www.KitGuitarsForum.com

Beautiful pictures. I'm right up the Brandywine River at Chadds Ford, site of the large Revolutionary War Battle of the Brandywine. I've visited the Vasa, an incredible ship, in 1980 when PEG showering of the hull was still in full force. At that time, we could walk over the deck (not on it).

Dan

The Vasa was 1628 and the Kalmar Nyckel was 1632 or so. The curator of the Vasa is an American, a civil was re-enactor, and archeologist, and a guitar maker! He is an actual crew member of the K-N and spends 1-2 weeks a year on her interpreting how this era of boat sailed. His offer that is that any K-N crew member who gets to Stockholm gets a tour ON THE BOAT. I did it 4 years ago, and one of my friends who is a rigger did last winter. I got the hull tour, but he got to go aloft on all 3 masts:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/ ... 912497548/

The pictures below decks are mine, but those above are his - amazing. He got to ride the lift the 65 feet height of the transom, from the floor to the top - one of the shots is his picture taken over the transom.

So the curator of the Vasa sent his paint curator to Wilmington to paint our carvings. We thought they were outrageous before, but after, they are more so.

Turns out the PEG was not a good idea. Pollution from the harbor is mixing with the PEG and making sulphuric acid, and the Vasa is slowly melting. They are working on a fix now, but they are having to re-fasten the entire hull with special bolts with a spring under the nut to prevent crushing, and having to add 3 times as many hull supports because it is sagging between the ones they have.

My grandson is a Rev War fanatic. He has sat on the roots of that giant sycamore tree next to the stone house with the red trim along Rte 1 - Lafayette sat on those same roots getting his battle wounds nursed.

Very small world.

Ed

Third and last step before finish (and sanding and sanding and sanding) is to locate the bridge:

1) Using my "thickness sander", I take the raw saddle blank down to near the final thickness

2) Using my patented jig, I thin the blank til it fits the bridge snugly, then cut the length and round the ends. The jig also works great when used by hand on the table saw table

3) I built a jig for positioning a 24.9 scale bridge - the far end hooks over the nut slot and the face of the saddle nestles against the end of the jig

1) This scale is 25.34' ( I measured to be sure it wasn't 25.4"). Since the compensation is almost exactly the same as on a 24.9" scale, I added the difference, or .44" to the end of it. The small strip on the left is that .44"

2) I fold down the new spacer, and now I have a jig for the new scale

3) You can see from the side the .44" piece

1) Now line up the centerlines, check along the edges of the fretboard, then tape the crap out of the bridge once it's located . . .

2) . . . and drill 3/16" holes against a backer inside at the 2 ends for locating it after finish

3) With the longer scale, the bridge ends up lower on the lower bout. I am more than happy with the results. What I have learned so far is that a softwood back and sides make it very hard to handle without damage. Next step is finish which will take a month

But for now, a sailing trip - see you soon

Summer is summer - hard to get to the shop. Watched a 1970's video on making the Hofner bass guitar that looks like a violin, and lo and behold they are using the same nut that I am - I have only seen it on early Martin ukes

1) Mine getting glued up

2) Theirs being shaped

3) More shaping - note the zero fret

I have a quick repair to a 1982 D-35, then I start varnish

It's a nice looking project Ed.

Thanks, Diane

Ed

It is a beauty. I can't wait to see the finish when you're done.

Thanks

Turns out a couple of frets need pulling and resetting and, as usual, I have to stare at something that needs repair for quite a while before I can get off my butt to do it.

Ed