Search found 1152 matches
- Mon Feb 24, 2025 9:34 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Butt join
- Replies: 4
- Views: 15295
Re: Butt join
Yes, it is a good idea to hollow out the flat face of the heel - the face that contacts the sides at the neck joint - so that you have a small surface area around the edge to floss for the fitting process. But that doesn't fix your 3mm height issue. To fix that I would enlarge the holes in the neck ...
- Mon Feb 24, 2025 6:55 am
- Forum: Jigs & Fixtures
- Topic: Guitar Body Mould Tips?!
- Replies: 3
- Views: 48689
Re: Guitar Body Mould Tips?!
On your specific question of whether it is OK to have an insert for a cutaway section I think definitely yes. Here is one of mine. An essential tip in doing the cutaway is the slot cut into the mould shown by the arrow in this photo. This allows the side that is bent into the cutaway to extend beyon...
- Mon Feb 24, 2025 6:49 am
- Forum: Jigs & Fixtures
- Topic: Guitar Body Mould Tips?!
- Replies: 3
- Views: 48689
Re: Guitar Body Mould Tips?!
Hi Tiana and welcome to ANZLF. Mould building is a rarely discussed topic, so thanks for raising it! Here are a few of mine hanging on the wall. moulds.jpg I throw them together fairly roughly and quickly from cheap and available material such as MDF sheets or plywood. They are definitely not pretty...
- Tue Feb 18, 2025 9:50 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Please Say Hello!!
- Replies: 24
- Views: 41181
Re: Please Say Hello!!
That is why I asked where you are located. Someone might be nearby to you and happen to have the book or plans for you to borrow? Well I guess I was referring to myself. I have a copy of the Collins book, and the book by Francois Charle called The Story of Selmer Maccaferri guitars - which is the d...
- Tue Feb 18, 2025 6:44 am
- Forum: Jigs & Fixtures
- Topic: Rain stopped play...
- Replies: 1
- Views: 13490
Re: Rain stopped play...
Another patent-able invention Taffy. Nice one. I spent a while looking at the photos wondering about the functional importance of having two tuners installed while using this jig - but I am guessing that was just a random feature of the instrument modelling the system? Glad to hear that the biblical...
- Tue Feb 18, 2025 6:33 am
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Please Say Hello!!
- Replies: 24
- Views: 41181
Re: Please Say Hello!!
That is why I asked where you are located.
Someone might be nearby to you and happen to have the book or plans for you to borrow?
Someone might be nearby to you and happen to have the book or plans for you to borrow?
- Sun Feb 16, 2025 9:31 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Please Say Hello!!
- Replies: 24
- Views: 41181
Re: Please Say Hello!!
Hi Major and welcome to ANZLF. You will get lots of help with your project here, and there are a few contributors with quite a bit of experience with Maccaferri style instruments. Have you chosen which of the Maccaferri designs you want to do, and do you have plans yet? They are not too difficult to...
- Sun Jan 26, 2025 8:55 am
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Introducing myself
- Replies: 3
- Views: 16073
Re: Introducing myself
Hi Martin. Share some good repair stories with us too if you like. Cheers, Mark
- Sun Jan 12, 2025 9:21 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Suggestions for materials to "practise" with
- Replies: 14
- Views: 36585
Re: Suggestions for materials to "practise" with
Hi Johnny. Good on you for jumping in and giving it a go. I understand completely the thought that you can't start by working on any kind of nice timber, but don't go too far in the other direction either. For my first build (an acoustic) I bought a kit (from StewMac, or LMI - I can't remember now) ...
- Sat Jan 11, 2025 8:11 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: dewaxed (hard) shellac on top of waxed shellac as sanding sealer?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 14596
Re: dewaxed (hard) shellac on top of waxed shellac as sanding sealer?
Generally speaking shellac is compatible with virtually any other finish including oils, nitro, poly and other varnishes. It can go under them or on top of them and not cause any problems. The only caveat is that some sprayed finishes (most notably nitro) may react poorly with underlying layers that...
- Tue Jan 07, 2025 8:20 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Slow burn 17" archtop
- Replies: 23
- Views: 76809
- Sun Jan 05, 2025 10:02 am
- Forum: The Gallery
- Topic: Last uke of 2024
- Replies: 4
- Views: 21635
Re: Last uke of 2024
Happy New Year Allen. Lovely work, once again. Could you occasionally show us an example of your stuff-ups and mistakes just to make the rest of us feel better? But seriously, you are really producing exceptional instruments these days, and raising the bar for everyone. What is your method for cutti...
- Fri Jan 03, 2025 9:23 am
- Forum: The Gallery
- Topic: Two electric ukuleles
- Replies: 3
- Views: 18294
Re: Two electric ukuleles
Thanks for the tips Ian. What you describe for the finishing routing is much the same as I had planned, but I am always anxious when making it up as I go along. It is very reassuring to hear from someone who has actually made it work.
