bassman

Doc, The room temperature is between 70 and 75, warm enough. I keep my house pretty warm in the winter. I have forced air heat, so the moisture is no problem this time of year, on the contrary keeping any moisture in the air is very hard to do right now. Are there any possible job openings in your shop at this time? I am considering going back to building full time in C'ville, but the lack of benefits and drive time were killing me. My current job is just not fullfilling enough, and my boss is just plain negative all of the time. Mledbetter, I am pretty confident that I applied the finish in the appropriate manner.(besides a bit of sand through in a few small places, mainly the edge, of the intial epoxy grain filling coat) However, that is not to say that a different approach wouldn't help with the hardness issue. On the little KTM9 forum a couple of users complained about it's "softness"- I was hoping they were just doing something wrong. I have not given up on it yet...

It still looks good, but it still is not hard enough. It is getting harder and harder everday- it is approaching an acceptable hardness but it is still no there- I just really hope it makes it to that level of hardness neaded for an instrument.

Yep, while blue looks very cool on a guiatr top if done properly... green has some real potential- but as skibum said not as striking. A two tone burst of blue and green would be nice.

Filing and sanding figured wood is no problem, grain tearout issues only arise when planing/join/routing or chiseling. I have never usedd a sureform- but my impression is that it is like a cheesegrater- the amount of tear out depends on the intensity of grain variation- and aggression of blades used among other things. Test the sureform on scrap of the identical piece you want to use it on.

At this time I only build headless basses. I drill an access hole in the "headstock" end string retainer to adjust the truss rod. If you were to cut the headstock off of a neck you would be cutting off the truss adjustment as well. As for a body end adjustment location- I can't think of a single neck thru that uses one- but I am sure they exist. I use ABM headless hardware and I am pretty damn picky when it comes to picking out hardware/pickups/wood- I like only what I consider to be among the best. It looks as though the Steinberger (it seems the new stuff is pretty cheap- considering the price of a "new steinberger bass~ $300) string retainer is a bit different than the ABM stuff, so it may mount differently. The ABM retainer is simply screwed onto the end of a neck- on the surface perpendicular to the fingerboard. I say simply, but also carefully if you choose to use a zero fret and count on the retainer for appropriate string spacing an centering. Which part of the neck are you umcomfortable making- if not the whole thing?

Doc, Repairability issues down the road are a bit of an issue, I have read that it can be repaired-just not as easily as nitro. The main reason I was hoping this would work well is my desire to stay away from the nasty toxins. I have a good respirator, but I would rather stay away from poison when possible. A question for you- Would a poly/oil finish (specifically, Sam Maloof's finish) have any problems being applied over CA saturated wood? OR can it be used over wood that has been pore filled with epoxy?I am testing this right now, but my test may not reveal possible long term problems for quite some time. I know that the CA will prevent the poly/oil from penetrating as well but I am hoping it could still work. I also live in Richmond, so I am curious- do work on your own or do you work in a cabinet shop around here?

Maiden, I brushed it on very thinly, the last few coats were a bit thicker though. This stuff dries to the touch and can be sanded in one hour. The tuts indicated that it could be buffed very shortly after being finished- the only advantage to waiting was that it would shrink a bit less- or rather that shrinking would not be as visible. It is highly recommended that all coats are put on in the shortest possible time period to ensure that the layers all link together.

Here is something you might want to know... (LOOK AT CORRESPONDENCE BELOW)But everyday the finish seems to be getting harder- definitely a good thing. I have decided to wait a bit longer before I start putting this stuff on a bass body. I will give it a few more weeks to harden before I make up my mind. Mike, I have tested KTM9 on some scrap mahogany and I am very happy with the results so far, my only concern has to do with its hardness. I applied my coats about 8 days ago, I have leveled and buffed it to a high gloss. At this point I can still put a dent in it with my fingernail, how long should it take to fully harden, or least cure enough to not be damaged by a fingernail? Thanks for your time and effort... Ryan <mailto:ryan7rice@msn.com>ryan7rice@msn.com That's the downside to all waterbornes, they don't get really hard. KTM-9 will harden somewhat more over the next year or so, but it's never going to be as hard as catalyzed solvent finishes like are on most factory solid bodies. That's the main reason I've switched to polyester, but I had to spend $2000 on a spray booth to do it. ================

I will post some pics of the sample sometime pretty soon. I would definately use the epoxy as the grain filler, while effectively filling deep pores very quickly it also adds a bunch of depth to the grain. It also serves to make the overall finish harder and more dent resistant. Other fillers would probable be okay- but being it is such a new product and not much info on it I will stick with what has been suggested for now. I personally emailed Mike Dooline with some further questions and he promptly replied- you might do the same if you have some questions that he and Jon Greven dont refer to in their tutorials.

