ScottR Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 On 8/10/2023 at 11:38 AM, Akula said: One thing I've noticed about this mahogany I'm using: it almost changes grain direction for patches. So I'll be scraped down the grain on a carve, and suddenly hit a patch which won't scrape glassy-smooth unless I flip the scraper around and go the other way. Is that my dodgy technique, or just a funky bit of wood? I'm making sure to keep my angle and pressure consistent as can be. Mahogany often has interlocked grain....that's what makes that ribbon striped figure. What that means is you get one stretch with the grain running uphill sandwiched with another running downhill, and that keeps repeating. Looks great, but hard to scrape, or plane. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 6 hours ago, ScottR said: Looks great, but hard to scrape, or plane. Would a scraper plane work? Something like this: https://youtu.be/PRUmO_fdqN0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 2 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Would a scraper plane work? Something like this: https://youtu.be/PRUmO_fdqN0 I don't think. It's not hard in sense that it needs more force but in sense that it tears out easily. It's hard to get good surface finish by planing. Sanding is the solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted August 14, 2023 Report Share Posted August 14, 2023 I've had good luck wetting the surface with water and planing 45 degrees to 90 degrees to the grain direction. Don't know how that would work in a scraping situation. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted August 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2023 Got the two pointy ones shipped off today. They both got a test assembly with strings, but I've left the electronics and fret levelling for after the guitars have been sprayed by the client's spray-dude. The Warlock shape has a BC Rich neck which I've refretted for the client last year with stainless steel frets, so I'm fairly confident that those frets are still pretty true and level. Honestly, it was a very confronting experience, having my work finished by a third party. Every single thing will be noticed by another professional, which is harrowing. The biggest issue I had was the aforementioned scraper tear-out but any marks I couldn't sand out entirely got flooded with grain filler anyways. So the spray shop will see those defects, but the finished product will be flat as a pancake and shiny as hell. I packaged them up on the kitchen table and took a drive to deliver in person. \ The Tele is done, too. I let the poly cure for eleven days, then this morning I took a trip to the auto shop and got a bottle of compound. Got stuck into polishing for about an hour, then rubbed in some wax for the why-not's. Drilled for hardware, installed it, and soldered the electronics. I bought a bunch of Dupont cables last year for $0.40 a cable, much cheaper than the EMG branded ones, but I couldn't get their solderless pots and bus for a decent price, so I ended up soldering one end of everything anyways. God I hate soldering. I've got two amplifier projects sitting on the bench at the moment, schematics all drawn up, components installed on perfboard, but I just can't get them to work. Crazy, understanding electronics but not being able to solder. Like being a writer but being unable to hold a freaking pen. Anyways, I need to fret level and lower the nut slots, but the thing's pretty much done. Photo taken indoors at night-time, hence the terrible lighting. I'll get some good shots tomorrow! - Jam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted August 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 Fret levelling done. Very little fret end dressing required, because I shaped them before installation. Just levelling, crowning, polishing, and setup. Oh and the nut got cut properly, too. Action's low enough that I'd be unashamed to show it to my mates at work, and we literally build concerts for a living. One oddity. Fret 16 came out high, and fret 15 buzzes out to the same note. Very strange, didn't get munched down by the levelling beam, and I must've missed it with the fret rocker, but now it's got strings on (the truest straight edge) I re-checked with the rocker, and yep, it's high! So must've I been when I levelled. And nope, I didn't over-crown the frets either side, it's just one high fret, by a measurement known as a bees-dick. Easy fix for tomorrow. Just strange, s'all. - Jam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted August 23, 2023 Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 7 hours ago, Akula said: So must've I been when I levelled. And nope, I didn't over-crown the frets either side, it's just one high fret, It's a weasel fret! You know, 'pop'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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