Cheers and HNY
mm
Cheers and HNY
mm
- Wed Dec 25, 2024 10:08 am
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Veneer Softener
- Replies: 14
- Views: 37356
Re: Veneer Softener
The important thing to understand about using any of these things is that it is a pre-treatment. You saturate the timber and than leave it to dry. Then bend by whatever method you prefer. At least, that is how I use it. It doesn’t seem to cause any problems with finish that will be applied later. Ce...
- Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:10 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Veneer Softener
- Replies: 14
- Views: 37356
Re: Veneer Softener
A traditional veneer softening recipe is 6 parts water, 3 parts alcohol (methylated spirits), 1 part glycerol (buy it at a pharmacy). Some recipes also add 1 part yellow glue. I have used this, Supersoft 2 and Rivergum brand from Carbatec. I think they all work, and in about equal measure. The home ...
- Sun Dec 22, 2024 3:21 pm
- Forum: The Gallery
- Topic: Two electric ukuleles
- Replies: 3
- Views: 18294
Re: Two electric ukuleles
Hi Ian. Nice, individual and distinctive, a little bit quirky. Definitely worth putting your name on. I don't know ukes, and have never made an electric. However, I have been planning to do a blue burst/fade sort of thing like you have done. I really like that. I also use hand applied oil finishes r...
- Mon Dec 09, 2024 2:44 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Ladder Purfling
- Replies: 7
- Views: 20622
Re: Ladder Purfling
That is annoying! Might be worth an email or phone call enquiry? If they still won't ship overseas you can use a parcel forwarding service like Shipito - or get it sent to your cousin Randy in Minneapolis.
- Mon Dec 09, 2024 5:48 am
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Ladder Purfling
- Replies: 7
- Views: 20622
Re: Ladder Purfling
If it is flexible enough to do the inner ring of the rosette is should bend around the edge of the body without difficulty, even a cutaway. Gurian stuff has a good reputation for quality. Quite a lot of the purfling material that you see for sale on Stew-Mac or other sellers is actually sourced from...
- Sat Dec 07, 2024 3:58 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: New member
- Replies: 7
- Views: 21440
Re: New member
OK, you will be good for tools then - but some luthiery specific things like a bending iron, fret hammer and nippers, bridge clamps, reamers might be additional purchases along the way. The Myrtle could certainly make good back and sides. You will want a softwood like spruce or cedar for the soundbo...
- Sat Dec 07, 2024 1:29 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Ladder Purfling
- Replies: 7
- Views: 20622
Re: Ladder Purfling
Hi Jack
Welcome to ANZLF.
Gurian Instruments is always a good place to look.
This one looks pretty close
https://shop.gurianinstruments.com/coll ... 3835074620
Welcome to ANZLF.
Gurian Instruments is always a good place to look.
This one looks pretty close
https://shop.gurianinstruments.com/coll ... 3835074620
- Sat Dec 07, 2024 1:23 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: New member
- Replies: 7
- Views: 21440
Re: New member
Hi Steve and welcome. We are here to help - always fun and challenging in equal measure for the first build, but you probably have a lifetime of skills that will assist you. I had none!
What are you planning in terms of guitar style and also timbers? What tools are you starting with?
Cheers
Mark
What are you planning in terms of guitar style and also timbers? What tools are you starting with?
Cheers
Mark
- Thu Nov 28, 2024 6:23 am
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Where to get good veneers?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 81596
Re: Where to get good veneers?
Hi Jules It is true that using a really thin veneer for a rosette is a challenge because you are likely to sand through it as you try to level it after inlaying in the soundboard. You could glue a number of layers of the same veneer together to make a thicker piece. Or glue a single thin sheet on a ...
- Wed Nov 27, 2024 10:08 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Pore fill question
- Replies: 39
- Views: 189703
Re: Pore fill question
If I don't spray stuff, would shellac - TM - shellac do the same. I guess this is a question I should answer for myself. Thanks for the inspiration.
- Thu Nov 21, 2024 9:36 pm
- Forum: Instrument Builders Forum
- Topic: Help with OSMO PolyX
- Replies: 9
- Views: 42499
Re: Help with OSMO PolyX
A small amount goes a long way. I just checked and found that I have actually been using a different brand of hard wax oil - Whittles Evolution. But let’s assume it has the same coverage as Osmo. Whittles claim a coverage of “up to 30 sq metres per litre”. Presumably that is for a single coat, and I...
- Thu Oct 24, 2024 3:57 pm
- Forum: The Gallery
- Topic: Raised neck classical
- Replies: 10
- Views: 32065
Re: Raised neck classical
That looks really great Wayne. I love how this work can be put aside for ages and then you just pick it up again when you can! So, why the sound port on the treble side? Nothing wrong with that, but I am used to seeing them point towards the player. That one could be good for pointing towards a floo...