Hydrogeoman

I was about to post a question along the same line. I was planning on inlaying a purpleheart inlay into a maple fretboard. Since i haven't tried it yet, am I going to encounter pretty much the same thing with the purpleheart bleeding into the maple?

The purpleheart will be fine. It is the glue you use that you have to be careful with. Best to use a clear/amber epoxy to avoid the extreme contrast of the bleedout if you are inlaying into maple. That way you won't screw up like I did -I think

Here's an idea. Mask off everything BUT the maple (ie: mask off what looks like epoxy to the sides) and then go over that WHOLE maple area with the black epoxy, and then sand back. That way you can keep the inlay,a nd it has a uniform look because ALL of it will have the black epoxy in the grain, not just the bled over part.

Chris

Hmmm, interesting idea. It certainly would be easier than putting in a new larger inlay. I think I will test on a scrap piece to see how it looks. Thanks for the suggestion.

Try rubbing with a little piece of 000 steel wool. It might be enough to scour out the epoxy, but no guarantees, when that stuff sets its pretty hard.

Thanks Southpa - Yeah, I already tried to sand it down further with 100 grit and then I used an exacto to scrape out the contaminated pores (which helped a little). But as you can see it is still a mess. Guess I am going to have to chaulk this one up to learning the hard way.

What about trying it again with a bigger inlay? Cover up that one and use clear/amber epoxy this time

Guitarguy, thanks. I think that may be may only option.

Now if I attempt this again, is it a concensus that I should NEVER use black epoxy on maple again? Or is there an effective way to seal the pores to prevent the bleeding?

Ok, I messed up. This is my first attempt at doing an inlay. I inlayed a piece of ebony into maple and glued it with black epoxy. I probably should have sealed the maple with clear first but it is too late for that. Instead, I used wax on the surface of the maple to try and prevent the black epoxy from bleeding into the wood pores but forgot the the walls of the inlay route were a conduit for the epoxy as well.

So...is this mess salvageable? Any and all suggestions, admonishments, and scoldings are welcome

Thanks Gurus and thinkers outside of the box

Grizzly 14" Ultimate Bandsaw with the optional 6" riser block. Great saw for the $$ even with the shipping.

Thanks Mike and Mattia. It sounds like 2 gallons ought to be enough to get these guitars done. I think I will try spraying early morning so temps should be around 70.

Regarding the solid canary yellow - any opinions on pigmenting choices, i.e., Colortone?

Thanks again!

I have used the Stewmac Colortone pigments (white and black) and I have found them effective and easy to work with. I used them in combination to make a grey primer and then used the black as a top color coat. Good coverage. The Stewmac finishing video used them to make a grey primer followed by red/white to make a pink color coat. For the Canary yellow, you may want to consider a primer coat.

I don't know about McFaddens nitro but you may also need some thinner and maybe a little retarder depending on your spraying conditions. Mine are always hopelessly humid so I use a little retarder all the time (mixed into the thinner and then mixed into the nitro).

Have fun.

Thanks John, I forgot about the primer coat for the canary yellow. It is fairly dry here in Colorado, but this time of year the temperature is usually 85 - 95 degrees F. I figured I would get some retarder and try practicing with and without.

1) I am getting ready to spray 5 guitars (my first attempt at spraying). Grizzly has McFaddens on sale for ~$35/gal. Do you think one gallon will be enough for practicing on scrap and the 5 to be finished or should I get more?

2) Also, shellac vs vinyl washcoat/sealer. Any strong opinions on which to use?

3) Finally, I want to finish one guitar solid canary yellow. Would going with the Stewmac colortone liquid pigment (for lacquer) be the way to go on this or is there a better option?

Thanks in advance for any wisdom you may send this way.

Thanks people

To summerise then; Wrap around bridge fitted LP Jr has neck angle around 1deg to less than 2 deg , the later LP Jr and specials with tuneomatic / stop tail the neck angle must be increased to around 4deg.

Body thickness FROM BEAUTY OF THE BURST BOOK for the mahogany bit on a Les Paul STD is 43mm and Setch gives LP Jr as 46.03mm.

