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To embarrass myself into finishing something ...

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Robin
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@tv101 

I still find the accuracy incredible.  If you draw it out accurately, and have got the correct cutter in the machine, it will cut to within fractions of a mm.

Looking good tv and you've learnt a new skill. The accuracy is all down to your input.


   
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tv1
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Cheers @Robin 🙂

 

In the olden days, a "good lunch" would have involved some mates, a pub, and beer.

These days, it means I can take an hour out of my working day and get into the workshop!

20221010 133519SML

If the working day stays calm, then I'll get the long drill bit out this evening and join up the cavities.  

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tv1
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Bit more done this evening, between work o'clock and eat o'clock!

 

Well, that was lucky ...

20221010 180601sml

I don't think you can make a jig for that operation - just drill by eye and hope the bit comes out in the right place.  Given that I always aim for the bottom right corner of that cavity, I'll take that one!

 

I like using the Schaller mega-switches for pickup switching.  I used to think they were "StewMac" switches until I spotted "Schaller" in big letter engraved into the casing!  Anyways - they're easy to fit if you're building a guitar with a scratchplate.  In fact, they're probably designed for guitars with scratchplates.  A little more fiddly to fit otherwise.

Previously I've used a Dremel with a tiny drill bit, drill a (straight-ish) line of 10-15 holes and then use a thin file to join the holes into a slot.  It works, but it's messy.

This is definitely not so messy ...

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It's a 2mm wide slot, about 35mm long (I forget the exact length) and needs the top to be no more than 3mm thick.

Fitted first time, perfectly and with no "easing" required. 

That made me stupidly happy !!

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Russ
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Posted by: @tv101

I like using the Schaller mega-switches for pickup switching. 

I'm a big Schaller fan @tv101. Thinking of using their Hannes bridge on a future build.👍😁 

🙏🎶🎸🙂

🗝️ "Life's what you make it"🗝️


   
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Clinton
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Looking real nice!


   
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tv1
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Today I've finished the prep work - deepened the control cavity, added the other potholes, drilled the jack socket hole and done a load of sanding.

And added a coat of white stain on the back

20221015 154433

And first coat on the front

20221015 200144

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tv1
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Hey @TV1, you forgot to do the roundover on the front edge before staining!!

20221015 200149

 

Well, actually, no I didn't forget!  I'm going to finish staining the top & sides and then I'm going to roundover the top edge, which should create a "natural binding" type effect, as well as a couple of nice sharp lines where the side stain and top stain ends.

Then I'll finish it all with something.

Usually, I'd just use oil.  But I might just try the Liberon ready made Shellac option ...

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tv1
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I am still moving on with this build, but it's at the stage of add-a-coat-of-stain-wait-a-day-for-it-to-harden.

So not many update pics to share.

A tin of Liberon Easy French Polish arrived today, so I'll experiment with that on some scrap first, and then hopefully I'll be able to add a bit of shine to the finish of this one.

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tv1
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Less haste, etc.

I spotted a blemish in the side of the guitar, so got the sanding bits out again to remove it.  And the finish obvs.

Then tried to build the finish back up too quickly, so ended up with runs in the finish.

And had to get the sanding bits out again again.

Less haste ....

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Boo
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@tv101 Holy crap! This build of yours is looking amazing, I’m in awe. 

Finishing is always troublesome but I’m sure you will get it sorted. Just keep going, you are impressing me. 

I feel very envious of you getting at least an hour of workshop time for guitars, I’m getting none right now. I spent a little time the other day setting up a temporary guitar setup area in the house but I haven’t had time to use it yet. My actual workshop space (I have masses of space) will take a lot longer to get set up but it will be worth it. I have a readymade spray booth already in place, I can’t believe my luck. 

It looks amazing T, get it finished. 🤘😜🤘🎸

 

Boo

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tv1
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The stain on the back / sides has now built up nicely.

I rubbed back - lightly - after the first coat and then added a couple more coats on the back.

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It's nice and smooth, and that's natural shine that you can see - the finish is completely dry, so it's not the usual just-applied wet sheen.

