Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

nice work john , that grain is just wild man!!

thanks john regards from KC MO ernie

Hi john what species of wood are you using for the falcate bracing on the top?? thanks ernie,

I have a large radius roundover bit for classical guitars with a wooden jig, that lets the operator ride the router on the jig while the guitar neck is firmly clamped to it. These days I prefer to hand shape the uke necks I am building.I have more control over the final shape. The monotony of the sa...

:D Forgot to ask john I/ve seen the linseed oil in art supply stores here. I/b been using the boiled linseed oil from h. depot/lowes /etc for 36 years.I know the hdware variety has additives /thinners .Is there any advantage to using the refined linseed oil for instance for FP?? . I/ve used boiled l...

Nice one john . I was french polishing vln necks 20 plus years ago except we never called it FP lol. I definitely like the FP look on a CL gtr top.It gives it an old world flavour of sorts,as opposed to some of the new high tech finishes which can look like the instrument has been embalmed in plasti...

vy good looking bridge john . Are you going to put any finish on bridge?. I did the CF layups for the bridge in my wood vice saves time .I also ebonized some local cherry for future uke bridges I have been using walnut , but might switch to cherry.So far your instrument is lookin good. I got my late...

FWIW. I just finished staining the walnut with the vinegar soloution.It looks vy similiar to yours john. and trev/s I matched it up with the black dyed NGR stain On another walnut bridge .The ngr stain.has a more intense black/dark look to it .The vinegar solution came out more "natural " looking li...

Glad it worked john, started my vinegar solution in a spice jar 3 days ago . the steel wool solution is sitting on the front step.

Thanks trev, that/s what I noticed on 2 websites the builders were using spruce lattice for the build minus the cf. I/m following the balsa cf route on this small classical . Very cute kiwi, I did get my local tax dept to bend lol for $400 when they jacked up my taxes. A nasty letter and documentati...

Thanks darwin I used englemann for the long falcate ,it/s softer than sitka and bends readily ,dirt cheap here in the usa at home stores/lumberyards.My laminates were just over 1/16in or abt 1.7mm I put a center piece of h.mahog in for insurance. The tighter c brace was all englemann. Am not familia...

I read the article posted by Trev very illuminating. Didn/t realize that furnituremakers were also ebonizing their work. I was going to start the vinegar/ steel wool. Got bogged down with building. The article jogged my brain,and I think the previous soloution 27 yrs ago broke out of the container ,...

Currently building 2 new models 1 is a 24in scale copy of a Cl giannini guitar that is lightly braced and another 23in scale 4 string tenor guitar. The 4 string has a carpathian spruce top and the CL gtr is WRC. I just bent the falcate braces for the 4 string using englemann spruce, which came out o...

Looking closely at the pics I see you do have a different coloured walnut trev . than I .The local walnut here in KC is got a definite bluish cast to it. I have some 200yr old recycled walnut from a historic home that looks similiar to the walnut in your pic in that it is a flatter lighter colour of...

Trev, the only viable wood here in the usa that I know has tannins are the oaks specifically white and red, from what I know of,the e. black walnut here in KC has little or no tannin. I/m guessing the walnut john has might be the same. My vinegar tests on furniture ,.were done on red oak wood when I...

John FWIW , I also built the walnut veneer/cf bridge but haven/t used it yet. Back in my cabinetmaking era in vancouver bc I tried using the vinegar/steel wool dye .I found that it took quite a few applications to get the item black.2 weeks ago I stained a walnut uke pin bridge using an NGR black dy...

yes , you can but it/s a lot of work to get a thin veneer . That can be readily purchased for little $$ unless you have way more time than money.

You might ruin the piece by trying to get at the veneer.I had a previous incarnation as a cabinetmaker for 25 years.Markus/s idea is a good one sell the credenza and buy some maple to make instruments with

Agreed, I do really like the bear pic vy cute

They both sound good with the edge for the 2 nd spruce/meranti on volume

Markus I was never a bob dylan fan even in high school when he was all the rage.Cute marketing gimmicks by super mario don/t impress me .I/m older an jaded . Sincerity and honesty do go a long way in my world.

Vy nice jeffrey. I just purchased an old giannini CL gtr for $40. There is a definite need for an "all weather guitar" that one can take anywhere without worrying.

Thanks for the detailed explanation about the everclear and your thoughts on the differences between falcate vs X bracing it is highly appreciated .I like tradtional gtrmaking , but aknowledge that there are many ways to build a gtr especially would like to hear what the guitar will sound like once ...

That is one cute polar bear. Didn/t know they were proliferating because of global swarming.What do you know? .I got a long sales pitch from mario that wound up in my junk folder. Claims he is the ayatalloh of lutz spruce and there are no contenders :cl yikes what/s next .The "king of lutz spruce" s...

Nice work john .I notice that omnipresent bottle of everclear.Does it tempt you? Keep mine in the bsmt with finishing supplies. Have you figured out the extra time doing a falcate over the conventional bracing patterns??thanks an keep on truckin.