Not again!! Elpee Standard to replace the one that got away.

Completed.

 

Last night I cut off the end of the cutter bar and re-did the mortise more accurately for the cutter. I also flipped the cutter around and re-shaped the sharp end so it is more like a very fine chisel. I tried it on a piece of my jewelry bench armrest, and it works well, now. If I have time this weekend I will try to use it and cut the remainder of the binding rabbets and get the body all bound up (and nowhere to go).

Photos at 11.

 

It works ok as a deep scribe, but it's not a router . I ended up using it tonight, and then used my foredom with a rotary rasp to remove wood to the lines. I lost patience waiting for the Grizzly bit set.
My first ever body binding. Not to awfully bad, but I had to re-stick a few places. I'll make up some ABS/acetone slurry to fill a couple of spots tomorrow.

 

I peeled all of the tape away from the bindings, and I did have a couple of unstuck places. So, I made up a Level 2 slurry of acetone and pieces of cut binding, and filled the gaps and re-taped. I started scraping the top edges with a nice clean new single edge razor blade and have it pretty leveled to the top. Once all of the fills are dried, tomorrow, I'll scrape and sand the sides flush. The I move onto the inlays for the neck and headstock overlay. YIKES.


Light at the end of tunnel? Train coming down the tracks.

 

OK - Question Time: Has anyone on the fForum ever used Inkjet Toner (colors) for dyeing guitars?

A few years ago I purchased those refillable cartridges for my Epson C4400 so I could do my engraving transfers, and lo and behold the black ink is actually dye, and will not transfer. So I assume (maybe falsely) that the colors YMR may also be dyes. With those 3 colors I think I can make just about any shade of color I might want for the guitar. What thinks you? It could mean a cost savings of $40-60, for what would be a few drops of Transtint Dyes at $20/bottle.

 

I am going to start Chemistry 101 tonight and see if I can save a few $$$. I know India Ink will work for woodturning things to a dark shade of black, and Fiebing's Leather Dye works to go to dark black, so I feel confident that some sort of color toners (which are dyes, not inks) may get a good results. I will experiment on scraps of the mahogany and flame maple. I'll keep a notebook handy, and record my recipes and results.

 

10 drops yellow, 10 drops blue, 20 drops red, plus 4 more drops of yellow -> brown.
The upper portion is straight yellow, with red on the side and faded using DNA. I think this will work!! If I seal the wood first with DNA/Super Blonde Flake Shellac mix, the use the dyes, I think the colors will be less faded and more pronounced. For this mahogany, do people pore fill with a darkened filler, squeegee off the excess, sand and with then seal, and dye?

 

The mahogany I tried this on was the cutoff from the actual back I am building, so for the Brown color I think I am good to go. The Amber on Mahogany - I will need to test it on the cutoff of the flame maple to see how it responds. I think it will work. Glad I wore gloves - it would have stained my hands for days.

 

I came back to the sample tonight, and the brown had a tinge of green to it, so I diluted the swab with DNA and re-applied some of the brown. Then I wanted to see if I applied my French Polish mix of DNA/Super Blonde Flake Shellac what will happen. The sock did take a bit of color off but it's starting to build a polish layer. I'll try some more after dinner and see if it build without pore filling. Pictures later.

 

I tried to text Tim, but got no response. I will try to replicate the dual rails when I get to the KEEPER. SCRAP PAUL is what I am working on now, so I am a good ways away from the Real Deal. If you can contact Tim for me, let him know I am interested in the Bridge Dual Rail for the KEEPER, Or if you have enough parts and can separate yourself from them, I may be willing to learn how to wind them. I do have a great wood lathe that can be used (I believe) to wind pickups.
Those were some killer pickups that he made. The test guitar in the store had 3 dual rails setup like an LP Custom, and he said to play a steel slide and let it go - it just hovered over the pickups by itself. MAGLEV.

 

BTW - I mixed up a small batch of Garnet Flake Shellac (from my hand engraving side of the bench) and DNA. I will try to use some of that on the sample piece to see if and how it imparts a tint.