Rebuild: Update 9

20k views. whoopee.

I've begun finishing work. I chose epoxy again for grain/pore filling. This time, however, I'm using the proper epoxy and the proper procedure. I ordered Pacer's Z-poxy finishing resin. Normally reserved for fiberglassing, this epoxy is much less viscous and has a longer open time (20-30 minutes) than the 5 minute Loctite I used before. The procedure was determined through research on luthier forums and a few youtube videos (mainly, this 3 part series: Epoxy Pore Filling Part 1). One big difference in procedure from my first attempt is to build the epoxy up beyond the surface of the wood, resulting in a thin film. The lacquer will then be laid atop. The result should be a perfect glass-smooth finish, without any wood grain showing as pits on the surface.

Step one, prepare the wood. The acetone I used to strip the existing lacquer left a thin film of finish on the surface that needed to be removed. I started with 180 grit sandpaper and continued to 400 grit, followed by a wipe down of naphtha. Some of the binding needed attention. Removing the old binding tore some walnut wood out, most of which I've touched up before adhering the new. However, some spots got filled with binding glue and now look awful.

The binding on the left has been untouched, while the right side has had its walnut/binding seam scraped. You can see the bottom left binding with a little filling of glue. I used an X-acto knife as a scraper and 'picked' out the glue mess-ups.

 I planned ahead and applied the black dye to the headstock before I seal it with epoxy. Letting the dye 'cure' for a few days will prevent any dye from smearing during sealing. 

 I built this stand for the guitar to elevate it off of the table for sealing. This allows me to epoxy the back, top, and sides of the guitar at once without waiting for one section to cure.

It's very well balanced. The back end of the guitar has a screw set in the strap hole which sits on the support.

The fretboard has been taped off, only to see the light of day once the finish is complete. The wood is sanded and waiting for epoxy.

Mix ratios are important, as improper mixing can result in uncured resin/hardener left on the surface or an improper cure in general. I am using a little medicine cup for mixing. My batches are very small so it is difficult to get the ratio right. I will eventually invest in a gram scale for precise measuring. This is difficult to find in a store due to the usual market being 'drug-people'. I got a couple funny looks in the UPS store for asking. My best chance would be to order online. Meanwhile, my spoon method seems to work fine.

 After mixing, briefly heat surface with magic heat dispenser.

And then...do it. Sorry I couldn't take any pictures during the process, but it only involved  pouring a little epoxy on and squeegee-ing it over the surface. After full coverage, squeegee off any excess and remove any drips from the edge.

Once I get one coat over the entire guitar, I will use the stand I built. For some dumb reason I flipped this image around. 

The grain looks great. Further coats of epoxy will make it look more gooder. Yes, more gooder indeed.

Sides will be done next.

I've done a few test pieces, and the first coat merely seals the pores, while the later coats fill up the grain. This shows the guitar top and the sealed surface.

 

New updates will probably include the result of sanding level the surface after all coats of epoxy have been applied.

-APB

Rebuild: Update 8

Some fretwork updates to present. The process is virtually the same as before, with only a few differences which I will highlight in this post. 

Beginning where I left off from Update 7, I first used my 35 degree file block from Update 12 from 2010 to bevel the ends of the frets. It is a loud and barbaric process, often shocking onlookers. However, with a delicate hand, the destructive might of the bastard file can be tamed, and used for good rather than evil. I beveled the metal until the cream fretboard binding just gets grazed by the file. With this done, the frets now need dressed, for they are naked and unlevel.

I used my homemade fretboard level to check for a flat neck. If I see light shining between the aluminum level and the rosewood fretboard in the middle, I know the neck has a slight up-bow. Tightening the truss rod will straighten the up-bow. Too much, however, will lead to a back-bow. I was worried the neck, without strings and a completely loose truss rod, had a back bow. This would make fret leveling difficult/impossible without some sort of jig. Fortunately, the neck had a slight up-bow and straightened with one or two truss rod quarter turns. I glued more 400 grit sandpaper to the same block of aluminum as before, and did an initial leveling of the frets. I did this until all frets get some contact with the 400 grit. I used a Sharpie as before to see which frets are being sanded. Now onto some new stuff...

I figured since I have a second chance to fret this guitar, I may as well one-up my previous work. The frets weren't bad before, but some fret buzz showed they needed a little more work. The neck of this guitar is quite long (neck/body joint is at the 19th fret) so it is, I assume, more susceptible to string tension induced neck warping. This is were neck jigs like the Erlewine jig and machines such as the PLEK machine come in handy. They allow the frets to be leveled properly with the strings tensioned. Thus, slight neck warping and fret height variations can be leveled. I do not have any of these, so I thought I'd figure something out on my own. 

I first determined the string tension the neck faces tuned to standard tuning with 10 gauge strings. This is roughly 120lbs of force (~20 per string...). I planned to simulate this string tension with only 5 strings, meaning each string needs to exert ~24 lbs of force to equate to 120lbs. Tuning all 5 strings up 1 semitone equates to something like 115 lbs (I lost my calculated values). This is close enough for my purposes. I would use the stringless channel of fretboard to level with the aluminum block.

