Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I once bent the sides for an archtop using an old soldering iron with a vacuum cleaner pipe over the top. I've also bent several sides with a heat gun placed at the end of a pipe. The skies the limit...or the fire brigade

Can you tell us more Jeff? Id like to avoid the learning curve :-) With flooring a fast drying solvent based sealer coat is the main form of prevention. Like floors there are many coating options and systems being used for guitars. If you're spraying, the speed at which the coats flash off may be e...

I know from my flooring days that not all coatings will adhere to it properly. Seen many with delamination and unfortunately caused a couple myself in early days.

How do you prevent the darker dust getting onto the spruce or lighter sides? Shellac? Stu Stu I find closing the pores more than I normally would with finer sanding is a good place to start. Random orbitals are a big help with tops and backs. If hand sanding, fine/finish sanding in one direction (n...

I love timber bindings so l would not (necessarily) want to put anybody off using them. But one other perhaps minor consideration is the care needed when fine sanding so as not to spread black dust all over your spruce top or light coloured sides.

That'll learn it.

Got 1 Kg of Araldite for double sides recently for $92. Noticed their Titebond was half the price of Carba tec.

Has anybody tried Feast Watson Buffing Oil? I put some on some cigar box necks a number of years back. Still look and feel nice but they have barely been played so l don't know how well they would hold up. About 6-8 coats from memory. Nice low sheen. For a harder gloss finish l have also mixed 1 par...

Only spoke to David once a few Melbourne festivals back (nice bloke) and he told me it was inspired by an old gibson shape. Can't quite remember but it might have been an archtop.

Best of luck to all exhibitors.

Buzz was never the most popular astronaut in the program. Neither a commander or a test pilot ( though unlike many a MiG killer), he was labeled an egghead by many of his peers having gone to M.I.T. prior to selection to pursue a PhD instead of going to Edwards. Regardless his standing with his form...

Similar to woodrat the last cutaway I did I soaked that section in an old electric frying pan. I gave a small bend first so I could keep both ends dryer... Only done 2 cutaways to date so there may be better approaches...conditioner/supersoft?

jeff crisp wrote:I'm not saying that no one has ever made a bridge out of a soft wood but all timber bridges I have seen have always been made from hard wood.

I stand corrected. Apologies to Bob.

I'm not saying that no one has ever made a bridge out of a soft wood but all timber bridges I have seen have always been made from hard wood. Carbon fiber will no doubt help strengthen it but I would think you would still have some issues with it like wear and tear...but I could be wrong.

Lots of good advice already. If it was me and I didn't have anybody with acoustic building experience to guide me through the build I think I would consider starting with a kit build. I know there is more imfomation available then ever before but it often used to be said to not sell your first ten g...

Thanks Stu, I appreciate your comments . I will keep plodding along.

Sorry Jim, between the worst sink back I've ever seen in my life on any guitar and my ugly mug, if there is any it might be best that they don't surface.

DarwinStrings wrote:Hmmm, so who belongs to the beautiful bowed one?

Jim

That would be Dan Robinson, Jim.

rocket wrote:Butterflies!!

Pterodactyls!!!

I have taken to using a 3mm thick piece of MDF to press the tape up to each fret. I find it works better and is quicker than rotating your finger (nail) one way and the other as you go from one fret to the next. It also helps stop the tape lifting. As the hand you steer the tape on with is always hi...

Just a little update on the festival. I believe Graham Hollingworth and David Worthy can no longer attend. Their places will be filled but you'll have to check the web site when it's updated to see who they'll be.

Just heard on local radio, Cole Clark up in flames.

I have a devil on my shoulder telling me to use my own finish of mostly boiled linseed oil and pure gum turpentine with a little beeswax. Since you've used the word mostly you might already be aware of this but if using a home brew like you've described you will need to add some kind of drying agen...