In the shop

[milosch]

Personally, I'd use nitro instead. Either way I think you may want it to use 800 or 1200 to smooth it out first. That's what I'll be doing on my nitro finish prior to polishing with 2-3 grades of polishing compound. Never used tung oil but I still think it needs to be as smooth as possible.

[GreatDane]

so, what's on the workbench today, guys/gals?

[atrox]

 

Hey Meandi (and other assembled luthiers). I'm going to do a tung-oil finish on my Ric build ( here ). Got a couple of questions if anyone can help out... 1) What grit should I use prior to application of the oil? 2) Should I put the oil on the fretboard?

 

 

:love:Nice way to think differently! Love it!

 

Keep in mind, I usually use tru-oil, but I don't think that will be a big difference.

 

1. For oil, i will usually go up to 320ish for that extra smooth application and feel.

 

2. I typically put one coat of tru-oil on rosewood, ebony or any other material that doesn't typically get a finish on most guitars. Being that your's is a Ric, i would oil it to a nice shine to go with the Ric theme.

[atrox]

BTW, I have a few things on my plate right now. They includes 2 builds of a custom shape me a buddy are working on (one if for Bryan at BG), replacing the neck on my LP with a 25.5" scale neck and building myself a slightly different version of THIS guitar. Ever since I gave this guitar to the client, I have been lusting after making my own. The shape is just so comfortable and tone!!! Mine will have no pickguard and will be HSS. Maybe not so black either. Definitely not a 3x3 headstock on mine

 

[thick_mike]

 

Personally, I'd use nitro instead. Either way I think you may want it to use 800 or 1200 to smooth it out first. That's what I'll be doing on my nitro finish prior to polishing with 2-3 grades of polishing compound. Never used tung oil but I still think it needs to be as smooth as possible.

 

 

Yeah, I'd use nitro or polyurethane if I had any way to spray, but I don't at the moment (the weather here in the UK isn't that good at this time of year either).

[meandi]

great idea, meandi! i love reading about your shop adventures. I also quite enjoy the way you tend to weave in all sorts of interesting facts/stories/ philosoph-oids . i'll stop in as often as i can to participate.

 

I am the philosoph-oid-er

[thick_mike]

BTW, I have a few things on my plate right now. They includes 2 builds of a custom shape me a buddy are working on (one if for Bryan at BG), replacing the neck on my LP with a 25.5" scale neck and building myself a slightly different version of THIS guitar. Ever since I gave this guitar to the client, I have been lusting after making my own. The shape is just so comfortable and tone!!! Mine will have no pickguard and will be HSS. Maybe not so black either. Definitely not a 3x3 headstock on mine

 

Your guitars always look so clean with no fret markers.

 

I'm pretty sure I'd get lost though!

[meandi]

Hey Meandi (and other assembled luthiers). I'm going to do a tung-oil finish on my Ric build ( here ). Got a couple of questions if anyone can help out... 1) What grit should I use prior to application of the oil? 2) Should I put the oil on the fretboard?

 

That's a great looking guitar!

I use Bhelen raw tung oil on my stuff & have had good results with final grits of 320 or so.

It's kind of slow to apply, in that a 24 hr dry is recomended between coats.

But after 6/8 coats, I haven't found anything I like better for looks or feel.

I use it on maple boards...on ebony & rosewood, I like stew macs fretboard finishing oil.

[meandi]

i think I'll hang out here for a while. the rest of this forum gives me a headache lately

 

You're welcome around my campfire anytime!

[meandi]

BTW, I have a few things on my plate right now. They includes 2 builds of a custom shape me a buddy are working on (one if for Bryan at BG), replacing the neck on my LP with a 25.5" scale neck and building myself a slightly different version of THIS guitar. Ever since I gave this guitar to the client, I have been lusting after making my own. The shape is just so comfortable and tone!!! Mine will have no pickguard and will be HSS. Maybe not so black either. Definitely not a 3x3 headstock on mine

 

Lovely, I've always had much respect for your work, atrox.

[meandi]

 

so, what's on the workbench today, guys/gals?

 

 

My wife has been re-doing her living room...promised that I'd install hangers & help get the new drapes up today.

I call it being the GLH!

[meandi]

 

[lachupakabra361]

IN!