The outline is the same except that there is a 1/4" bit of body wood along the treble side of the neck in the cutaway forming the neck pocket.

Thanks all..Kev

+1 Thirdstone and all responders, thanks for the info. I was just in the download area but did not see any LP Jr (single cut aways) plans in there. You answered all of the questions I had for the one I am working on currently except for one.

What is the tenon width? Thanks

Can't comment on Choppers but I have dealt with Jeff at Calcustomax and he has been GREAT. He always answers quickly and is very fast to ship orders (no matter how large or small).

Slitting saws come in virtually any size down to about .006", every 0.002" or so, including 0.023". They are sold by any machine shop supplier. They are normally used for cutting metal in a milling machine, and you have to have the right arbor to put it on (and something you can put it in ... like a milling machine).

For an example, try http://www.mcmaster.com/, search for slitting saw and look at the second page.

The Ebay one you mentioned is a slight variation of the same thing used by jewelers. (Jeweler supplies have them too.) You still have to have the right arbor. You really can't just slap it into your table saw.

Thanks for the education, I thought I was on to something great as these blades are going for less than $5, but the arbor size shoots that idea down.

I about choked when I saw (no pun intended) this blade, especially after shelling out ~$70 for the Stewmac one.

look up "Cleveland Slitting Saw" on ebay

I don't know if Cleveland Tool is still in business, but I am going to try and find out if this type of blade comes in a .023 kerf. (sorry about not providing a link, everytime I paste the URL in, the link sends you to the sign-in form, ***?)

lol dude i just posted a topic asking if anyone had one of those. I almost bought one today myself, let me know how it is please, cause i dont think there are many left up here.

I have had mine for about 6 years and it has been trouble free. It is a very handy tool for edge sanding but I also pre-radius fretboards with it, smooth up scarf joints, etc. Was very handy for the horn on this one:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...full_front3.jpg

I would like to eventually get a large belt sander (6 x 48 or larger) but in the meantime, this sander fits the bill perfectly and was well worth the money - although it was a gift

All of the info I have seen on cutting inlays involves using a jewelers saw or similar. Has anybody had success using an electric scroll saw like a dewalt or delta? I would like to make a script type inlay out of pearl or other materials to put in a headstock.

I tried a spiral, No. 0, 46 tpi blade that allows sawing in any direction, but found it difficult to keep the cut from wandering. The blade was tensioned very tight, so I think the wandering was mainly a function of the spiral blade.

If it can be done, what type of blade do you recommend? Or, should I just go the hand sawn way?

Thanks for any advice.

BTW, if the fumes from Varathane are bad with your "mask" on then you are either using the wrong respirator or you are using it incorrectly. You shouldn't smell anything at all. Make sure it is sealed well and you are using the right type of filter cartridge.

I think it might have something to do with my gotee. The mask seals nicely around my nose but air seeps in around my chin. If you know a solution, I'd be greatfull (other than shaving!).

Any facial hair (except a mustache) will prevent a respirator from sealing properly, this includes not shaving for a day or two if you are normally clean shaven. For a standard cartridge type respirator (half face or full face), there is no solution to this other than shaving (sorry). If you don't have a complete seal, you basically have no seal and are getting exposed to the vapors (sorry again).

Hydro, I haven't done exactly what you want to do but I did just finish a mahogany body guitar with a maple cap in Gibson cherry red toner. Here is the part of the thread that's most relevant.

I sprayed ....

John,

Thanks for the info and link to the thread. I think I have a handle on how to proceed now. Man, your SG is beautiful! You have just inspired me for my next project.

Cheers

Very nice! May I ask where you got that maple?

....tape over the maple, spray a cherry toner coat onto the mahogany, remove the masking tape on the maple, then tape the cherry colored mahogany ...and you could dye the maple with a wipe on dye. ... If you use toner coats they wont bleed and itll leave a pretty clean line as long as you do the taping right.

Thanks for the advice LedZ. That makes sense. I'll just have to practice on some scrap before I dive in on the neck.

Cheers

HG

To my esteemed mentors on the PG forums. I am nearing the completion of my first neck but my dilema is how to get a Gibson type cherry red finish on only the mahogany portion of the neck without bleeding into the maple center strip and the maple fret board.