I'm happy with the way that's looking.

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tv1
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I've also been testing out the Liberon Easy French Polish.  I'd not used anything like this before, so I thought I'd better test it out on some scrap before deciding whether or not to use it on this guitar.

The scrap is a guitar-shaped piece of Ash.  This has split in a couple of places from the bottom of the body, and my efforts at gluing it back together failed, so it's now scrap.

Which is a shame because I really like the way that the Ash took the blue stain!  But I've another piece of the same timber, so that's for another day.

Anyways, having tested both the blue & white stains on this piece of scrap, I then applied the Liberon polish over the top of both, mainly to see whether either would react badly to the polish, but also to see how easy it was to apply the polish and what sort of finish it would create.

Again, these pics show the polish fully dried, so no wet-sheen shine!

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Happy with that too.  It was certainly quicker to apply than building up multiple coats of oil, and it's created a shinier finish too.

The right side doesn't look very white, but I'd only applied one coat of the Osmo stain to that area, so it didn't build up in the way that it has on the back of the real guitar.  

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Boo
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Posted by: @tv101

I've also been testing out the Liberon Easy French Polish.

@tv101 I love the look of that French polish so I’ve ordered some to try for myself. 

Did you get much of the blue stain lifting off when you applied it? 

 

Make guitars, not war 🌍✌️🎸


   
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tv1
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A tiny bit @Boo - but not so much that made any noticeable difference to the "blueness" of the wood.

Be interested to hear what you make of it.  I made a little pad of cotton wool, then wrapped that in a small piece of cotton (old shirt), put the polish onto the cotton wrapped and then rubbed in quite quickly.

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Bill Flude
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Posted by: @russ
Posted by: @tv101

I like using the Schaller mega-switches for pickup switching. 

I'm a big Schaller fan @tv101. Thinking of using their Hannes bridge on a future build.👍😁 

🙏🎶🎸🙂

The Freeway Blade is worth a look - 10 positions, 2 banks of 5, that fits where a normal 5 way would fit - very easy to wire….

Measure once........ Measure again......... Sod it - make tea!


   
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Russ
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Posted by: @frocesterbill

The Freeway Blade is worth a look - 10 positions, 2 banks of 5, that fits where a normal 5 way would fit - very easy to wire….

@frocesterbill

Very impressive Bill. Cheers

🎶🙂🎸🙏

🗝️ "Life's what you make it"🗝️


   
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tv1
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I've seen those switches @frocesterbill and wondered about trying them sometime, but then wondered whether I'd actually use all the extra sounds.  But then I'm often quite happy with a single pickup in a guitar!!

Have you tried one in a guitar and - if so - how useful did you find them?

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Bill Flude
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Got one in my latest - 5 positions are normal Strat - in the other 5 you get bridge humbucker, bridge and neck in series and parallel, all three single coils and neck and middle in series…..

The humbucker, bridge and neck in series and neck and middle in series are useful sounds.   

Measure once........ Measure again......... Sod it - make tea!


   
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Siddharth Mehta
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All the best, good work.

siddharth


   
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tv1
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Let's get this thread back on the road.

For anyone who didn't spot the "feck up" thread, this happened when I added the roundover to the top

image

With the benefit of hindsight, and the assistance of a few good old swear words, I now realise that the Gods of Design were controlling the router that day, and rather than a "feck up", that was actually a piece of inspired design work that I would never have stumbled across, unless I made a dumb mistake.

Which this clearly wasn't.

So, now we have the inset jack socket, which is a great help when swapping guitars on a dimly lit stage and needing to find the jack socket quickly

image

Brilliant design @tv1 - how did you think of that?? !!

 

Since that piece of brilliance, I've been giving brilliance a chance to strike again, thinking about other opportunities to repeat the "inset walnut" design theme around the guitar.  I *might* do some more, or I might just leave it where it is, and get on with the finishing stage because - apparently - the guitar is getting in the way in the finishing area.  (My wife refers to the finishing area as "the wet room" - not that we've ever used it, wet or dry!).

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