RogerC's 2012 Challenge Build Thread - COMPLETED

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by nosmo

I probably helped you as much as we both helped emoney with his decision

Well, yeah, but have you seen his guitar?! He doesn't actually need any help

Originally Posted by emoney

Help is a vicious cycle, ain't it? Buwahahahaha

Oh, and btw, we need "Happy Thoughts", Roger.

I know, I should be more positive-- Well, I'm pretty positive it isn't going to turn out like I planned . Now, that's not to say that it's a complete failure, but I won't know that until next week.

Originally Posted by Muzikp

Here here, Bravo, much rejoicing, kudos, applause, hurrah...

I don't know why you lost your confidence, you developed a great plan, and executed it well, vibration was the key and you did that so smile, you done good.

If there are any voids they can be filled with lots of different things, stucco, epoxy etc. I would think a thin layer of epoxy spread on the outside and sanded nice and flat could look cool. I've used trans-tint dye in epoxy before and it worked great, this could give you some color and still see the crete underneath. Nothing to worry about here.

Originally Posted by adirondak5

+1

Well thanks, guys. My attitude is ok, really. I'm not bummed out or anything because the journey has been so rewarding. I'll take it out of the mold either Monday or Tuesday of next week and see what I have. I'll explore any and all options at that point. Trust me, I want to see this thing work as much as you guys do

[RogerC]

I still need to work on my neck as well, but I'm waiting on my package from bezdez to arrive. I didn't pay for any expedited shipping, so it probably won't be here until the end of next week. One thing's for sure, neck dive will NOT be an issue

[Joe Sailor]

Finally looking at this on the big screen (not my phone).
That is fine looking concrete. I can almost smell it.

[missouri.slim]

If you do have to do any patching, don't try to hide it. I think a little patching will probably make it look all the better. It would be like relic-ing it but in a practical, non-cosmetic way.

[pulaifaz]

wow - that looks great RogerC, what is the expected body weight ?

sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread

[Barncaster]

Hey Roger,

The leaving out of the steel mesh was obviously for weight reduction purposes. I understand these subtle, esoteric weight reduction techniques. If you are worried about dropping it, I personally would be more concerned about my toes than the guitar...... just saying. In a pinch you could paint the edges in that red rubber tool handle liquid for a little drop protection.

And please, the tuner buttons and knobs should be cast too. You are going to need a little weight at the end of the neck for this one.....

Barncaster

[Scatter Lee]

just try a litte stucco on that

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by Joe Sailor

Finally looking at this on the big screen (not my phone).
That is fine looking concrete. I can almost smell it.

LOL. My wife walked into the garage yesterday and said, "why does the garage spell like pee?"

Originally Posted by missouri.slim

If you do have to do any patching, don't try to hide it. I think a little patching will probably make it look all the better. It would be like relic-ing it but in a practical, non-cosmetic way.

Yeah, I'm not really too concerned with aesthetics. I'm really just hoping that it's ok structurally.

Originally Posted by pulaifaz

wow - that looks great RogerC, what is the expected body weight ?

sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread

Well, early calculations were about 7 lbs, but I think we overshot that by a long shot . I don't have a scale here, but just by lifting, I'd say it's closer to 10.

Originally Posted by Barncaster

Hey Roger,

The leaving out of the steel mesh was obviously for weight reduction purposes. I understand these subtle, esoteric weight reduction techniques. If you are worried about dropping it, I personally would be more concerned about my toes than the guitar...... just saying. In a pinch you could paint the edges in that red rubber tool handle liquid for a little drop protection.

And please, the tuner buttons and knobs should be cast too. You are going to need a little weight at the end of the neck for this one.....

Barncaster

Dude, you have no idea how right you are . And liquid rubber... hmmm

Originally Posted by Scatter Lee

just try a litte stucco on that

Stucco- it's not just for Taco Bells anymore

[RogerC]

Oh, and I had a nice surprise when I got home from work today. Truss rod, neck plate and screws, jack plate and screws, and knobs from Bezdez

[emoney]

I see all this Bezdez stuff around these parts, and I've seen his stuff on Ebay, so how
quick is his shipping? He seems to be very reasonably priced.

[Barncaster]

Hey E,

My experience with Bezdez is unusual and interesting parts with great prices but shipping can be slow as the stuff is coming out of Canada.

Barncaster

[reddirtmedic]

Originally Posted by RogerC

I was working from home today, so I took a few little breaks here and there to finish up a few things.

First I went to the hardware store to get some tubing. This is some really stout stuff.

As you can see, I also got some 1/4" mesh.