 Yay, pictures. I string up the guitar with five strings tuned up 1 semitone (G to Gsharp, etc). Check for a level fretboard, then sand with the aluminum block. I'd take the next string off, add the previous, and repeat until all Sharpie is removed. There really wasn't much sanding too be done. This tells me the neck doesn't change much with tension.

I unstrung the guitar, taped the fretboard, and re-Sharpied the frets. 

 Frets are freshly fashioned with felt-tipped marker. The leveled plateaus will need re-rounded with the rest of the fret. This is where the Stew Mac fret file comes in handy. I filed each fret until only a sliver of marker remain.

I found a square, 3 sided file (i.e. one side is smooth) in my garage. This is perfect for rounding fret ends. A few passes smooth them out. 

The frets can now be sanded and polished. I used the following steps: 400 grit dry, 600 grit dry, 600 grit wet, 1000 grit wet, 2000 grit wet, 0000 steel wool, polishing compound w/Dremel pad. On each fret. The picture above shows pre steel wool (right) and post steel wool and Dremel (left). 

***VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: 

For those who are actually reading this. Buffing the frets with a Dremel induces loads of heat if done for even a few seconds. I found out quickly that this wasn't a good thing once I started. I began Dremel-ing my first fret to a shine (20th fret) only to see it got too hot touch and began pulling away from the fretboard. I muttered a panicked "oh shit" under my breath. The heat melted the glue on the fret, and it began coming loose. I pressed it down with a block of wood and squirted a little more superglue under the fret. It dried and the fret didn't budge anymore. Luckily, the fret leveling wasn't affected at all. Crisis averted. 

My solution to this was to use 0000 steel wool followed by a very brief buffing on the fret ends and fret tops. I mean very very very brief. Just a quick touch to smooth out any little imperfections.

 Nice and shiny once again. Taped being removed.

All done. This picture is kind of pointless. It doesn't really show anything, but whatever.

Shing. Sparkle, Sparkle.

Only had one fret that didn't seat 100%. The only result of this was more sanding off of its top. Not even noticeable.

Fretwork is such a worthwhile task that is really enjoyable. A new and shiny set of frets can make any guitar look loads better. 

Next step would be prepping for pore-filling and finishing. huzzah. 

I leave you with what NOT to do while fretting a guitar.

I'm serious. His lack of precision and care for the fretboard is scary. Not to mention his nasal whistling. Do not do anything he does.

Oh god. Why. WHY.

-A

Rebuild: Update 7

I began the fretwork recently. Here's the steps:

 

 The binding on the fretboard needed patched. I used scrap binding and binding glue to patch the spot, and it turned out seamless. The woodwork done around this 'extension' of the bottom 4 frets is actually better than the original work. It looks great.

I sanded down the fretboard with 220, 400, 600, and 1000 grit sandpaper. Despite the slight glare, the rosewood fretboard displayed it's excellent, purple figure that has been hidden under finger grease and grime.

 

Seamless. Like it was never butchered.

Using the modified Husky cutters, I cut the fretwire to length for each fret.

 Cut wire.

 The Husky cutters were dull and couldn't cut the fret tang. I gave up very quickly with them and finally caved and ordered Stew-Mac's fret cutters and a medium/wide fret crowning file. My last fret job with this guitar took quite a long time with only a triangular file and sandpaper. The file should make the job take seconds rather than 15 minutes per fret. Regular super glue was used to hold the frets in considering this is a re-fret. The hammer is a nylon/rubber hammer from Home deux Pot.

 The frets initially pounded in. I used the nylon hammer for seating, and a few light, quick taps with a steel hammer (carefully). Before each fret was seated, I put a small line of glue on the fret wire. But even before that...

 ...I bent this scrap fret wire and filed the tang 'teeth' off. This was used to test each fret slot for obstructions by sliding it along the slot. Notice the nipped fret tang and the 45 degree angle at the end of the tang. This allows the fret to seat more completely. (The glob of binding on the fretboard is from the patch. The patch before shrank so I had to add more glue).

 I could just level the frets without assuring a flat neck. Results would be acceptable, but I'd rather make sure the neck was as straight as possible before leveling. I bought a 1.5" x 1/8" aluminum blank for $8 from the H.D. I marked the frets and used a triangular file to cut slots in the metal. The straightedge can now be used to assure the neck is straight, even with the frets on.

Straightedge on fretboard. Notice the trimmed and beveled frets.

 Not bad. Will be useful.

The fretboard is essentially completely flat without any strings nor a tightened truss rod. I will do a preliminary leveling without any strings, then I will put on 5 strings, tuned up a half step, and tighten the truss rod accordingly. With the neck as flat as possible, I will re-level the frets along the stringless segment of fretboard. This will be repeated for each string. The material removed during the stringed leveling will be minimal, but this is what levels the frets to a degree most optimal for playing. There are jigs (Erlewine jig) and machines (PLEK) that do this more efficiently, but I'm not too enthusiastic on making the investment for a proper jig. The half step up tuning is required to keep the tension on the neck the same for 5 strings as it is for 6. Not the best method, but it should give a more positive result, rather a negative.

 Enjoy

-Andrew