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Finally the bending iron is fixed. This weekend I finished bending the sides for the weissenborn copy. It took sometime getting them right i can tell you. I am a patient man!!! I used the iron on 5, no problems.

Please see pic




The first effort at bending wasn't so pleasant and I scorched the inside of one side. It sanded out ok thank goodness. The first side I soaked as per Cumpiano book. Not such a good idea as the tailblock end of the side cupped. Today I just wet the side in the shower for a few minutes and then spayed when dry during the bending process and that worked good.

So the side bending job I was most concerned about turned out a success.

Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan

Always the most nervy job (that and routing the binding channel) but you seem to have got through just fine. Bending on a pipe is a good skill to have.

Colin

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

Looks great Alan. You are moving right along.

Thanks for sharing.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Alan,

looking good - it's going to be an interesting wood combination and it will be interesting to see (or do i mean hear) how it turns out.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

You hit the nail on the head when you said the word patience. I feel it is the key to bending with a pipe. Waiting to feel the magic moment when the wood relaxes and not pushing the bend to far to quickly.

Up to this point I have been a free builder (no jigs molds or forms). I love the pipe.

One of the cool things is realizing you can bend sides as long as you have a clothes iron and a round object. I have even used my BBQ to bend sides the list is probably endless.

Anyway LOOKING GOOD!!

_________________
"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...

Very nice, super clean work Alan!!!!

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement. After todays effort, now i'm getting some where!!!! You beauty, i'm a happy man.




Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan

Cool! Good job!

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

The linings, neck support and side supports where glued in this weekend. Here are a few pics for those of you who like to see how the guitar is comming along. Starting to look something like a weissenborn guitar copy now. I enjoyed watching the shape of the guitar taking place. All good fun!!!







Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Alan

Hi Alan,
It's coming along nicely. You've been gaining a lot of ground lately. Keep up the good work, and steady pace. Question: How did you profile your sides before the bending process, did you use the MIMF plans side profile? Just curious. Thanks.

Ron Mack
Formerly Mackie

Thanks Ron for the encouragement.

To answer you question I made a template with a little advice from a fellow builder. Here is his explanation of the process that I followed without a hitch using the MIMF plan.

I measured the inside of my mould by usind a strip of about .75mm cardboard 100 wide and 100 long. Pressed tight on the inside of the mould, mark butt and headstock joints. This gives you your total length and becomes your template. Now starting at the butt end mark the edge of the template every 20mm. Now hold the edge on the back plan view and mark the perimeter with the 20mm marks. Use a square edge to project from the perimeter to the side view. Transfer desired depths from the side view to the corresponding points on the template. Connect the dots, then cut. So my template was just a long skinny piece of card with one straight edge and one curved.

Profiling the sides before bending was a good move in my opinion.

Cheers

Alan

Looking good Alan

I, for one, would like to see the entire build process of this project.

John

Thanks Alan for the details. Since my sides are already bent, I going to use the Cumpiano approach, seems simple enough. Looking foward to your next installment.

Ron Mack
Formerly Mackie

It's really coming along Alan.

I was just curious to know what types of glue you have been using for construction thus far and what types of glue you plan to use for the various joints that will be required in this projects near future?

Thanks,

Steve

G'day Steve,

I have used Original Titebond on everything so far. A fellow forum member,friend and guitar builder here in Oz kindly sent me some hide glue just recently. He actually sent me some old stuff he had to practise with and 40 gram of some new hide glue. I am going to glue all bracing the hide glue. I need some practise as i believe the set time is pretty fast!!!!

How is your latest project comming along?

Cheers

Alan

Alan,

Thanks for the reply.

No new guitar projects for me at the moment.

I'm just trying to learn to play my last two projects.

Good fortune the rest of the way on yours.

Steve

A little more progress on the weissenborn copy. The endgraft is Tasmanian Myrtle.



Time for the bracing next. The humidity levels have dropped significantly here over the past few weeks as the wet season is over for this year. I'm using hhg for the first time. I gained some practise now ready to go!!!



Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Alan

Hey Alan,
The end graft looks nice. I'm sure the HHG will work out just fine in your capable hands. Have fun.

Thanks Ron for your comments!

Here are some more progress pics achieved over this long weekend here in Oz. The back and top have been braced as per the mimf plan and the X brace patch has been glued and the top is in the gobar deck at this moment. My experience with hhg has been good. No problems except when i glued in the second X brace i had a little trouble getting the lap joint to come together. The joint was a snug fit dry. I applied the glue to the brace joint first and then the bottom. Should have applied the glue to the joint last as it got a little sticky. Lesson learnt!!! Some anxious moments but it all come together beautifully.







Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Alan

Alan,

Nice work - onwards and upwards !! I know you are following the mimf plans but the top and back bracing looks mighty fearsome - I don't think this instrument is in danger of imploding. It will be interesting to see the top and back when you have carved the braces. Do you know what the top and back bracing weighed in their un-carved shape?

I'm really looking forward to the soundlips of this one.

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Looking really nice! Can't wait to see the final product.

_________________
"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."

It's coming along nicely Alan. Question: What are the arch offsets that you're using for the back braces? Shouldn't be long now. Thanks

Ron

Hi everyone,

A further progress update on the weissenborn copy.

Last weekend and this have been taken up finishing of scholloping, feathering and sanding the top and back braces, leveling and inleting the rim to accept the top and back. I had some fun and games wih the inleting of the braces. Anyway, it all fitted together and i'm happy with the final outcome.











WEIGHT DETAILS

Finished Top (braces schollped and feathered) 355 gram
Back Finished (braces schollped and feathered) 365 gram
Rim 435 gram
Fretboard 95 gram
Bridge 30 gram
Total 1280 gram (without machine heads)

Thanks all for looking

Cheers

Alan

Looking good Alan. Never had much run-ins with weissenborns. I've seen a couple of postings of videos and like them a lot. YOurs is coming along great!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Hi everyone,

Over the past few weeks the binding channel was cut using a Laminate Trimmer and over this long weekend, the Tasmanian Myrtle binding was bent and installed. The tops of the binding have been leveled and now for the sides. I used a sanding block for the tops and may make up some curved sanding blocks or try my hand at a scraper blade for the sides.

Here a a few pics. The binding really adds the finishing touch!







Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan