olddog

Thanks for the advice. I have that sm tape you mentioned, it was the reason for my question. The guy selling the stewmac bar was using that, but the other experts were using the diamond leveler and the other guy a short file block. I was wondering what the "word on the street" was. Another question I have is; if you have the guitar in a jig to simulate string tension, do you set the relief also? I'm guessing it would have to matter.

Just from the little research I've been doing the past couple of weeks, (for making some motorcycle parts), it seems you can get carbon fiber with different fiber or "grain' orientation. It also seems there is a worldwide shortage. I'm guessing due to the new Boeing airliner.

I just want to get few opinions on leveling tools. I already have the16 inch bar (stewmac #4578), and I'm debating whether to get the adhesive sandpaper for that bar, or get the diamond leveler,(5256). Also, I already have the 3 in 1 crowning file with the replacable burrs, what is the best crowning file around? Thanks

Does anyone have any advice on staining a fretboard? I was thinking about putting a slight blue tint on a fretboard. The stain is solar lux sea foam blue reduced with behlin reducer. The plan is to just put a coat of lemon oil on every once in a while, no other topcoat. I expect a certain amount of wear, but do you think normal wear will just look crappy?

Is there a reason why slotted pegheads are primarily on accustic guitars and not solid body electrics? Is it just a style thing or is there a functional reason?

Thanks for the ideas. I got my slotted f-boards and started sanding, I used 1/2" square tubing for my rails and screwed the board down with countersunk drywall screws at the ends of the board. It wasn't quite as bad as what I figured, but it did take a solid hour of sanding. On the next board however, I WILL cut the board to the approximate size before radiusing, as it seems the bulk of the sanding was on the part of the board I will cut off.

I want to make a neck witha bloodwood fretboard, but I noticed that LMI will slot, but won't radius a bloodwood board. My question is, how hard is it, or more importantly how accurate is it to radius a board using sandpaper with an 8" long radius block?

Hi. I've always seemed to have a problem filing the little burr that's under the crown at the end of the fret. Even when I bind a neck and file off the tang, it's still there. I've tried the stew-mac end file, and that gets most of the burr, after playing for a while I can just feel little tugs on a burr. It's not a real huge one just enough to let you know it's there. I usually finish over the fret ends, so I have to wonder if I'm rubbing enough of the finish off to expose the burr? I've tried coming from under the board and sweeping up with the file, but I just can't reach it.

Hi. I want to make a solid body " Rick like" 12 string, and was told they are made of eastern rock maple. Can someone tell me where I can get a body blank? I was able to find quilted and flamed maple blanks, and rock maple wings, but not something called eastern rock maple in a full sized blank. Thanks

Hi. I saw on a french polishing tutorial that copol or sanderac may be used to harden a french polished finish. Has anyone tried those? I'm going to order some from a violin guy in Canada, along with a few different dyes, and I was wondering if the additives make a difference in the techniques. I guess I'm all for getting a harder finish if it doesn't affect the look or make it too difficult. Thanks

Hi. I'm making a solid body 12 string, with a hard maple neck. I'm routing in two truss rods, ( from LMI, 1/4 inch wide and 3/8 inch deep.) The overall fingerboard width at the nut is 1 and 7/8 inches. How far from the centerline should the trussrods go? ( I got the smallest duel action trussrods I could find to keep the neck depth as small as possible.) Thanks

Hi, thanks for the detailed advise. I'm starting to learn enough so at least I can ask pertenent questions. The "test" piece is actually a clock, with 1/4 inch strips of mohogany on the side kind of like a wood strip boat. I used z-poxy mainly to fill any gaps in the strips, and also just to try it as a grain filler prior to french polishing. I have a couple of questions. I used zinnser amber shellac as a wash coat, and planned to use it for everything, but it was very thick sticky compared to what I used in the past. ( Zinser seal coat). I started to body with the amber shellac, but had to switch back to the seal coat. Then everything started work nicely. (Nice gliding and a nice trail.) I have to assume that you guys mix your own, is that the way to go?

Second question; Am I right in assuming that grain filling with pumice is grabbing dust created by "sanding" with the pumice, then forming a paste of dust, pumice, and shellac from the wash coat, and forcing it into the pores? My last attempt at grain filling with pumace got me 95% there, but the last 5% still eludes me. I'm getting a spectacular finish, but not perfect. Thanks

Hi. I just finished grain filling a mohogany and walnut test board with z-poxy, and I plan on french polishing it. My question is, do I treat the epoxy filled piece as I would bare wood and start with a wash coat of shellac and the go on to grain filling with pumace to fill any pores that may show up, or do I go straight to bodying sessions? Thanks

Hi. I read a thread a while back that described using ca on a neck as a finish. I tried it on a flat piece of maple and the feel was incredible. I have a few questions. I used a credit card to applyit to a flat piece. Would wiping it on with a rag be better for a neck, or does the ca dry too fast to get an even coat? Also, I saw some guys talk about a black ca. Where is this available, and can this be used as a pore filler just to accent the pores before coating again with clear ca? Thanks

Hi. Thanks for the info. I picked up a few different sized nuts. I will put some pics up when I figure out how to do it. Thanks

Aren't most pickups mounted on springs?

Hi. I glued a test piece on a piece of padouk with superglue. I roughed up the brass and wood with 50 grit, and beat on it a day later, and I had to pry it off with a screwdriver. I will try it with the epoxy and gorrilla glue before it put it to use. I plan on having a bloodwood fretboard and gold frets with brass tubing around 1/4 inch paua dots for markers. How well does the gold frets from LMI work?

