Body/Heel Seam

[kbinde2]

I'm trying to present a more "flowing", or smooth finish at the seam. This joint gives me grief, either the edges of the heel are not "Flat", causing a seam gap, or the joint just isn't perfect enough to fit flush. Will a burn-in lacquer-stick aid in the flow of the finish at the seam? Thanks..

[John Arnold]

That is the old school way. Many, me included, have moved on to super glue. Aerosol Gluboost or Hurry Up nail glue dryer for crystal clear curing.
Do you floss the joint with sandpaper to get a close fit? I mostly use a strip of 220 grit sandpaper. I reinforce the sandpaper by applying packaging tape on the back side.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by kbinde2

I'm trying to present a more "flowing", or smooth finish at the seam. This joint gives me grief, either the edges of the heel are not "Flat", causing a seam gap, or the joint just isn't perfect enough to fit flush. Will a burn-in lacquer-stick aid in the flow of the finish at the seam? Thanks..

if you finish in separate pieces and bolt together then you can fill a tiny joint with matching putty as Taylor does with the NT neck joint.

[kbinde2]

Thank you for the replies.. I do like the packing tape suggestion, always a problem with the sandpaper ripping after a few passes.!
Also finishing in separate pieces (?) do you fit the neck heel and heel block before body assembly.? That would be advised for any method of neck attachment.. correct.? Thanks again

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by kbinde2

Thank you for the replies.. I do like the packing tape suggestion, always a problem with the sandpaper ripping after a few passes.!
Also finishing in separate pieces (?) do you fit the neck heel and heel block before body assembly.? That would be advised for any method of neck attachment.. correct.? Thanks again

Fit first, finish is the last step. There's no sense in finishing and then fitting, which will result in disrupting all that difficult finish work.

Most builders who do bolt on necks completely assemble the body and completely construct the neck. The two parts are then fitted precisely together.

I've been using packing tape backing on sandpaper for quite a while, too. Any place where the paper is going to go through a lot of physical movement it will do a lot towards making your life easier.

[CowhornShoehorn]

I discovered cloth backed wood turners sandpaper rolls and use them for flossing. It is durable, about 1 inch wide and comes in multiple grits.

Fitting a neck cleanly is not easy. You get better with time but you also learn how to fill.

Fred

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by CowhornShoehorn

I discovered cloth backed wood turners sandpaper rolls and use them for flossing. It is durable, about 1 inch wide and comes in multiple grits.l

Fred

I use the cloth backed rolls from my drum sander when they break or get chewed up. There is usually the majority of the roll still useable.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

if you finish in separate pieces and bolt together then you can fill a tiny joint with matching putty as Taylor does with the NT neck joint.

The product I use is called 'Color Putty.'

The joint of course should be as perfect in every way that you can get but the putty sort of softens up the edge. You just force it in there and they remove it with a soft cloth and it sort of rounds off the blunt joint as light reflects off of it.

[H165]

always a problem with the sandpaper ripping after a few passes.!

I use film-back sandpaper. It's just about indestructable.

[SColumbusSt]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

That is the old school way. Many, me included, have moved on to super glue. Aerosol Gluboost or Hurry Up nail glue dryer for crystal clear curing.
Do you floss the joint with sandpaper to get a close fit? I mostly use a strip of 220 grit sandpaper. I reinforce the sandpaper by applying packaging tape on the back side.

John,

Do you use the Fill n' Finish Gluboost formula along with the Aerosol to clean up the neck joint? Do you just pipette the superglue into the joint and then hit it with the aerosol?

Keith

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by redir

The product I use is called 'Color Putty.'

The joint of course should be as perfect in every way that you can get but the putty sort of softens up the edge. You just force it in there and they remove it with a soft cloth and it sort of rounds off the blunt joint as light reflects off of it.

In the case of the Taylor NT joint the heel slips down inside the body mortise, so there's always a TINY gap unless it is filled.

It seems to me that using CA would not be a good idea for a bolt on neck joint if you wanted to be able to remove the neck without risk of damage.

[CowhornShoehorn]

I'm not sure how John does it, but I myself would not use CA glue for filling gaps at the heel. If that instrument someday needs a neck reset, it would be additionally complicated if some CA managed to wick into the joint.