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I pick up a syringe at the local farm store.
They were a little skeptical until I told them what is was for.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

I have to say that after sharpening the saw, I didn't get any tear out as I had in the past on ebony boards. One more thing I did different and I think has left me some nice tight slots, as designed, I didn't slide back on the TS but lifted the jig and placed it back in the slots. Maybe I won't need any glue for these frets. That would be nice.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

There was a guy on the British Baking Show one time, who used to inject things into his baking with a syringe. I'm pretty sure this is intended for farm use somehow.

I see that Dave knows about that.

I needed things for a list. Tractor Supply down the road, didn't even come to mind.

Hutch;
Isn't it great when things work out, just like you want?

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Why be normal?

I used to buy my syringes at a local veterinarian supply.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

And now, a word from our sponsor:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-a ... uIEALw_wcB

These are really good for laying down a bead of glue in the fret slot before clamping them in with a Jaws 2 (tm) while using a Rock-n-Roller Neck Rest (tm) and green Bench Pad. Just sayin.

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"And now, a word from our sponsor:

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-a ... uIEALw_wcB"


Something to consider: 12cc syringe, 23 gauge tips, but you get 100 for the same price. I'm all for supporting Stew-Mac, but at some point you have to get real...

for thin CA I'd recommend 3cc syringes with 25ga. needles - pinpoint accuracy

If you have a pet, maybe talk to your Vet.

Completely agree. I bought the StewMac offering and lots of replacement needles but was disappointed with it. It's physically huge for working inside a guitar so we didn't use ours and instead continued with actual syringes with the butterfly attachments and we bought lots of replacement butterfly needles.

The amount of glue that the StewMac one holds is about 100 times more glue than I have ever needed to repair a loose brace. They simply made it way too big.

This was ideal for purfling grooves with HHG. I use brushes everywhere else. I like the whip tips on thin CA, Those are the only glues I use. I don't do repairs; I only fix what I mess up.

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Why be normal?

I've used the LeeValley syringes for years. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/to ... em=25K0731

I guess I'd just re-iterate... a syringe will (should) run you around 35 cents, and a 100 count box of needles around 6-7cents each, so maybe 40-45 cents for syringe and needle vs 21.50 for 5[Lee Valley], or 21.67 for the syringe only[SM].

Also very useful for other things like: measuring 2 part epoxy, no drip recharging of french polish municas, cooking [5cc = 1 teaspoon, 15cc = 1 tablespoon, 30 cc ~ 1ounce], blow gun darts [remove plunger, glue tuft of cotton at tail end of barrel, attach needle, load into slightly larger diameter tube and blow ], just takes imagination...

If you happen to get sterile ones (unnecessary), the plastic syringe case it comes in are handy for storing small parts.

Syringes are great and cheap as noted. Be sure to get “luer-lock” tips as a needle will pop off a tapered tip under pressure leaving a big mess.

You can get long “spinal” needles for stuff like getting under loose braces and also short lengths of IV connector tubing for ease reaching remote locations.

I also like 3-5cc sizes.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Made it to the spray booth and put some tuners on. Getting close!









Brad


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I've used Schertlers on the last three and I really, really like them.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I like the simple design of the headstock; front and back. I never heard of Schertler tuners. They look nice, and since they only make one gear and plate for everything, they probably have the gears really dialed in.

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Why be normal?

The little guitar/uke, are almost ready for varnish. The viola has been soaked, and dried in the sun and a galvanized trash can with black lights for a couple of nights. It makes the wood look far more like wood; not so pale and white. Some wood is very photosensitive. The spruce on the guitar is more like that. It gets a nice patina in a few days in the basement!

I soak the viola with what I have labeled, Tannin. I think it is just water turned brown by soaking cheery wood chips in it. It MIGHT have something else in it; but I can't think of what I might have done. I know it isn't any sort of caustic chemicals like the violinmakers use; some sort of nitrate/nitrite; and can actually burn, or eat away wood. It is humidity cycling, and adding color right into the wood.

