Official Luthiers Forum!

I think I read in a post that Colin French Polishes his guitars with the bridge glued in place.The question is do you tape over the bridge and fretboard or just go for it and be real careful?
                  James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

My personal preference is to do the polishing before gluing the bridge or installing the neck. Its quite a bit easier to get the free-flowing motion that I like. I have done some touch-ups on finished builds and I taped the bridge and the fretboard extension. A little Lonnie Mack on the CD player can get you going amost to good!    

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

are you doing a classical or a steel string? if a classical, the bridge is usually french polished on the guitar.

if doing a steel string, it is much easier do the neck and body separately without the bridge on the guitar. i have known some who tape the bridge patch, but i always seemed to lift the tape when i tried it. mind i haven't fp'ed a steel string in a long time; mayhap tape is better now.

It`s a steel string.
              James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I have french polished the last couple I have done and while they are still rough, each one improves, especially around the bridge. I really want to be able to play it in the white before I start the finishing to get a sense of what I am dealing with and what will change with some top or back sanding. It is a lot harder with the bridge on, but I figure if the classical guys can do it... I can't imagine doing it without some level sanding in that area, but maybe someday. I guess I am saying it is a pain, but definately possible. While I am doing it I just go right up to it and get some shellac on the bridge. After the glazing has dried for a couple days I tape around the bridge and sand it to whatever shine I want and then lightly oil it. That part is easy.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

For a classical definitely FP before fitting the bridge. Ditto for a steel string. If you want to mask off the bridge area mask off to a few mm shy of the bridge outline and trim back shellac to same with scalpel once FP is done. If you mask right to the outside of the bridge footprint then there's a chance youll lift shellac and end up doing a patch up job with the shellac. It also leaves room for minor adjustments to final bridge position if required.

I'm like Jim I'll FP without the bridge in place. Once I've settled on the bridge placement I'll dam the area with tape as in this picture.



Then mark the area with a sharp knife point as seen in in this picture.



Finish the scraping and then I'll glue the bridge in place.

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Michael Lloyd

“I was born to ignorance, yes, and lesser poverties ...
I was born to privilege that I did not see ... I didn’t know it, but my way was paved” – John Gorka

Yes I always French polish with the bridge already glued in place. I like to give the final tune to the top while strings are on a up to pitch. This obviously has to be done with the bridge glued on. I don't believe it is possible to achieve this final tuning on an unglued or unstrung top.

I use a fully bolted on neck, with floating finger board on a neck extension, so I simply just unbolt the neck again and finish the top. I don't tape the bridge off just work carefully and always stiff off and glaze across the guitar. It's not difficult to shape the muneca to get in tight to the bridge, and any finish that does go on the bridge is easily scraped off with a scalpel and the lightly sanded with 1200grit.

I certainly wouldn't go back to the old way of finishing the guitar then scraping off and gluing the bridge. As I said I like to give my top a final tune with the trings on. I'm building a musical instrument and getting a perfect sound is more important to getting a perfect finish. With care I've found tht both are more possible the way I do it now.

By the way, with my lutes I glue the bridge on before I glue the top to the shell.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

masking tape will bleed adhesive caused by the alcohol this makes a mess

Building a classical with a spanish heel I'm pretty much committed on the neck set at that point and I have a hard enough time FPing around the fingerboard without adding the additional obstacal of the bridge. So I FP with the bridge off with some masking tape where the bridge will go.

I use a high quality 3m green masking tape and I have had absolutly zero problems of bleeding adhesive caused by alcohol. Comes off neat and tidy.

Michael has way more expereince than me, so your results may differ.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] masking tape will bleed adhesive caused by the alcohol this makes a mess[/QUOTE]
I can testify to that, yes indeed! I remember thinking, "why is the shellac so gummy there....?"

I'm going to have to seek out some of that 3M green and give it a try.