First Project - A rebuild

Take us through building your guitar step by step. Post pictures and tell us what you're doing.
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Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

I took off the last ladder brace and scraped all the glue off. I was worried the top might split but it didn't. I do have a gap that appeared when I took this brace off. Not surprising. As i was scraping it got bigger. I think because of the heat i used to soften the glue. No problem, with Diane's method of damp sponge in a bag with a few small holes i'm hoping this gap will close. Once it is I will put on my new x brace! Then the rest of the braces. This is getting exciting. I've just been deconstructing the guitar for the most part and now i'm going to start to build it back up again.
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Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I agree that the heat required to get the bracing off, unglued the top. You're going to need to reglue that center seam.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Keith

I learned from a floor finisher about hooks on scrapers. I big hook will do big work - I use a 2 handed holder just like this one:

http://www.blackburntools.com/vintage-t ... index.html

The blade is sharpened with a 45° angle, and the big metal blob is a handle to bear down on, and it give some weight to the tool. The wooden handle is mounted in a ball joint to allow you to andjust the angle for best control - great tool.

I use it with a big hook for cleaning glue off seams when I glue up, say, a table top. However, a tool like that and big hooks are harder to control. I might sharpen up a chisel with a long blade and hold it flat against the top while I pare away the excess wood and glue. Rather than push or drive a chisel straight in, try slicing with it by moving the blade sideways once it contacts the goober. After 90% of the detritus is gone, then use your scraper with a normal sized hook.

Good luck

Ef
Ed M
Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

The gap closed up with the trash bag and damp sponge trick. Do I really need to re-glue the top? I was hoping I wouldn't have to. I don't have the new X Brace on yet so i suppose I could try. But i'm afraid i'd ruin the top. I removed one of my temp braces this weekend too since it would have been difficult to do so after the x brace is installed. And no new gap in the top so maybe its not in such bad shape. Although this time i didn't put any heat directly on the top. I just heated the spatula to get the glue separated. This took longer but seems to be the better way to go.

Also I Have the Gobar deck finished. Its now adjustable so I've got it set to 1/2 inch shorter than my rods. I'm on the lookout for old carpet. My friends think i ask for the strangest things.

That scraper holder looks pretty interesting. I think i'll practice some more with the scrapers before deciding to get something like that. Thanks for the tip with the Chisel. Next time I remove glue I will try that first.
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Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

I notched the X-brace and glued them together. The joint came out better that I thought it would. Its nice and snug and isn't lopsided in any obvious way.

Someone gave the tip not to cut the braces to size. I'm glad they did because I was going to do that. The stewmac wood was 19 inches long. The x-braces needed to be about 18 so i was going to cut them down. If i did I would have to make them again. Not sure if it was a mistake when i calibrated the picture in my cad program or if i just made a mistake measuring where the notch was supposed to be but the bottom is right at the edge and the tops stick out about 1/4 of an inch. I feel like I lucked out here.

This is about where i'm going to lay the brace unless i hear otherwise. Also i've got a question about the holes in the top. Not the sound hole but the peg holes. Can i just leave them there. I imagine when i do all the measuring that the new holes may not go back in the same spot. So more than likely they will be enlarged. I was thinking it would not matter with the bridge and bridge plate sandwiched there. Thoughts?

And my last question is how many rods do I put on the brace? How far apart?
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Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

It's looking good Keith. You put the cleats on the center seam? Are you putting soundhole braces on it, like on this top? They would help hold that center seam closed where it came apart at the soundhole.

I'm the one that told you never cut the braces to length, until they're on and you get ready to close. I don't know why, but even with the best measurements, you can come up short, even on a new build. With a reconstruction, there are other variables that come into play.
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Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

Diane,

I will be adding the sound hole braces. Especially to keep the top from splitting. I got the x brace glued on today! First step was making sure it had the right radius after it was joined together. Then I laid it on the guitar and marked where I wanted it to go. I did do a dry run with the gobar rods since i've never used them before. I'm glad I did they take some getting used to. I wanted to be fast when i actually had glue on the brace.
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Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

I have been getting better with the amount of glue i've been using. I think I got it right this time as only got a little bit of squeeze out. But I'm still learning. I did heat the glue up to give me more working time, I'm using tightbond hide glue. However I should have heated the braces too. I am working in an unheated garage and it was about 28 degrees outside. I imaging the garage was not much warmer. The glue was getting less viscous as i was spreading it on the cold brace. Then i placed it on the cold guitar top. I wonder how that will effect the bond? I worked quickly and since i got squeeze out I guess it went well enough. I had some hot water on hand to clean up the glue but when i got to that point the squeeze out was already hard. When all was said and done the x brace had slid up about 1mm. I saw that as i was putting the last Go bar rods in. I guess I didn't do them right. It makes sense how it happened the rod is curved so not all the force is down, some is sideways. I guess I could bend the rods in opposite directions to cancel this out. I'm glad it slip up and not to the left or right.

Next up will be the sound hole braces and before I put the tone bar braces on I should figure out if i need to plug the holes in the guitar top, where the strings would go. I didn't get any comments on that before and if I don't the plan will be to leave them be. Then i'll start doing some repairs to the bottom while i research more how to voice the top.
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Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

It looks really good Keith. Dry runs are a must. Gobars can take some getting used to.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Keith Reilly
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:58 pm

Re: First Project - A rebuild

Post by Keith Reilly »

I cleaned up and profiled the old ladder brace that was on the top of the soundboard. This is the only brace that is going to be reused as is. The rest will be cut to form the smaller braces. I also put in a piece of spruce as a sound hold brace. Mainly because I'm trying to keep the top together in that area, it wants to separate when it gets dry.

I still need to work on glueing up with the Gobar deck. This brace slid a little like the x brace. I saw it as it was glueing up but decided to leave it since it was such a small amount. It did slide to the side but with the added kerfed lining the brace doesn't need to reach as far to get to the side of the guitar. This time the movement might not have been from the rods. I couldn't get the Gobar rods to stay on the brace where it was rounded over. I was thinking about flattening it but instead I was able to use regular clamps. They were a little cumbersome to use and that might have been when the brace moved. As I was tightening these. Hopefully next time I work on the top I get the rest of the braces on and can start to shave them down and try my hand at voicing a top.
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