 

here is a little pre-view of a little project im working on right now. was gonna wait till its done and give it a thread but it fits here too! sorry for the crappy pics ahead of time. ive had this kit sitting around for about 5 years. was cleaning and i found it! i got it before i was really into build/repair stuff for guitars. decided it might be fun to do now that i know a little more about builds. lol

 

here is the kit as i found it:

 

 

and here it is as of now

 

 

sanded to 500 grit, pre-stain, one coat of red mahogany stain, two coats of sanding sealer. next it gets sanded, then i start on the top! its gonna be a gold top uke! i wanted to practice doing a gold top before i go for it on a guitar. so its perfect! after the gold, i clear coat the whole thing. hopefully it turns out good:thu:

[lachupakabra361]

also just last weekend, my build WAS my workbench. no more working on my floor. now i have this:

 

 

solid mahogany top:thu: since this picture ive ran electrical for an outlet and an overhead light. also this week ill build some drawers on the left and get rid of the nightstand on the right. i love it!

[thick_mike]

IN! here is a little pre-view of a little project im working on right now. was gonna wait till its done and give it a thread but it fits here too! sorry for the crappy pics ahead of time. ive had this kit sitting around for about 5 years. was cleaning and i found it! i got it before i was really into build/repair stuff for guitars. decided it might be fun to do now that i know a little more about builds. lol here is the kit as i found it: and here it is as of now sanded to 500 grit, pre-stain, one coat of red mahogany stain, two coats of sanding sealer. next it gets sanded, then i start on the top! its gonna be a gold top uke! i wanted to practice doing a gold top before i go for it on a guitar. so its perfect! after the gold, i clear coat the whole thing. hopefully it turns out good:thu:

 

I showed one of my students at school some of the pictures of my build and he said he'd really like to build a uke. Where's your kit from (and is it any good)?

[Elias Graves]

 

EG

[meandi]

also just last weekend, my build WAS my workbench. no more working on my floor. now i have this: solid mahogany top:thu: since this picture ive ran electrical for an outlet and an overhead light. also this week ill build some drawers on the left and get rid of the nightstand on the right. i love it!

 

I'm lusting over that piece of mahogany!!

[meandi]

 

I showed one of my students at school some of the pictures of my build and he said he'd really like to build a uke. Where's your kit from (and is it any good)?

 

 

What do you teach?

[meandi]

EG

 

[meandi]

A few shots of my shop.

The house is less than 1,000 sq ft, with no basement.

I'm set up in a 120 sq ft room that use to be a bedroom, so things are real tight.

I'm blessed with a wife who is smart enough to know that without my creative outlet, I'm not the man she fell in love with.

So she tollerates my madness...bless her lil heart.

 

 

Router table/shaper with 1/2" bit shank capabilities under the towel, spindle sander & belt sander.

 

Six inch joiner & the drill press.

 

Double wide closet with doors removed for the roller chest & assorted stuff.

 

 

 

Too clean a desk is the sign of a sick mind!!

[MahaloVision]

No electrics on mine right now, just acoustics. May have to slap together another bass soon, though.

[meandi]

 

No electrics on mine right now, just acoustics. May have to slap together another bass soon, though.

 

 

I like working on acoustics, they're quite the challenge at times.

 

I really enjoyed doing this one.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2636879

[meandi]

I'm having trouble linking to previous threads in the manner that I have always done.

I know they updated to a newer Vbulletin format, could that be part of my problem?

 

Edit: think I figgured it out.

[thick_mike]

 

What do you teach?

 

 

I teach chemistry and physics at an upper school in the uk (kids from 13 to 18).

[lachupakabra361]

I'm lusting over that piece of mahogany!!

 

haha over here its easier to find Philippine Mahogany then pine sometimes! i just bough two 2"x6"x8' pieces at a hardware store here. the color and density difference between the two pieces is crazy! and both pieces were from the same stack! another plus is that the board dimensions are WAY closer to 2"x6" than a stateside pine would be. a US 2"x4" measures roughly 1.5x3.5. the mahogany 2x4s i buy here are 2.80x3.80 just over 2 3/4" thick. gonna be doing a build soon! just this weekend i scored some ultra rare local wood for ridiculously cheap. its called Ifit wood here. its endangered so you can only get it if someone has a tree that dies of natural causes and the cut it up or if you find some from a long time ago. its very very dark and ridiculously dense. gonna do a few test builds before i even touch it! an old family friend was closing a wood working shop he has had since the 60's. he bought the wood from a local woodcarver back in the 70's and its been stacked in his shop ever since! i got three pieces roughly 20"x40"x2"