2xperpendicular plus 2xslanted (and no, Ernie Ball, you can't trade-mark that - it's mine!) tuners mean that, fitted with a set of old strings for positioning, I can now cut the nut from the bone blank pictured 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 It looks so friendly, and yet it could turn around and melt your face. How does it feel now thats its strung up? Wish we knew what wood it is! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermikev Posted October 9, 2020 Report Share Posted October 9, 2020 looking back a bit... wow that osmo stuff just really made that grain come to life w/o really changing it... it did so much but did nothing. (that made sense in my head). looking glorious! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2020 10 hours ago, komodo said: It looks so friendly, and yet it could turn around and melt your face. How does it feel now thats its strung up? Wish we knew what wood it is! It feels good. Balances well over the knee and I reckon it is going to be good on the strap too. The body, although very thin, has a satisfying weight and the lightweight tuners result in it having not a hint of neck heaviness. I'll be able to tell better when I've cut the nut and been able to bring it to full tension, but it actually feels more like a short scale rather than a medium scale. Doesn't feel much different to a guitar, in spite of the bass strings approaching 33". Some of that is the old trick of bringing the bridge right back - learnt when I first picked up a Cort Curbow and pondered how a long-scale bass could look and feel like a shortscale one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2020 And to the nut. I have to say that, now I've got over the slightly nauseating smell when you are filing a bone blank (and a mask is essential due to the very fine and dubious-looking dust), cutting a bone nut or saddle is a very satisfying thing to do. First stage was to cut it to length and file the slight curve at the two sides: Next, I used feeler gauges to mark a line a gnat's whisker higher than the maximum fret height: Then - with the spare strings fitted - filed the slots at the correct angle and spacing with my trusty Hosco nut files: Finally, filed the dropaway behind the string contact point for each slot and then took off all of the sharp corners: This allowed me to tension up the strings and try to play it a bit. Felt fine! Next job is the side dots using the last strip of green luminlay I have in my bits draw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted October 10, 2020 Report Share Posted October 10, 2020 Wow, it's been a minute. Good to see this again Andy, looking great! SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gogzs Posted October 11, 2020 Report Share Posted October 11, 2020 Coming along really nice, love the headstock carving. Glad the parts arrived so we can see this get done, such a nice piece of wood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 And...it's finished! Silky satin tru-oil slurry and buff, luminlay side dots (including double dots either side of a dotless 12th!), new set of strings, pickups direct to the jack (another one of Tom's preferences) and Dunlop inset straplocks. I also earthed the bridge blocks. With individual blocks, one way is to use a brass nut, but I wanted to stick with bone and so I earthed the end ferrule in the normal way, and then set up a daisy chain of copper foil pads linked with small wire bridges looped through holes drilled under the gaps between each block: And so the G string, which has the earthed ferrule, then earths the G saddle block and that earths all the rest through the daisy chain. Alright in theory...best check Phew! We have full continuity And so here it is: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 And I'm no bass player, but here's a clip: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted October 27, 2020 Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 It took me a second to realize there were no knobs or switches. The matte finish is superb and the knobless look is very clean. I don't know if it the finish, the wood, the shape, the cleanness or just the power of suggestion, but it definitely has an African art aesthetic to it. I do believe you've captured it's soul. ( That sounds a bit cruel, perhaps it's more like you've reached an accord for it to hang about a bit). Bravo! SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 1 minute ago, ScottR said: It took me a second to realize there were no knobs or switches. The matte finish is superb and the knobless look is very clean. I don't know if it the finish, the wood, the shape, the cleanness or just the power of suggestion, but it definitely has an African art aesthetic to it. I do believe you've captured it's soul. ( That sounds a bit cruel, perhaps it's more like you've reached an accord for it to hang about a bit). Bravo! SR You get the prize - and across two forums! Tom and I have been watching the reaction to the thread and both have been amazed that no one has asked "but where's the control panel??" Well done - gold star and smiley face It's interesting. Tom is a professional bassist (he was on US TV recently just before Covid raised its ugly head and spoiled things), but prefers everything straight through and tweak things at the amp - even in a full stage performance. It's not something that a lead guitar front-man could do, but the bassist is usually somewhere further back so he is able to do that. I have a clip somewhere at London Trafalgar Square playing with a full band and you can see him doing just that. In fact, in the clip, he's playing African Bass I (which was also wired straight through) Thinking about it, that must make me 'almost famous'. It's probably in the same ilk as my writing, where I never really got anywhere much to speak of - but did start getting a much better class of rejection letter! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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