Will taping off the maple suffice or do I need to put some type of sealer coat on the maple portions first. I would also like to slightly stain the maple to "pop" the grain but I am not sure how to go about this without bleeding into the mahogany. Would it be better to use a toner coat in the lacquer and spray the whole neck or.......???

Is my angst warranted or am I way off target with what I am trying to accomplish? Any comments, opinions, thrashings would be appreciated. Thanks!

Here are a couple of pics of the neck in question.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...ntwmachines.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...6DSneckcont.jpg

This is looking great .I will follow this one keep the posts up. I love LP Jrs You can onle cock it up from here Lets us know all the details , finish hardware ect.

Rgs Kev

Hey Kev. I agree on both of your points, I love the LP Jrs too, they are pure and simple. Leslie West was my inspiration to build one.

I hope you are wrong on the second point though!

I post some new progress pics in the near future.

i'm a bass man at heart,

i've been thinking of adding a rosewood bookmatch venner to my bass,thought it would look very nice and keep its class,if you no what i mean

this has definatly made my mind up,thanks man

No problem, I am a bassist myself, but when I jumped into building these instruments, a few of my buddies all wanted guitars built for them. So the two basses I had "planned" on building for myself are on the shelf for a while.

You will like the rosewood, it is really nice to work with. Almost feels like hard wax when you take a file to it. Let's see some pics when you get going with your project

yeah that bass is killer.whats the top?

to my nooby knowledge on wood lol,it looks like rosewood,or cocobolo?

Thanks Whitey. You were right on your first guess. The top is 1/2" rosewood (I am not sure what type though) on a one-piece slab of 1" mahogany. I also used a rosewood veneer (paperbacked) on the peghead. Overall, the bass is pretty light and balances very well.

Guess I should have just made a thread for the bass

Looking good man! Some of the pics could be a bit larger.

Do you have more pics of that bass?

Thanks - I didn't realize I had made the pics so small until after I posted

Here are some more of the bass

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...s_headstock.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...full_front3.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...front_body2.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...front_body1.jpg

Ok, here goes. I have been mustering the courage to begin posting some progress pics of my first "complete" build. For this thread, I am going to focus on a LP Jr double cutaway I am building, but I am also concurrently building 2 telecasters, a jaguar, and another LP Jr single cutaway. I am looking forward to any critique -the good, the bad, and the ugly - you would like to input. I am here to learn .

I did build a bass a couple of years ago, but I cheated and purchased a Carvin neck for it because of the "fear factor." Being a big fan of Carl Thompson basses, I "borrowed" his scroll design mixed in with a few other influences. The bass turned out to be a very nice playing/sounding bass (passive Lane Poor pickup) and I became hooked on the hobby. Here is a pic of the bass just in case you are interested:

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...full_front1.jpg

Sorry I hijacked my own post there....Anyway, the LP Jr is going to be made of the following components:

mahagany body

3 piece mahagany/purpleheart/mahogany neck

birdseye maple fretboard

Kent Armstrong P-90 pickup

Grover Imperial tuners

Wilkinson wraparound bridge

the finish will be painted a solid color

So, on to the progress pics:

Here is the body glueup. It is a 2 piece chunk of 8/4 mahog

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd.../Bodyglueup.jpg

Tracing the shape on the blank - I found a free CAD template and software on the web

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...anktemplate.jpg

Beginning the rough cutting of the body

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...utonbandsaw.jpg

Here are the neck pieces befor glueup

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...Rneckpieces.jpg

Here is the scarf joint cut (I have to get a better method for doing this )

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...arfjointcut.jpg

Neck after ears glued on and peghead was thicknessed

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...acesmoothed.jpg

Can't really see much in this pic (the fretboard is taped under the steel slotting template), but this is my fret slotting setup. I have the Stewmac blade and steel template. I works very well but takes a little time to get my miter set perfectly.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...ardslotting.jpg

and finally.....Here is a pic of 4 of the 5 I am working on right now. LP Jr is on the far left DUH

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hyd...0telejaguar.jpg

and 1 more

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j140/hydrogeoman/4vrjr.jpg

Thanks for looking and I will post more as I get further along.