Black Locust and Torrefied Red Spruce OM

[Airplanenuts]

Back plates glued. Thicknessing the sides today. Long, slow process using my methods.

Best wishes!

-Rich
Go Army!

[Airplanenuts]

Sides thicknessed. Plates marked and cut to rough outlines.

If anyone is reading this, Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes!

-Rich
Go Army! Beat Navy!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Looking goog Rich
Happy Thanksgiving

[phavriluk]

Last year I fumed some white oak with ammonia. Sure turned out nice. I might have been influenced by Mr. Arnold's comments as well. Something I read put me up to it.

[Airplanenuts]

Thank you kindly, Kevin.

Phavriluk, I will have to try fuming some oak next.
I fumed another piece of BL for 48 hours. It turned out even a little darker, with a very slight but gorgeous olive drab tint, a little like lignum vitae. I may go with that color in lieu of stain.

Best wishes!

-Rich
Go Army! Beat Navy!

[Airplanenuts]

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Holly arrived. Beautiful is an understatement for this wood. I'll rip it down and make the binding and end graft from it, as well as the base wood for the backplate center stripe. I'll dye it to make the brown and turquoise-colored inlay, and the remainder of the inlay will remain natural.

Best wishes!

Go Army!
Beat Navy!

[Airplanenuts]

Enjoyed a few hours thicknessing 60 thou. off the back plate this fine morning, down to 0.110". Extremely hard stuff, that black locust.
Sanded and ready for stain and bracing.

On to the same with the top. Shellac is out for USPS delivery this afternoon (arrived). I'll shoot it over the soundhole area before routing for the rosette.

Best wishes!

Go Army! Best Navy!

[Kevin Sjostrand]

You can just wipe the shellac onto the top where you want to help with fuzzy from your bit, and around the top when you rout it flush and cut binding channels. No need to spray it.

Helps when taping in bindings with fibers lifting with the tape when removed.

I actually use Zinsser seal coat out of the can tor this. 3lb cut dewaxed shellac. No additives, just shellac and alcohol

[Airplanenuts]

Thanks, Kevin. I appreciate your advice.

Best wishes!

-Rich
Go Army! Beat Navy!

[Airplanenuts]

Working on the rosette this fine frosty 1 December morning.

I'm dyeing some 1/32"t. basswood with water-based aniline to make some brick-red purfling strips to accent the herringbone. It's a test to see how deeply the dye penetrates, as scraping the rosette will yield the interior of the wood, of course, which needs to be brick-red, as well. If no joy, I'll try some Fiebings leather dye, or less-dense balsa (or both). I also do leather-crafting, and build 1/4 scale gasoline-powered WWI/WWII/Korea r/c warbirds, so I have a LOT of Fiebings and both types of wood on-hand.

My smallest diameter router bits and down-cutting bits are 1/8", so I'm going to make all the purfling =/>1/8"w.

Best wishes!

Go Army! Beat Navy!