Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Hi, Next test - I acquired a bottle of Veneer Softener, so I decided to test that before I test the blue painters tape (next test). Same results as fabric softener! I stood the end of the test binding strip into a full bottle of veneer softener (20cm deep) for 1 hour. Then bent it on the Ibex-style ...

Hi, First report: I tried using fabric softener. I stood the end of the test binding strip into an almost full bottle of fabric softener (maybe 20cm deep) for 1 hour. Then bent it on the Ibex-style bending iron at approx 200C. I *just* managed to carefully bend it to the test radius (approx 50cm) wi...

Hi Trevor,

No, I'm not certain it is f. schottiana, and your description of the non-bending (I encountered both snapping and cracking) makes me wonder if I do indeed have the "wrong" silver ash! I'll try the tips provided by Wayne and Bob, and report back.

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi,

Thanks Wayne - I just happen to have some fabric softener in the laundry cupboard so I'll try that tomorrow.
Thanks Bob - I'll get some blue painters tape from Bunnings tomorrow and give it a try.

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi, I'm having no luck trying to bend silver ash ( flindersia schottiana ) bindings. Does anyone have any ideas? (I have tried bending on a form with a heat blanket, and using an Ibex-style stewmac bending iron, both dry and damp. It gets to about 10 degrees bend and then breaks! 6mm x 2mm. For refe...

Hi Allen,

Geez Allen, that's gorgeous!
What's it sound like with the Huon top?

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi old_picker,

It's hard to tell because it's really difficult to get photos "square", but I'll have a guess:
- are all the dots offset to the bass side by a very small amount?

Thanks,
GregL.

Scraping is just fine for plastic binding, but what about wood binding?

Thanks,
GregL.

Allen wrote:I noticed that when I mark a forum read, the Board Index page indicates that there are still unread posts. (Red Icon).

Hi Allen,

I noticed that too, until I then noticed that the thread went for more than 1 page! If I click on the last page, it seems to work OK for me.

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Jeremy,

Congratulations on the shop and the website!
Hope it goes well for you!

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Mike,

Nice Les Paul! Did you use any plans or templates?

GregL.

Hi Steve,

I wonder if you could sandwich the scratchplate material between 2 templates? The top template could be 6mm mdf, which you could countersink and use countersunk screws to hold the scratchplate, and then invert the sandwich and use a normal router table?

Thanks,
GregL.

Oops I forgot to hit "Preview"! Proper addresses:

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com
/topic/154134/
Featherweight-Champion-1919-Martin-Ditson-34-Size-Terz#.VXfTxkZ25uo

http://www.anzlf.com
/viewtopic.php?t=2867

GregL.

Hi Luke, I like Ian Andersons acoustic guitar playing (Aqualung-era early 1970's). From memory he played very old Martins, so maybe look there for some inspiration (eg ladder bracing near the bottom of this page: http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/154134/Featherweight-Champion-1919...

Hi Allan, I have used both Gidgee and Myall (Western Myall) and they are similar, but I found the Myall to be just a little bit more "brittle" - maybe less "tough", a bit more "crumbley" - not that it's crumbley or brittle when compared to most other woods! Also the Myall I have used was a bit darke...

Hi mickeyj4,

mickeyj4j wrote:what did you put behind the leopard skin cloth is there some ribbing etc.

Nothing behind it. The speaker is mounted on a ply baffle board, and the cloth covers the baffle (including the hole for the speaker). The cloth is rather thick and heavy duty.

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Mickeyj4j (is that your real name?!), Evatco sell grill cloth (http://www.evatco.com.au/product-category/grill-cloth/). Or, you could wander down to your local Spotlite and buy some heavy duty cloth material, like I did for this cab: IMGP1190_small.jpg faux leopardskin, very hard-wearing (it show...

Hi Stu, I'm not up-to-date with pedals and such (I've been an electric guitar direct to valve amp man for decades), but I seem to recall creating a similar sound (in the 1970's) with a flanger pedal. And I agree with Nick, all sorts of 'board' effects can be added in the studio at mix time (eg rever...

Hi Nick,

Wow! Where in the UK are you?
Please send us a report of any interesting UK luthiers you find!

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Paul,

By my calculations, I think you would need about 530mm (diameter) of "active" (ie dished) radius dish to sand dreadnought sides (about 500mm dia for a OO body size) to get the angle on the sides and kerfing for a "normal" domed back/sides joint.

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Paul,

Sorry, I can't help with the Blues Creek bender (but it looks good to me and the Blues Creek guy is on this forum tippie53), I just wanted to say "Welcome"!

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Mark,

It looks great, Mark!
I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing some of the progress shots, if you have them available.
What brand of P90 is it? How does it sound?

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Brian, Thanks for the info. I've made an adjustable jig for intonation (see here: http://www.anzlf.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=6406&p=72363) to do exactly as you have done - I still haven't used it, but I hope it'll work. Which mini milling machine from Proxxon did you get (if you don't mind me aski...

Hi Brian,

That looks great!
How did you determine the nut and saddle compensation?
How did you "machine" the exact compensation into the nut and saddle?

Thanks,
GregL.

Hi Frank,

Thanks for the info - Wayne, do you want me to check any measurements on a real Mini?

Frank - I live about 15 minutes drive from Goonellabah, you're welcome to drop in for a cuppa if you have any spare time on your holiday.

Thanks,
GregL.