Someone mentioned using a corner chisel- I would not use one- its bad advice. Your corner should not be 90 deg.- unless you have an odd way of making youur necks. The angle is actually a little less than 90 degrees to accomodate for the neck taper. You want a clean pocket right!?

use a chisel that is pretty wide, about an inch. The extra width allows you to use the existing straight/but tapered edge of the neck pocket as a guide. Push the extra width flat up against the inside of the neck pocket at an angle, then push against the rounded part. Is this making sense? If my description lacks enough clarity just let me know.

JAvacody, I probably speak for all of us when I say that no one here was actually knocking this guy for his organization. As you said that would be just plain.. well nonsensical. Our responses were just a testament to the fact that many of us are not as organized and neat as we would actually like to be. My workshop is a mess- but I know where everything is- but do I like it that way? Hell no! We are just a bit jealous when we see a set of tools organized and kept so neatly.

Looking good... I voted for your bass- it was the fact that you built your pickkups that put it over the edge. A note of advice that no one else mentioned- any time that you glue two pieces of wood together that are not identical species (are maybe they are in some cases), yet are sort of close in color I think a contrasting veneer between the two is ideal for the transition. For example: I think a neck laminate of maple up against a body wood of alder (on a neck thru) would look much better with a darker wood veneer between them. I think you know what I am saying here... Keep the updates coming.

I told him that long ago... but still he comes to me first with any building/repair related questions.

Sech, Thanks for the info... I told him that no matter what there would probably be evidence of a repair, I told him to live with the ding. He at least wants the wood to be sealed though. He really likes my work which is why he came to me about this, as many basses as I have built I dont know squat about finishing. My comfort level with modding someone elses instrument is very low, I would rather build someone a new one than risk mistakes on an existing one.

The last place I would use if I had would be the neck, fretboard is one thing but the neck no way. I am not suggesting it wouldn't sound good, my experience has just lead me to believe that it shouldn't be used. Now a good prefectyl quartersawn piece may look nice as a top- with the rays showing- but there are certainly some better looking woods out there.

double post

Sure it can be used... but I never would use it- I have found oak to be too susceptable to warping with temp/humidity changes. I would not invest any time in an oak instrument, unless my oak furniture and floors suddenly stop massively shrinking, warping and swelling every season.

After initial testing of KTM-9, I am very pleased by the results. I used it on a piece of mahogany with syst. 3 epoxy as the grain filler and "grain popper". Brushing it on left me with a bit more leveling to do, and some extremely fine (smaller than pinpoint) divits from air bubbles. I buffed it up to a very high gloss. The finish has great depth and clarity- aside from the tiny air bubble divits (which I will find out how to avoid)- it looks damn sweet. I used the links on LMII to both Mike Doolin's and John Grevens tutorials as a starting point- extremely helpful. As for the hardness- I will have to wait for it to fully cure before I can determine that. People who have seen the testing piece on laying my dining room table have commented, without prodding or even being directed to it ("Wow, look at that finish-it's beautiful"). When it is more fully cured I will post results of its hardness. Feel free to ask me questions.

My buddy has custom PRS (nitro finish- correct me if I am wrong on this) with a rather large chip on the lower horn, down to the wood. Am I wrong in thinking that a gel superglue will do the trick? What other techniques will yield acceptable results?

Doc, Hey there I live in Richmond Virginia as well... Northside to be specific. I would be happy to let you see the results in person. Oh yeah no smells... you really must get right up on the stuff- nose right against it... even then the smell is not bad... I literally brushed on my sample in my dining room.

Thanks guys, I have managed to get a pretty good finish, presanding/buffing... except for some small "bubbles". After the KTM-9 cures enough I will see how it finishes out... in a week or two.

Thanks, I have noticed air bubbles, and what appears to be brush strokes from my foam brush. I think have been applying the coats to thin, they are not laying down. My last coat was thicker and it layed down better but it had significantly more bubbles- I will try taking a softer approach to the whole thing.

I am currently testing KTM-9. I am using a foam brush, I also have a bristled nylon/polyester brush that I can use. I dont want to switch brushes in mid test, nor do I want to test both if there is a known and clear advantage of using one over the other. So which one do you all think would work best? Or course if I can not get a "perfect" finish with either one then I will buy a gun and "take possesion" of my brother in law's large and unused air compressor.

Now if only I can find time to get all of my tools and supplies out of random piles... and then find time organize them so neatly....