Donald A. Fortune's Friends

Donald A. Fortune's Discussions

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Posted on July 3, 2009 at 9:31am — 1 Comment

At 8:11am on July 4, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Well, at least I'd have a chance of collecting my pension ;)

Bob

At 10:22am on July 3, 2009, Bob Webster said…: I was on the look-out and just saw it. Congratulations. You've just launched yourself into the great blogosphere. You know you can add text under the photos if you need to elaborate on anything, rather than using the comment box. Keep it comin'.

Bob

At 6:03pm on July 2, 2009, Bob Webster said…: If you look at the menu on the left of your personal page, you'll see something called Blog Posts , just above you list of friends. Click on that and indicate that you want to start a new blog. You can give it a name, like "My first classical guitar build" and then add some text and pictures. If you insert a picture via the Browse function, it will show up in you text as some sort of gobbledegook at the top of the text that you've entered, but you can preview and edit your post as much as you want before you post it. If you don't like where the picture is, you can cut and paste like most any other app. When you finally publish the post, it will give it a time and date stamp and then other will be able to see and comment on it.

Cheers,
Bob

At 7:40am on July 2, 2009, Bob Webster said…: The tie block is the section of the bridge that has the holes that the strings go through. Some builders like to gussy that up with decorations that match some part of the rosette. Others like to just frame it in a simple bone box. I just do a couple of 2mmX2mm bone strips. One function of thte bone strips is to prevent denting of the rosewood by the strings.

As for questions, absolutely no problem. Keep them coming.

Cheers,
Bob

At 4:09pm on July 1, 2009, Cliff Morris said…: It sounds to me like a thinned coat of shellac is the best thing if you are not going to spray laquer. I am going to butt my head against the wall at least once and french polish at least the soundboard. We'll see what happens after that.

At 11:49am on July 1, 2009, Bob Webster said…: When I ws finishing gunstocks with True-Oil, I was using spar varnish as a sealer coat. I thinned it 1:1 with paint thinner and it worked out just fine.

Stick to the plan as closely as possible when it comes to all dimensions and materials. Those fans aren't too small given the top thickness. And, yes, the fans should be tapered to zero at the ends. Pay particular attention to the plans, though, regarding the profiling of the fans. I can't remember if the plan calls for a constant height over most of the lengths or whether they were tapered from the middle.

Stick to mahogany for the back braces. To get the proper response from the back, thge mass of the braces is also a factor and spruce would be too light. As for the center strip, I've used spruce, mahogany, and Spanish cedar and wouldn't know what to look for in tonal differences. I'll just say that spruce has more of a tendency to curl and refuse contact at the edges.

Looking forward to the blog.

Bob

At 11:47pm on June 30, 2009, Cliff Morris said…: The company I have been dealing with for Uke parts and info recommends Tru-oil for finish but I'm really not crazy about that idea. I used it on gunstocks and didn't find it to be that durable and it will turn cloudy if exposed to moisture. Of course french polish is toast if someone spills a martini or a shot of Jack on it so I guess you pays your dues and takes your chances as Granny used to say. As deep as you are into building I think I would spring for one of the inexpensive HVLP spry rigs and just finish it in laquer. I like Bob's suggestion about the blog. I'll try one too if you do...

At 5:07pm on June 30, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Donald, why don't you consider creating a blog on your page that chronicles the building of your classical. It's really pretty easy and Cliff and I could keep up with where you're at with it and make rude comments. You can keep adding entries and pics as you go along and if friends or family want to know what you're up to, you can send them to your blog. Whatcha think?

Bob

At 3:49pm on June 30, 2009, Bob Webster said…: No opinion on using True Oil on guitars. I've only used it as a rubbed on finish for gun stocks. I do think, though, that it would be a better choice than rub on polyurethane, for example. If I were to use it on a guitar, however, I do think I'd still seal all surfaces with shellac before I rubbed it on.

Bob

At 10:48am on June 30, 2009, Bob Webster said…: Sorry, forgot to answer part of the questions. I use either spruce or cedar depending on the requirements of the customer. Left on my own, I usually use spruce. Engelmann on the short scale guitars and European on the full concert sized guitars; it's a price point issue. Bindings are always offcuts from the sides just to get a good match in a very conservative treatment. I always use B&S sets dimensioned for Dreads or Jumbos because the sides are wide enough to get bindings and back strips from and the waste from the upper corners of the back can be turned into a bookmatched headplate. Most parts of the buffalo are edible.

Bob

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