crown and clean day

[ssstewart]

crown and clean day for my George Rizsanyi dread. masked her all off, checked fretboard to get her level, used rocker to mark any spots that needed beaming. beamed her off where needed. crowned all frets. added some linseed/beeswax/etc mix to the entire fretboard, cleaned completely, installed new thomastik-infeld plectrums. set her up to 2.25 at 12th low E. sounds and looks awesome, this is one pretty fretboard love the quilt maple or burnt flame maple ( whichever term you prefer) just need to wait a couple days for strings to settle. i never trim thomastik-infeld plectrum strings for at least 48 hours so the silk doesnt unwind.

[KingCavalier]

Looks great, love the Fretboard. One of my least favorite jobs

[BradHall]

Does look very nice. What is that tool below the fret rocker?

[ssstewart]

Originally Posted by KingCavalier

Looks great, love the Fretboard. One of my least favorite jobs

tks King not my fav task either.

[ssstewart]

Originally Posted by BradHall

Does look very nice. What is that tool below the fret rocker?

tks Brad. im a little OCD so i used it to inspect the crown as i did each one, the light on it is extremely bright and i can id any flaw/etc. but its my inspection tool for looking inside acoustics, works awesome, fully articulated head+ long telescopic piece on it + mirror attachment with 2 pivot points to adjust angle + its magnetic. $15 hardware store find while i was buying some rare earth magnets for my classical mic/pickup mounts.

[Horseflesh]

Is it possible to get the tools needed for this kind of work without breaking the bank? I want to learn to do this stuff (on a cheap guitar) but I don't want to invest in garbage tools or super expensive pro tools.

I've kind of gotten the idea that there are NO good and inexpensive nut files... Is the fretboard the same way?

[ssstewart]

absolutely.... avoid the specialty shops (in my opinion) for tools (stewmac/instrument spec shops). most of them will put a 300-400% mark up on the exact same tool with equal quality, simply because its a specialty store. i have bought very good quality tools at amazon, home depot, target, hardware and woodworking stores for 1/4 of the price. A good crown file or 2 are only $30-$40 each on amazon ( and thats for the good ones, they have cheaper but i wouldnt recommend them) same as taper files, slot files etc etc. a good beam tool on amazon runs about $20. a rocker tool can be substituted for a facsimile based on the job its set to do. Two different builders in my province have retired in last year so i simply bought from them at huge discount ( clamps, jigs, jigs, etc) the Thomastik-infeld strings in the above job i did was the most expensive item lol ($35)
Kitchen cabinet builders and woodworkers are also a good place to visit and ask the owner to help you out. most older woodworkers love to impart their knowledge and will also help you build up your tool bench...thats what i did when i was younger. ( a little flattery/politeness and respect goes a lonnnnggg way)

the tools arent the investment...the knowledge and trial and error are the key to success. just dont start on a $5500.00 git like the one above but it also saves me $200-$350 when i do it myself ( that money can go to feed my GAS addiction) and nothing feels as good as when youve done it yourself and honestly i do a better job now on any work i do that anyone within a couple hundred miles of me (not arrogant..just a fact- restored my first git almost 40 years ago)

[Horseflesh]

Thanks, appreciate it!

The rocker is the one thing I have covered -- made one myself since I have access to a laser cutter.

[ssstewart]

Originally Posted by Horseflesh

Thanks, appreciate it!

The rocker is the one thing I have covered -- made one myself since I have access to a laser cutter.

your very welcome Horseflesh good luck as well delving into this journey..it will be a worthy ride imo. lots of good quality english makers of chisels/files and some western makers also have great tools at hardware stores...just buy them when on sale...bought my last file set of 10 files for $19.95 regular price was $85.95. some files when you by them just need to be *******ized (no pun intended- file lovers will get that joke hee hee) on taper and flat files i always grind down the non use edges to smooth curves so as not to damage what im not intending to file.

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by Horseflesh

Thanks, appreciate it!

The rocker is the one thing I have covered -- made one myself since I have access to a laser cutter.

I just remove the ruler from a 6" combination square and use the 3 sided part that's left

[rmp]

and I thought this would be a story about a Dentist,

imagine my disappointment...