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Hey guys, can anyone tell me what thickness of latex sheet you are using in you vacuum jigs? I'm talking about things like the jig used to glue down a bridge, or the large frames used for vacuum clamping your top and back braces.

Is 1/64" material too thin, is 1/8" material too thick?Dave Rector38535.8308564815

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

i use 1/16".

More importantly is to use silcone rubber. The glue will not stick to the silicone. This is not a problem for a while but, over time, regular rubber will react to the glue. I have been using my silicone rubber vacuum press since 1992. Never had to replace the rubber. This was not my idea but Richard Schneider's - one of the best guitarmakers I have had the privilege to know.Sylvan38535.6921875

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

I think the LMI rubber is 1/16". I'm not sure the thickness is critical, because we improvised a uke bridge clamping fixture with a latex glove. Not the most demanding application, but it worked great.

Caveat - I ordered some silicon rubber sheeting from McMaster-Carr in the .020" thickness and it was too porous - my vacuum pump could pull air right through it. Might have been a faulty piece - the .040" and .060" worked just fine.

Good advice given. I use regular rubber sheet, but will be replacing it with silcone rubber. Glue does stick to the regular rubber, so not the best option, and it will eventually dry out on you.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks for the tips guys! I just found a source that had the latex for about $15 for a 36x36 sheet and thought I might try that out.

Last time I looked, the silicon from McMaster was a little pricey. I can't even remember how much it was but it seemed like it was too high to waste on experimental jigs and such.

Can you tell I'm on a budget? We are dealing with a contractor trying to get a new house and shop built. That means I have to watch the pennies for a while.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I think you can use virtually anything. If it craps out, just replace it. Take a look at some of those vinyl table cloths, I bet they would work too.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Even thick plastic sheets will work...you just need to be able to creat an air-tight seal, and have the material not allow the vacuum to pull air through it.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks for the advice guys. Maybe I'll go ahead and get a 36x36 square of the cheap stuff and give it a whirl.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

you can get 1/16 silicon sheet on ebay for about $17 for a 36"x36". it is bright red though.crazymanmichael38537.4380092593

Thanks CMM! I'll check that out.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

sorry dave... just not thinking! have a look here:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ?ViewItem&item=7528179801&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&r d=1