Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi,

I had some time in the shop yesterday and this morning, and was able to complete my 1st rosette (figured Sycamore, with b/w/b). I certainly learned alot from this! I had a few problems:

- Cutting out the rosette:


- Routing out the channel using the circle cutter jig I got from Sylvan - what a pleasure it is to use!!:


- Dry fitting - I did this a bunch of times, and it was great to do ... however, i learned when the glue is in the channel, it is harder to do:


- Scraped and sanded to 220. I have a few small gaps that i need to address. Also, while having the glue in the channel, the outside purfling snapped as I was trying to fit it (it doesnt move around as well with the glue in the channel (LMI White). You can see it on the bottom towards the left:


All in all, I was pretty happy with the results for my 1st - but I could have kicked myself when the purfling broke - glue was already beginning to set.

Thanks for looking!

Glenn

I forgot to ask my question . What would be the best method to fill in the gaps? Their are 2 that arent too bad, but I would like to fill in the gaps - should i fill with sycamore dust and wick in some glue?

Thanks!

Glenn

Your rosette looks great Glenn my friend.

There are lots of ways to fill gaps but if it were me and I had used LMI White I would continue to use LMI White and dust and avoid CA.

What I do is squeegee some glue into the gap with my finger and then sand with 120 tri-folded paper a few strokes in the direction of the gap. This helps keep the dust that will result from sanding more on the side of the gap that the dust came from. Typically repeating this once or twice and the gap is filled.

Why not re-rout and replace with a slightly larger purfling. Kill to birds...... new unbroken purf and no more gaps.

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Dean

You might be able to reduce the visibility of the break with a little piece of purfling, but if it were my first, I'd leave it. It will be under the strings, and the top will be on the guitar, so it won't be nearly as prominent in your mind or visually when you're done with it as it is now. Plus, it will be under the strings. By the time you start your #2, you'll have nearly forgotten all about it!

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Hi Hesh,
At what point would you fill in the gaps, during final sanding with 220 or before the initial sanding? I figure that a lot of sanding could open the gaps again. Thanks

By the way Glenn, that is a very nice first rosette.

Thanks Ron.

Actually, I was wondering the same question. I have already sanded to 220. I have half the gaps filled, but the other gaps are very narrow - the LMI glue just doesnt fit in the gaps. I have been using my finger to try to force in the gap, then sprinkling the sycamore dust into the gap. Most of this is getting sanded out when i sand. Overall, however, the gaps are very minimal ...

Glenn

I also have some gaps in my wood rosette. So far I only sanded with 120 grit. I've been using a modified version of Hesh's gap filling technique like you Glenn by applying the glue, wiping off the excess, and then sprinkling the dust in. But if i do a lot of sanding afterwards, the gap opens up again. This happened where the sides meet the back plate.

ron m.

Thanks Todd. I was planning on trying FP for my first finish (when I get to that stage). Does the same hold true for FP?

Question re: z-Poxy. I was also planning on z-Poxy to fill - i was wondering (and i think you answered that) if I should z-poxy the rosette on top? I wasn't planning on Z-Poxying the top ( i think i read where some folks do this).

Thx!

Glenn

I often use solid wood rings or tiles. I found a long time ago it is much easier and the results are cleaner to inlay the veneer rings last. Seal the channel and the surrounding area with shellac, dry fit the veneer lines, douse in CA, level with a scraper, done.

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Ken Whisler, guitarist and luthier