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Working on a couple!
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Working on a couple!
I sure hope you share a vid when you get it all set up! Thanks!
My avatar is of my OldWave Oval A
Creativity is just doing something wierd and finding out others like it.
I'd guess that is the thermal cure setup for the carbon fiber mandolins that Marty has been talking about for a couple of years.....
I have some giant heat pads like that for double bass building- they get expensive fast and some days I feel like I'm going to knock out the neighborhood power grid!
I bought a few pads one small one 4x6 plugs into 120v gets so hot it will burn skin in under a minute. Crazy how well they work.
My avatar is of my OldWave Oval A
Creativity is just doing something wierd and finding out others like it.
Know this thread has wandered a bit, but the mention of silicone pads reminds me of a customer, Birk Manufacturing, East Lyme CT, who rented a small plasma etch from me to do some surface modification work. They can make all sorts of custom flexible heating pads for specific applications, not just boring old rectangles. I can think of a lutherie application, but this is probably far-fetched.
Watlow makes them in thousands of different shapes and sizes. I have several dozen that I use in the shop.
The new ziricote mandolin is patiently awaiting the custom made tuning machines. I've had this back carved for a while and built it up with the spring batch of new Condino mandolins; 'sounds as good as it looks!
I am a luthier specialising in historical and world stringed instruments. You can see more info at my website.
I am a luthier specialising in historical and world stringed instruments. You can see more info at my website.
A 4 course medieval lute I completed today:
I am a luthier specialising in historical and world stringed instruments. You can see more info at my website.
Just finished this project. Gibson A oval hole with truss rod that had at least 3 failed head stock repair attempts before it came to me. I didn't take any before shots but the only thing relevant I can add is that the entire head stock had been sprayed out rattle can Black. I used hot Aluminum bars to heat and remove the failed epoxy job. It a good bit of time to get the epoxy all picked out with dental tools, Exacto knife, whatever to mechanically remove as much as possible. There was already a good bit of wood loss and not much gluing surface that wasn't end grain. I used West System epoxy, thickened with Colloidal Silica and tinted it Brown. West System epoxy is the only epoxy I will use when it is determined that epoxy is the best choice for the repair. Dries extremely hard, has very good filled gap strength when combined with a thickener and has a generous open working time before it starts to set, great stuff.
After gluing the head stock back onto the neck, I routed some slots across the break and inlaid two carbon fiber rods, also with the West System epoxy. I then routed the head stock face down the amount of thickness for an Ebony overlay, to further strengthen the head stock and hide the carbon fiber re-enforcement. Pictures are pretty self explanatory.
Sucker for a hard luck case
Very nice work! Seems like a lot of labor for a $1-2k instrument but if you like that sound, there's no substitute. Those first two pictures and knowledge of 3 failed previous repairs would have scared off most mortal men, but you persevered. I hope the owner is pleased.
Thanks Rob Roy.
Yes, it was rather time consuming. Ended up pretty close to 14 hrs of work, start to finished with a new set up. It was totally a worthwhile save though. The mandolin is otherwise in great condition with excellent top arching and no back shrinkage issues common with these old Gibson's. It also happens be be really a good sounding example.
The owner is a good friend who has recently gotten into building banjos. He knew just enough about doing a repair like this to get himself into trouble, with yet another botched repair to this instrument. I left a correctly sized print of the Gibson bell shaped cover in the case and will leave it up to him to come up with or make a truss rod cover, I know he can handle that task. We will likely barter for lumber or tooling as compensation for my time on the repair.
Sucker for a hard luck case
I am a luthier specialising in historical and world stringed instruments. You can see more info at my website.
Resophonic, I'm curious where you got the idea for that repair. I did a very similar one some years ago and the spline technique was an idea I got from Jay Darmstadter.
John Hamlett
www.hamlettinstruments.com
John, I have been using carbon fiber as reinforcement for other applications and it just occurred to me that this head stock repair would be a perfect application. I had not previously seen or heard mention of carbon fiber used for this type of repair.
Sucker for a hard luck case
It's amazing how similar this looks. Great minds...
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...6-An-F2-repair
John Hamlett
www.hamlettinstruments.com
The F2 you did turned out very nicely. Looks like it closed up quite well at the back of the neck, you can hardly see the break, my project was missing a bit more wood. I opted for a thicker head stock overlay for the extra strength it would add but probably would have been fine with the veneer approach you took.
Thanks for sharing this.
Sucker for a hard luck case
Yeah, I didn't have to clean anyone else's "junk" out of the one I did so it closed up pretty well all in all.
John Hamlett
www.hamlettinstruments.com
Wow! I love the mind set that built that instrument slim.
"A sudden clash of thunder, the mind doors burst open, and lo, there sits old man Buddha-nature in all his homeliness."
CHAO-PIEN
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