The viola started at 423g. I added 20g soaking it with the tannin, and filling in areas that weren't even, until everything was. Then after a 16 hours in the can it was 412g. Then I did it again, 424g, and now it is 409g. It looks much better. It seems more resonant on the fingers; but maybe because it is fuzzy. One 1/4" spot on the katalox "binding" on the ribs puckered out from the water. But nothing warped.

I'll see what the weight is when it evens out in a day or so in the basement.

You can see that the scale length on the guitar is much longer than the 375 of the viola.

You can also see the curly spruce that is the core and head of the guitar neck. Yes. That is the SIDE grain. The veneer on it is .5mm; but it is completely soaked in CA.

The guitar isn't going to need any color coats. One or two thin coats and it will be done. Two coats will be the ground coat for the viola. It wants color.

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Why be normal?

The viola settled at 418 g. It was 421 after adding this sealer coat. After sitting in the sun, and in the trashcan overnight with the black lights, it is 415 g.

This is like a sealer coat. You can still feel that it is wood; but you can feel the resin coat on in it. Basically 2 parts spirit varnish with 1 part oil. Lemon shellac, and Sandarac. It seems to dry almost immediately. I've tried thinning oil varnish with shellac, or any resin in alcohol; and it works the same way, and is extremely tough.

Now to keep the good look looking good.

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Why be normal?

That looks great, Ken!


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Ken, can you elaborate on the "tannin" soak? Are you just brushing on the solution? I keep seeing an assembled instrument submerged in a tub of water with additives and I know that can't be right.

And what are the dark lines on the ribs along the plates? Is it tinted shellac? Whatever it is I haven't seen that done before but I like the look.

Thanks, Brian

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

I brush on a lot of the tannin water until it is even in color. Then I put it in the sun. Then I do it over again the next day. It added 20grams the first time, so it is a lot of water. It all evaporates, and somehow it ends up lighter in weight, but darker.

The dark is katalux "binding." The ribs were a little too narrow. I bought another board, but it just didn't have the look. It IS a lot of trouble. Glue ribs. Add linings, and plane them flat. Mark the width of the binding, and cut back to the lining. Glue on the katalux. Blend the katalux in. So it is 6 extra steps.

It does seem to make the ribs stiffer. It DID make me think about how the ribs looked. I had to get the bindings even, and flat, and smooth; so the ribs actually came out nice!

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Why be normal?

Nice work, gentlemen!

Ken, I'd like to know about the Austin Healey at lower left!

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

I wish it was mine! Born and raised in Detroit, I've never been a huge "big 3" fan. The only car I went in the dealer to see when it just came out was a Pantera at the Mercury dealer. The salesman told us to leave.

I like the show cars too.

Car magazine and Sports Car Graphic were better than Road & Track. I had good luck with a Cavalier wagon, and a couple of Dodge mini-vans, but the Subaru Crosstrek that I have and the one I had, are far better than anything. They are new; but only the Vibe came close; and it had horrible visibility out of it. It was horrible in the snow too. The Crosstrek outhandles it.

The shop I worked at last made forgings for the CVT drive cones for Linamar in Ontario. That's the transmission that is in it. And for Jatco in Mexico, and GM. And a bunch of other things.

I'm watching a COMPLETE rebuild of a Citroen DS 23 IE Pallas, on youtube now. My favorite car maybe. You have to be practical. Probably too complicated. VW micro bus? 60's Alfa or Lancia sedans?

The Austin would likely be WAY less expensive.

I do like some older American cars. I like them with what came in them. I don't need to burn rubber. What a waste of tires! If your aren't on the Interstate drums might even be ok. That's all we ever had for a while.

Yeah, I do like cars.

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Why be normal?

I was a fan of Sports Car Graphic too. Unfortunately, I only discovered it in 1970 maybe a little over a year before they shut down. It was a great magazine.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I did a complete fret level on this mando i built back around 2004. I should have done it a long time ago. It plays like a dream now.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Just finished up this mandocello body, at least for now. time to move on to the neck. Pretty straight forward combination of woods: Red spruce top. Indian rosewood back and sides, curly maple binding, and maple for the rosette and end graft.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter