My mate`s rosette

[John Cadd]

When my mate was removing some thick varnish to be able to hear (my) his guitar better (I) he was surprised to see the rosette go like the main street in an earthquake.(What is he like?)Result--One new rosette needed.Where would be the best place for him to find a replacement?I know you all make your own on this site but you might be able to enlighten (me) him.

[John Cadd]

I just thought all this itching is so much more fun than flaming.Of course if you have a flaming itch you would probably be Australian.This is like putting a joke through the mangle.Squeeze out every drop.

[Ned Knepp]

If you want to talk about itching, I have a story.
When we were teenagers, my brothers and I spent a lot of weekends roughing it in the National forests around our home, with some of our friends. One our those friends had a nature call in the wee hours of the morning and decided to utilized the local herbage in the absence of paper. Later, when the sun came up, he needed to make another call and figured that he would keep everything in one place. What he told us was that, at first, he didn't know if he was in the same place because he wondered who pulled up all that poison ivy.

Try to use that one as an excuse when you miss a couple of weeks of school. Actually, he thinks it pretty funny now but it sure wasn't then.

Ned

[Tim Mace]

so you had a rash on yur rosette?

[Ned Knepp]

It wasn't just his rosette, Tracy and the boys got involved as well as various and sundry other parts of the neither regions. To say it restricted his movements is an understatement

Ned.

[John Cadd]

That`s a really nice name for it.Be sure to tell your wife that one.Bring a blush to your rosette.

[John Cadd]

So eh,anyway I ordered a rosette from Touchstone Tonewoods. The salesman was not really keen to hear any measurements.Code numbers was his speciality.I gave as much info about O D sand I D s. When it arrived there was a feeling I was in for some extra homework.Outside size seemed OK.I had to trim away some of the inner lip.[of the guitar] Even then it wanted to fit a smaller diameter. In the end I compromised by cutting the rosette part the way through from the inside.I drew 60degree angles around the circle.Using the large metal cutters and leaving the outer ring alone.I tried a small offcut to see how it swelled but it seemed safe.(with hot animal glue). Most of the rosette went in but one end looked slack so I let it dry in a raised position for the next go at it.Next day I gave it a bit more hot glue and it laid down nicely.The cuts are barely visible.The tiny slits can be adjusted with some water and glue. It looks very pretty. No adjustments would be possible with a modern glue.Some of this job reminds me of wallpapering.If you press too hard on the edges the glue gets squeezed away from where it`s needed. I certainly needed that magnifying glass.

[Tim Mace]

1 pic is worth a 1000 replies! Lets see it!

[John Cadd]

I have`n`t done photos yet.I can describe it though.The outside circle is untouched and fits very well. Inside circle shows minute gaps, but you would only see them with a magnifier.
One awkward fit is where the rosette bumps into the fretboard.left side was a perfect fit.Right side left a tiny wedge shaped gap at the top to halfway across the rosette.Max just under a milimetre.It looks massive when seen through a magnifier .I cut a slice of the offcuts and it fitted in well with the animal glue.The white ring pattern lined up with the rosette exactly.I used my diamond nail file to sort out the minute edge ridges.where it tried to fight back.
One thing I did to get the glue to cooperate was using a soldering iron with the bit removed to warm up a table knife held over the wetted parts.Not much heat is used and it is only where it`s needed.The knife is bent to a dogleg shape.Bits of glue get left on the rosette and they get cleaned off with the file when it dries out.
I was surprised how soft the cedar was .I wiped on some Lberon Finishing oil and near the bottom edge caught a splinter .About half an inch long.Now superglued back in place.

[Tim Mace]

a 1000 words is worth a picture..........

[John Cadd]

I seem to be resisting all this new technology.I used to work in electronics,but now my attitude is ;it`s all such a damn nuisance.When I put the first oil layer on I used paper tissue with the oil then wrapped this with that blue artificial papery stuff that has no fibers coming off it.Wrapping the oiled tissue means there are no dried bits of oil from the screw cap to get on the guitar. The first layer is just a smudge rather than a coating.Don`t want a load soaking into the wood.Hence the splinter.

[John Cadd]

I`m gradually learning. When I removed the top varnish I was careful not too go near the edge in case there was any plastic in the bindings.One post said to scrape off the rest up to the edge.On a cedar top that needs a lot more care than I realised . There is a great danger in using any scraping or rubbing action sideways to the grain.Cedar is very fragile stuff and wants to break away with the slightest friction. Compared to spruce anyway.When factory tops are made they seem to use big sanding belts and the ends may be left in contact longer than the rest.That would leave a bit of endgrain showing.Not much ,but this cedar stuff is very fussy. You only have to look at it and it starts to get a bruise.
These are my first impressions.
I might be guessing about the belts. So now I only use a fine abrasive and only draw away from the body not to and fro.Exactly in line with the grain.
Next thing cedar doesn`t like is anything like cloth being rubbed on it ( for the Liberon Finishing Oil ) I raised a splinter --end grain again. Since then a fine 1 inch wide brush has worked well. Just ignore the instructions on the tin about wiping and use a nice brush. Very little oil is used at each session. But it`s really good stuff!
I`m gradually learning.