Hi. I just completed a "Strat G". I was kind of wondering what a mohogany strat would sound like, and I had a mohogany sg body here, so I mated the sg body with a bolt on mohgany neck, a pre-wired sss strat pickguard, and a strat hardtail bridge. When I fired it up, my first impression was " It's a Strat." My brother played it, and he's a strat man, and he claims he can hear the difference from an alder bodied, maple neck strat, but I can't. I sure that's more a testimony about my tin ear, but I was amazed at how little the wood mattered.

Thanks for the input. I found the bridge, and a lot of tusq nuts, but I couldn't find a 12 string one( on e-bay). What are they listed under? Thanks

Hi. Does anyone know where I can get an abm tune-a-matic style 12 string bridge? And also where I can get the specs for one? I'd like to get the string spaceing and height before I make the neck. I'd also like to find a nut, so I can have a starting point. Thanks

Hi. I was browsing through the hobby shop, and I picked up some brass strips, 1/4 inch wide, and about 1/16 thick. I was thinking about using it for binding a fingerboard. I do have a few questions, would I use superglue or would the regular weld on binding adhesive work? Also, the brass is pretty stiff along the skinny plane, would the brass stay glued even from the slight flexing a neck would have? Thanks for any input.

Hi. I'm going to tackle a solid body 12 string, and it may not end up looking like a rickenbacker 620, I want it to sound similar. They appear to be made of maple, but can someone tell me what kind of maple? Also is it a set neck or a neck that extends to the end of the body? I see there's a schaller bridge at stew mac, does anyone have any experience with it or any suggestions about a better bridge? Thanks

Not sure how you are going about grain fill. Are you using pumice or epoxy or??? Sounds like you may be trying to do too much filling with the shellac itself(which shrinks back quite a bit). As far as the glazing. Maybe you are loading a little too much alcohol, or going a little slow with the Munica. Please let us know how you are doing your fill.

Peace,Rich

Hi. My initial grain filling was with pumace, and that was applied over two wiped on coats of shellac. After that I started bodying, using just shellac, for 5 or 6 sessions, With a day between sessions. I wet sanded between each body session. Then, I sanded most of that off and grain filled again. Most of the guitar is filled, there are just a few areas and a random pore showing through. The glazing I'm going in a straight line along the grain, using 5 or 6 drops of alcohol and 1 drop of shellac for each pass across the guitar. I'm getting the "haze" behind the munica, but I'm taking away the gloss that was there after the last bodying. I guess I would be happy with abrasive buffing, but I read that glazing produces a deeper gloss. I'll keep trying if it does. Thanks

I have found the real trick to getting a good fill with pumice. Is to not apply any more than a light wash coat(you want very little shellac mixed in during the fill process as this will lead to future sinking/shrinking issues). Really try to get a good even full fill with the pumice. Do small areas till they lood really good then move on. After you have a good fill do another wash coat and give it a day and double check your fill. Don't try to fill with body coats. The shellac just does not do well as a fill on its own, and does very poorly if you get it too thick in spots during a session. After it is really well filled and solid. Then start your body coats, and don't sand. Just keep pushing more coats(again nothing too thick, use high pressure thin coats). After you have almost all your body coats. Then do a level sand(not too heavy). and add one extra session to make sure your good. Then you can move to glazing(again not too heavy on the shellac or solvent, as it will just melt the shellac and screw up all your leveling efforts). My kinda rule of thumb is that if I am applying shellac I use high pressure, and if I am quickly flashing off oil or light glazing I use a little alcohol with quick speed and med. pressure(very fast flash, maybe a 1" tail).

Peace,Rich

P.S. It may be that the gloss you are seeing is the oil on the surface. The haze is probably the product of clearing the oil off the surface. I am not sure if you flash off the oil after every body session, but it is a good idea and will help the shellac cure harder.

Thanks for the details. From your description I don't think I'm giving enough patience will grain filling. I don't think I filled enough. A couple of questions; Do you do all the grain filling in one session, or do you give some time in between numerous sessions?

I don't think I'm using too much oil. I only add one drop every 4 passes over the guitar, maybe 4 drops in each bodying session. I did spirit off on past projects, I didn't on this one, I will start again.

Thanks again for the info, I'm sure the lightbulb will go on over my head this afternoon, and I'll think; " That's what he means!"

Not sure how you are going about grain fill. Are you using pumice or epoxy or??? Sounds like you may be trying to do too much filling with the shellac itself(which shrinks back quite a bit). As far as the glazing. Maybe you are loading a little too much alcohol, or going a little slow with the Munica. Please let us know how you are doing your fill.

Peace,Rich

Hi. My initial grain filling was with pumace, and that was applied over two wiped on coats of shellac. After that I started bodying, using just shellac, for 5 or 6 sessions, With a day between sessions. I wet sanded between each body session. Then, I sanded most of that off and grain filled again. Most of the guitar is filled, there are just a few areas and a random pore showing through. The glazing I'm going in a straight line along the grain, using 5 or 6 drops of alcohol and 1 drop of shellac for each pass across the guitar. I'm getting the "haze" behind the munica, but I'm taking away the gloss that was there after the last bodying. I guess I would be happy with abrasive buffing, but I read that glazing produces a deeper gloss. I'll keep trying if it does. Thanks

Thanks everyone for all your comments. I have now used that neck on another body and everything is fine there. So I still have this body sitting here with no neck. Ill have to think again on this one.