1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

For the side dots, try running your drill slow and in reverse. Makes it very controllable. Also a pin vise that holds the bit and lets you spin it by hand works quite well too.

Ed
Ed M
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Hi Diane,

Thanks for the tip on the plastic. I think I can sacrifice a thin cutting board for that. It isn't the guitar top that I am wondering about damaging though; I'm thinking that when I install the frets, they will be too long and will stick out from the fingerboard. When I use a file to make the ends flush with the sides of the fingerboard, will I not end up filing into the finish on the sides of the fingerboard? I guess a quick touch up may work. Tru Oil is fairly friendly, but by then I will have hopefully polished it up to a nice gloss and I feel like the touchup may be a PIA.

As far as the rosewood bleeding goes, I have been thinking and researching a bit. Seems like some people don't really have trouble at all when they pore fill with Zpoxy. Just Zpoxy right over the rosewood and forget about it. Other people find it helps to first spray a light coat of dewaxed shellac from a distance so that it isn't too wet as it lands. There seem to be people who say you can't use epoxy over shellac, and others say this is BS. Not sure how to figure that one out. What I am going to do is test the straight zpoxy out on scrap. If it bleeds I'll try the shellac first on scrap. I can get dewaxed shellac in a spray bomb fairly easily. No way to tell how things will hold up long term, I can find opinions all over the place with no apparent consensus, so if the test peice works out I will give it a go. Once the Zpoxy is on I will put a couple coats of shellac on top and proceed with tru-oil. Tru-oil is really the only finish I have a little experience with and the little box I finished that way still looks really amazing so I don't really want to try french polish or lacquer on this one.

I am now in the middle of the great sanding project. I actually am enjoying it a bit. I get to sand all the rough crappy looking parts out and leave myself with a baby-butt smooth guitar. I'm up to 180 grit on both the neck and body now, though I will wait to finish sand the top until the pore filling is done. I am wondering if I should raise the grain. I think sanding the first coat of epoxy or shellac may accomplish the same thing and I am a little worried that wiping water all over my guitar might cause the wood to do some strange things. Unless I get more info I think I will not do so.

I realized I was missing one of the screw for my tuners. Had to do an order from Stewmac. Shipping and the exchange is crazy from Stewmac, so I figured I may as well order my mandolin hardware. While I was at it I went crazy and bough a set of the gauged nut files as well. I was thinking I should wait for the files until I started with the mandolin, but it turns out that the mandolin sizing matches up pretty well with some of the guitar strings. Looking forward to seeing those...
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

I realized I was missing one of the screw for my tuners. Had to do an order from Stewmac.


Most hardware stores have a bank of little drawer type things that are full of little screw just waiting for someone to need them - probably under a nickel for that size, not even enough to be charged sales tax

Ed
Ed M
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Don’t be silly! If I got the screw at a hardware store how could I have justified a $200 stewmac purchase?
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

What, you need justification?

Ed
Ed M
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

Apparently I just need a tiny nudge....

I just finished testing the zpoxy. No bleed at all no matter how enthusiastic I got with the squeegee. So I’m not sure who is having problems with bleed. Maybe cocobolo or an oilier piece of rosewood. So now the plan is zpoxy, then super blonde shellac, then tru oil.
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Shellac plays well with epoxy. I've never had a problem using epoxy pore filler or shellac with rosewood. I french polish all of my guitars with shellac.

Don't worry about bleeding. Heck, the rosewood guitar in the photo with the plastic has bright purpleheart binding around the guitar and fretboard. I have another rosewood/spruce with bloodwood binding, which is notorious for bleeding. I've never had a problem with rosewood at all, not even on center back strips.

Just put 2 thin coats, of 1 pound cut shellac, on your guitar first, to seal the wood. You can use a small cloth, stuffed with a couple of cotton balls. There's no need to spray it. I've never sprayed shellac. All of my guitars are french polished with shellac, regardless of their wood content.

Just put 2 costs of shellac to seal your wood, sand lightly with 320g, then pore fill with epoxy. Make sure you allow the epoxy to dry and harden thoroughly between coats and sand lightly with 320g sandpaper
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

I was concerned about bleeding because I made a tap handle for my beer fridge out of some rosewood scraps and basswood. I finished it in shellac and the basswood turned a brownish red tint. I’m thinking it depends on how it is applied.
tubegeek
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:49 am

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by tubegeek »

Talladam wrote:I’m thinking it depends on how it is applied.
As in, whether it's applied before or after the keg is tapped?
Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

Re: 1st Build-OM from scratch and my workbench

Post by Talladam »

It’s traditional to drink homebrew while working on brewing projects. This may or may not have anything to do with a poor end result. Neither drinking homebrew nor working on brewing projects makes a guitar build go any faster; however, it may make one feel more at peace with the schedule.
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