Blackwood Style 1 Weissenborn copy

[ozziebluesman]

Hi to you all!

I received a phone call from a mate in Lismore recently and he has commissioned me to build him a weissenborn copy. He has no special requirement other than he wants a soundhole pickup fitted. I've used some lightly figured Tasmanian Blackwood for this style 1 copy and the accessories are East Indian Rosewood along with a simple three ring rostte and no binding. I have applied a sealing coat of shellac inside the box also as this guitar is going to be gigged in all sorts of environments.

I started building the guitar over the first week of the School holidays. The weather had been very kind with perfect building conditions so I put in some twelve hour days to get it to closed box stage before heading down to Brisbane for the second week of the holidays. Over this past weekend I have the guitar now ready to pore fill and start the shellac process. This is the same specs as the previous weissenborn copy I built but with a few changes. The bracing is lighter at 8mm x 8mm except for the transverse brace at 15mm x 13mm and all the braces have ramped ends.

Here are a few pictures for you to have a sneak preview.







Thanks for looking

Cheers

Alan

[Daniel_M]

Looks great Alan, nice and simple. Crisp.

[P Bill]

Very nice Alan. Do you ever sleep ?

[charangohabsburg]

That looks gorgeous!

I've used some lightly figured Tasmanian Blackwood for this style 1 copy

Lightly figured, hahaha!
Oh man, you Aussies are so spoiled! Hahaha!

[stopper]

Looks good Alan. Nice colours in that Blackwood. Looking forward to more pics.

cheers
Steve

[ozziebluesman]

First few spit coats of shellac. Got to be happy with colours in this one! Almost a rainbow top. Now for some pore filling.

Thanks for looking
Cheers
Alan

[Dominic]

What are you going to pore fill with? I have a really nice set of BW in an L-00 I currently have at the pore fill stage. The grain and colour of BW calls out for Zpoxy but I have run out.
Cheers
Dom

[ozziebluesman]

G'day Dom,

I will be using pumice to pore fill with followed by a french polish process. Zpoxy may do a better job but I only like to use natural products.

Cheers

Alan

[Alastair]

G'day Dom,

I will be using pumice to pore fill with followed by a french polish process. Zpoxy may do a better job but I only like to use natural products.

Cheers

Alan

Hi Alan,

At the risk of a hijack, where do you get your pumice? I am looking at the same finish, and have not been having any luck locating it.

thanks

[kiwigeo]

G'day Dom,

I will be using pumice to pore fill with followed by a french polish process. Zpoxy may do a better job but I only like to use natural products.

Cheers

Alan

Hi Alan,

At the risk of a hijack, where do you get your pumice? I am looking at the same finish, and have not been having any luck locating it.

thanks

I use Behlens brand 4F pumice which comes from Lee Valley in the US. Carbatec should have Liberon products which include pumice.

[ozziebluesman]

Yep ditto to Martin's comments. I bought mine from Lee Valley.

Cheers

Alan

[Mike Thomas]

When I lived in Adelaide, a few years back, I bought 4F pumice from Shell-Lap. They supply a whole lot of stuff, including a range of abrasive and polishing powders, for lapidary and optical lens polishing applications. They sell on-line, at http://www.shell-lap.com.au

[Alastair]

Thanks Mike,

That might be the go.

Martin,

Of the 3 grades offered (60/80/120#) which would you use for the FP fill/grind?

Local Carbatec only has the Liberon "Rottenstone", which I am not sure is the same?

[kiwigeo]

Thanks Mike,

That might be the go.

Martin,

Of the 3 grades offered (60/80/120#) which would you use for the FP fill/grind?

Local Carbatec only has the Liberon "Rottenstone", which I am not sure is the same?

Alastair,

This is the stuff to get from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.a ... 3040,20059

The stuff from shell-lap, I'd go with the 120 grade.

[kiwigeo]

Local Carbatec only has the Liberon "Rottenstone", which I am not sure is the same?

Rottenstone is usually a mixture of weathered limestone and silica. Ok for polishing but probably not abrasive enough for pore filling.

[Mike Thomas]

Alastair, the one you listed as #120 is, I believe the 4F grade, but confirm it with them. I don't know how it compares to the Behlen pumice from Lee Valley that Martin is suggesting, which I'm sure is very good. Behlen products are certainly reliable, but the stuff I got from Shell-Lap worked well. I used it for pore filling flamed maple on a violin. At $13 a kilo plus postage, the price seems reasonable.

[Alastair]

Thanks Martin and Mike,

Confirms what I thought about the rottenstone. I'll get in some of the 120#.