Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

I've been using Lutz from the same source on a half dozen guitars over the last year. I've tapped each set, but mostly just one half. I'd comment on the FRC shots if I could see them. I can't seem to bring the JPG up separately, how is that done?

Looking at that back is making me dizzy :shock: Yeah, it is mesmerizing. If you look at it for a bit it takes on a 3D quality. Curly, I can see why you say it looks man-made, but taking a close look at it now, I don't think so, no evidence at all of glue lines which are readily seen in even modern ...

Another:

Another pic (yeah the side is cracked all the way across at the waist, crudely repaired, but solid)

Anyone know what in the world this might be? The guitar is 70 years old, built in Paris. The rumor is it came from an Island in the Pacific Northeast, ala British Columbia (US East Coasters call this the Pacific Northwest) The finish on the back and sides are probably newer, no stain apparent. The b...

Still interested if anyone has a comparison between U-Beaut and Royal Lac.

Oh, I see. Of course. I just assumed that since we were talking shellacs, that you were talking about putting traditional shellac over the U-Beaut. Thanks for straightening me out.

I use it often and there is at least some on everything I build, but not necessarily as a top coat. Why is that? For me the only real fault with traditional shellac is that high humidity and perspiration seem to tear it up quickly. Royal Lac seems to be more resistant in this regard. I would think,...

Not that cost is everything, but Royal Lac is half the price of U-Beaut Hard Shellac here in the US. $23 vs. $47.

Thanks Martin. I figure it out and was in the process of editing when you posted the link. You guys seem to like U-Beaut. I've been using Royal Lac which I gather is similar but have not tried U-Beaut so don't really know. Royal Lac seems pretty good stuff, been using it in the standard French polis...

Hard shellac is U-Beaut, yes? I've been using Royal Lac which I gather is a polymerizing shellac for about 9 months now. Is U-Beaut Hard Shellac the same?

Received the torrified sitka spruce top from Stewmac. Color is very nice, old looking. Color seems even all through. I'm no big expert on judging tops, but have been using the target thickness procedure from Trevor Gore's design book (4-60) for about a year now. This top compares well with the best ...

I ordered one from Stewmac, I'll report back, should have it tomorrow.

I think of the process as aging the wood, but this isn't the same as breaking in is it? I think of breaking in requiring vibration and playing. Still, the idea is interesting and I'll probably give it a try. They talk about the color and I wonder if that goes all the way through.

What kind of low spots? Small individual spots in the soft grain. Can't be more than a few hundredths of a millimeter. Probably dig out from initial heavier sanding and scraping. In spite of careful sanding with progressive grits to 1000, very hard to see until the first couple coats of shellac are...

Need a reality check. Would it be crazy to epoxy fill a spruce top before French polish? I'm using Lutz and this is my fifth guitar with it. Love it, but the soft grain is so soft that no matter the amount of sanding, I seem to end up with some low spots. If I start with shellac, it is a long road t...

It may be in the thread somewhere already, I just skimmed it, but wood works good for go-bars. I use oak. Mine are rectangular in section. Play around with a couple until you get the stiffness right. If they are too stiff, they are hard to bend in. If not stiff enough, they fall out as others are ad...

Thanks! The finish is French polish with Royal Lac shellac. Epoxy filled the back and sides first. Maple is a closed grain wood, but the birdseye maple has lots of small grain pulls which would have made pumice filling tedious. Sealed the top with regular shellac, then mixed aniline dyes with Royal ...

My buddy from Uruguay says that regardless of how it is pronounced, it is spelled with a Z. Searches on the web turn up many more Corazón than Corasón, so I'm changing it now before getting it to deep. Now less an authority than Carlos Santana has a CD called Corazón and he pronounces it Chorus-zone...

I've seen it both ways. I'm told that in the Spanish version, the Z is pronounced "th", Corathon. I'm used to saying it with the S sound which I am told is the South American pronunciation and that spelling Corasón with an S implies this South American pronunciation. Course what do I know, I could b...

Thanks guys! I hope to have video next week some time. I'll post a link here when I do.

I don't put up much of my work here, but I've learned so much from reading this forum, I thought in appreciation I might post this, my new model Corasón, a replica of the elder Joseph DiMauro's manouche guitar with a heart shaped sound hole from the 1940s. More pictures and details here: https://cra...

I use welder's chalk, which I think is actually soapstone. Sharpens and removes easily.

I tried some ColorTone dyes in 1 pound cut shellac. Spray it with many thin coats. Coats dry immediately, I mean instantly, so I can just keep spraying. I stopped only because I wanted to adjust the hue a little, too yellow right now, but not dense enough yet, so plenty of room to adjust. Seems to w...

Peter, This is timely as I am trying to decide how to tint a guitar. Historically, I've done nothing more than use the finish itself to color the wood. In some cases, I have used amber shellac. But, now I have a project which requires a darker finish that resembles an aged vintage finish. Here is a ...