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Thread: Mandolin from a kit

  1. #1

    Default Mandolin from a kit

    I hope this is an acceptable post. I know most everyone here are not building mandolins from kits, but that's what I have.

    The pictures are of a kit mandolin that my dad was in the process of building. I would love to finish it but have zero knowledge. I can and will do the typical research online but I would appreciate any advice you would be willing to offer.

    I can quickly see that he appears to have skipped some sanding. I've sanded before and assume there is nothing special about that. There are a couple of places where the top is separating from the body. Those locations seem to have a paper or liner in between the two parts. Can these be fixed with hot hide glue? What else am I missing before we talk about finish?

    Since I'm not an instrument builder and don't expect this to be anything more than a personal project, I would like to avoid any and all complicated finishing processes. Is it possible to finish with stain and a Danish oil or a hand rubbed wax?

    Thanks for any tips or tricks!

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  3. #2

    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    The paper between the joints is usually done in order to test the tone, easily remove the back, make adjustments and reassemble. Once the desired tone is reached, the back and paper are removed for good and the mandolin is reassembled without the paper.
    Richard Hutchings

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  5. #3

    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    Interesting. It looks, based on the size of the tail piece, to be very small. What's the scale length?

    For an easy-to-apply finish, I would suggest tru-oil. It's forgiving, easy to work with, cheap, and can produce excellent results. I have used it on several instruments, including my first one, and it has always turned out well.

    Thanks,

    Magnus

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  7. #4

    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    Thanks for the explanation of the paper.

    @Magnus it is very tiny 23" long and 6 3/4" wide at it's widest point.

  8. #5

    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    Maggie, I am a novice builder who has only completed one mandolin with numbers 2, 3 and 4 in the works. There are many, more experienced and more knowledgeable people on this site than me! That said, I will give a +1 to Magnus' suggestion of TruOil. I used it on my first build. It is super easy, looks great when done and provides a pretty finish. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

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  10. #6
    Confused... or?
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    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    Point of confusion:
    I see where the paper separates the top from the rims (maybe not on the back?). But it also seems that the top (soundboard) extends up the neck, as an "extra" layer between the fretboad and the neck proper. It's hard to think that the fretboard was intended to be disassembled as well, or is that an optical illusion? Said another way: Are there joints near the base of the neck that don't appear in the photos? And/or: Is the fretboard extension (area with the highest/closest frets) already glued to the top of the soundboard?

    BTW, I'm not a builder, but have done a bunch of fixes, corrections, and re-assembly. Not trying to be cantankerous, but you'll get better help if folks know exactly what the starting point is.
    - Ed

    "Then one day we weren't as young as before
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  11. #7
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    Are you sure that is a kit mandolin? It looks pretty eccentric in design and I see some pencil marks on the headstock, that bridge looks like the top part of of a standard archtop mandolin bridge and that back wood looks really funky like bought from the scrap pile at a lumber yard. I would guess this was your dad's design and perhaps started out with parts from a kit but he modified it a lot.
    Jim

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  13. #8
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    I was going to ask the same thing last night but I've been too busy to stop. I've been around a while, I've seen a whole lot of kit instruments but I've never seen anything like this one in the mandolin world. I'd give more credit to the builder on this one.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  14. #9

    Default Re: Mandolin from a kit

    All very good questions and none of them cantankerous

    My dad had many instruments and a few kits some started and some still in the box. He wasn't a wood worker and I don't believe would have tackled making one from scratch. Very possible that he might have picked this up in the stage it is right now. So very possible it was someone's own vision.

    @EdHanrahan The top is a single piece that runs all the way to the nut. The fretboard sits on top of it and is glued down.

    To make things more interesting, the sides (rims?), neck and head are a solid piece. So basically, this is a total of 4 pieces of wood. The top is the light color, the fret board, the back (which does look like it can from a junk pile with the two worm holes or knots) and the afore mentioned mess.

    I think you all have about convinced me this is likely not anything my dad spent much time on. I'm guessing he picked it up at a flea market or garage sale because one can never have too many instruments no matter the condition (he was a collector not a hoarder .

    Thanks for the help.

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