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Just got the latest Stew-Mac catalogue, and noticed that they were NOT listing the b/w purflings any longer. (I mean by that the pre-laminated plastic purflings.) The only plastic purflings I saw were individual pieces. I only use the b/w, in a .020/.020 configuration along the fretboard and peghead, as finger grime will not stain the white line. (Learned the hard way with holly lines.) So, where does one turn for such stuff now?
I'm using the 1/8" tall stuff around pegheads, and the 1/4" tall for the fretboards. Azimmer's post got me thinking on this--you can tell that the sluggard in me does not relish another step in the process, that of laminating the pieces myself.
Thanks,
Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

   This is because the celuloid product they used to sell is now a classified Haz mat, so they are using the boltaron.
    

Steve,
I buy my ABS plastic already laminated in sheets from Leathertone 1 800 345-3561.
They will make any configuration of laminates.
For example I buy B.020/W.020/B.020/W.020 for my edge pufling.
I cut it on the table saw with a zero clearance plate.
The reason I switched from buying strips is that you can cut any height you want and it costs about one tenth of buying individual strips.
Brad

Thanks, John, and thanks for the source, Brad.
Do you use Duco or something similar to glue this stuff?
Currently I'm using a tube of something I got from Stew-Mac...seems like it's got "16" in the name somewhere. Wonder if that would work on the ABS?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I believe the product that Stew-Mac and LMII sells is Weld-on Cement #16 and recommends it for ABS. You can buy it at any place that sells plexiglass. It sets up in about an hour and can be scraped in about twelve hrs. It contains methylene chloride, methyl ethyl ketone and acrylic resin. This means where a mask or lose brain cells. Try not to get it on yourself as known as cancer causing stuff. Some of these things we use in luthiery are not good for one's body.

Steve,

I sell BWB but it is black dyed pear wood/maple/black dyed pearwood. I am wondering about your comment on the holly line getting coloured from finger grime. Doesn't your finish isolate the purfling from contact? Wouldn't you whitish guitar top suffer the same fate?

I am interested in your observation so that I can pass along that concern to some of my customers and it may force me to find alternatives.

Thanks

Shane

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Canada

Shane, I think Steve was talking about the purfling down the top of the fingerboard, the only place where the guitar has no finish.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I like the look of the maple/black stuff better myself. Been getting small
orders from grizzly, and larger orders from gurian.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

That makes sense!! Thanks Dave, sometimes it just takes me a bit....

Shane

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Canada

Hey thanks, Dave, for filling in for me!
Shane, yes indeed, I was speaking about the fretboard, especially. I frequently--though not always--put a b/w purfling line there next to the binding. And since I like to treat the peghead the same as the fretboard, I run it around there as well. The first guitar I did this on used Holly as the white line. Only it didn't stay white for very long! Everytime I see it, I'm a bit distressed by the now-coffee-colored line of purfling on the fretboard. Oh well....

Hey, thanks again fellas, I appreciate the help.

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

[QUOTE=Steve Kinnaird] Hey thanks, Dave, for filling in for me!
Shane, yes indeed, I was speaking about the fretboard, especially. I frequently--though not always--put a b/w purfling line there next to the binding. And since I like to treat the peghead the same as the fretboard, I run it around there as well. The first guitar I did this on used Holly as the white line. Only it didn't stay white for very long! Everytime I see it, I'm a bit distressed by the now-coffee-colored line of purfling on the fretboard. Oh well....

Steve[/QUOTE]

You see to me that would just be part of the history of the guitar, a bit like the nice fingerstained BRW fingerboards on old Martins. Just the patina of age, like the wrinkles on your grandad's face. You wouldn't want your grandad with that fixed LA smile would you?

Colin

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

In order for holly to be stark white one of two things have to happen to it either it has to be dried fast within hours of being cut, or it has to be bleached with an agressive two part bleach.

Both of these processes leave the wood Dry and "Hungry" which is why it will soak up finish or in this senario moisture from the players fingers which have of course been all over ebony/rosewood or the like on the fingerboard.

Naturally air dried holly is a coffee colour, so maple is probably a better choice in this scenario as it is naturally lighter in colour, but of course is not stark white.RussellR38641.3406597222

Colin--point taken. As a matter of fact, grandad had a large reddish birth mark on his Abraham-Lincolnish-face, which was part of his charm. I couldn't picture him without it.

However, if I were planning faces, I wouldn't plan for the irregularities. They'll come up on their own without much help from me.
And on guitars, I guess I want that line to look crisp on the fretboard, and stay that way. I suppose that's where the steel string (LA) culture has gotten to me!

Thanks for the reply,
Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com