I used the thinner, clear tubing to make my channels, and used the larger tube for my input jack channel

The clear stuff was so sturdy that I couldn't get it to bend, so I couldn't just run it from the top to the control cavity for my bridge ground. What I ended up doing was drilling a 1/4" hole in the top and insert part of a dowel rod. I then drilled a 1/4" hole in the side of the tubing and slipped it onto the dowel. Then I plugged the open end of the tube and shoved the other end into the control cavity form.

Next, I wanted to cut out the wire mesh. Trauma shears worked great on this stuff

After that I needed to make my formica piece to set on top of the guitar so that I could try to get a smooth finish on the back. I just used the scroll saw and also had to cut out for the control and neck areas.

Remember when I said I was hoping to pour on Tuesday?...

Good use of trauma shears :)

Sent from my LG-US670 using TDPRI

[RogerC]

Eric, I was actually surprised at how quickly it got here. Shipping was longer than stewmac, but not as long as I was expecting.

Hey medic, lol. Yeah, my wife used to be an EMT, so we have several pairs of those around the house.

[crazydave911]

Not really sure why your waiting, but the longer you wait the less workable it is. You can walk on a 6" pour in two days and drive a loaded forklift over it in a week . Rolling the mesh in the surface while it was soft to allow a layer of portland was a good suggestion. The longer it sets the more your smoothing window flies out the door . Also, if you have any gaps the fill has a better chance to to adhere to the original pour. No, I'm no expert, but I worked on equipment a solid week at a place that poured those patio stones (which are much thinner than this. They were flipped out of the molds (on the ground) every two hours to free up the molds for more. Every two days a semi load of the things shipped out . Don't tarry too long friend (it is cement after all, not sand cast)


Dave

[RogerC]

You have to realize that there are different mixes for different applications, too. I doubt that the place that made the patio stones was using perlite in their mix. I'm worried that if I don't let it cure well, then my anchors won't stay put or that the whole thing may crumble. I'll worry about patching after it's out of the mold becuase if it doesn't hold together, then no amount of patching will matter

[emoney]

You know, Roger, Dave may be on to something. Great online article here about lightweight
cement pours into molds;

http://www.themoldstore.info/Concrete_Formulas.html

Looks like they're using a pretty high concentration of Perlite (5 - 1 to sand) in a 94lb
bag of Portland and they say to pull the crete from the forms after 24 hours and then
wrap it in plastic to help it hydrate and cure quicker.

Again, outside of pouring a few sidewalks and a few more patios, I'm no concrete expert
but I have always seen my Father-In-Law (home builder) work his pours rather quickly.
Just a thought.

So....where's this neck, man? I mean you've had parts for what, 14-16 hours now????

[nosmo]

You know how these contractors are, hurry up and wait.

[emoney]

Now that you mentioned it, shouldn't there be a picture of Roger with his pants halfway
down revealing his....umm...."backside"? And where's the photo of the 8 guys watching
him cut one truss rod channel? This thread is sorely lacking I'll say.

[nosmo]

He's not a plumber! Of course you just know there has to be a few guys on break somewhere in his shop

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by emoney

You know, Roger, Dave may be on to something. Great online article here about lightweight
cement pours into molds;

http://www.themoldstore.info/Concrete_Formulas.html

Looks like they're using a pretty high concentration of Perlite (5 - 1 to sand) in a 94lb
bag of Portland and they say to pull the crete from the forms after 24 hours and then
wrap it in plastic to help it hydrate and cure quicker.

Again, outside of pouring a few sidewalks and a few more patios, I'm no concrete expert
but I have always seen my Father-In-Law (home builder) work his pours rather quickly.
Just a thought.

So....where's this neck, man? I mean you've had parts for what, 14-16 hours now????

hmmm... I think I owe Dave an apology. I read through that article, and it had some great info, and it looks like Dave has the right idea. Sorry about that, Dave. *Raises right hand* I hereby vow to not doubt you ever again. Thanks for linking that, Eric.

Originally Posted by nosmo

You know how these contractors are, hurry up and wait.

Well I'm thinking the neck should be done in about 2 weeks...

Originally Posted by emoney

Now that you mentioned it, shouldn't there be a picture of Roger with his pants halfway
down revealing his....umm...."backside"? And where's the photo of the 8 guys watching
him cut one truss rod channel? This thread is sorely lacking I'll say.

I'm actually the foreman, so I'm expected to keep better control of my pants. And as for my laborers, it had been a full 12 minutes since their last break, and I didn't want any trouble with the union, so I sent them on break again

Originally Posted by nosmo

He's not a plumber! Of course you just know there has to be a few guys on break somewhere