New 00 Woodsman model Hatcher Guitars

[Ovation1]

Love the new headstock.

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Ovation1

Love the new headstock.

Thanks Ovation1, It's a really traditional headstock and I think the colors and style will tie in nicely with what I'm doing.


Thanks for commenting!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I am putting a very thin finish on this guitar. Lot's of things you do to improve the sound of a guitar have very minimal effects. The strategy is that many small things add up. That is not the case with finish. A super lightweight thin finish makes a noticeable difference all by itself. If it's the difference you want, a properly applied finish will get you there.

I'm doing a French Polish finish and I am doing it a lot more like they did in the 1800s. Back then they weren't trying to make a finish look like today's thicker perfect glass finish. The goal was to make a strong beautiful finish that protected the wood and showed it beautifully.

A sealer is used to start the process. This keeps the finish from soaking in too much and prepares a surface the shellac will adhere well to. Like many things in life this all starts with:



An Egg!

There are a number of parts to an egg. What we're probably most familiar with would be the yoke, which contains a lot of fat and protein, and the protective albumin layers around the yoke which we know as the egg white. The albumin has a thick layer and a thin layer which are both mostly protein and water. The thick layer has some other stuff but, we don't care because it's the thin layer we're after. Here's a picture of an egg in a familiar setting so you can see the yoke, the thick albumin layer, and then the more watery thin albumin layer which I'll be using as the sealer:



I have mentioned several times in this thread how there is usually something lost whenever a new technology takes over. When newer chemical sealers became commonly used what was given up in many cases was how well the shellac adheres to it. The newer sealers are heavier and another more subtle difference is the egg sealer does better at keeping end grain from discoloring by making the end grain look overly dark or saturated looking.

Here is a test piece of the Spanish Cedar I am using for the neck with finish on it. The end grain becomes exposed as it makes that curve, Not unlike what happens at the heel of the neck:



It isn't perfect. If you look straight on at the end grain it does look a little darker because you are looking right down the throat of the hollow wood fibers but, it is overall lighter and the chatoyance of the wood is much stronger on those curves that expose the end grain. French Polishers took great pride in how much they could control the evenness of color on their finished work.

[Mark Hatcher]

I've been searching for the best tuners to go with this guitar. I was looking for an older style to go with the vintage look as opposed to the more modern Schertlers and Gotohs I usually use. I decided to go with Waverly tuners. They have a relic finish that would look quite comfortable here but, I am trying to stay away from using anything relic. As I keep saying; "if it looks old it's because it is old." That it should be a matter of design, materials, or technique to achieve a vintage look. I've landed on the nickel finish because that is what you would get if you were buying a guitar in 1855. Waverly has old style little oval Black Ebony buttons and I was able to get the old style tuner bushings to help complete the look:



Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

I have the sealer on the guitar body now and can show how the colors are working out. Old Redwood and old Black Walnut really come to life when the finish starts going on and I think they go together wonderfully!



Thanks for viewing!
Mark

[jaan]

It all looks awesome!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by jaan

It all looks awesome!

Thanks jaan! I appreciate you commenting.

Mark

[Mark Hatcher]

The best finish for a vintage influenced instrument seems to me to be French Polish. It is the traditional finish for guitars because it is hard, nontoxic, and can be applied very thin. This reduces weight and allows for a very responsive guitar. It doesn't blush or break down from UV exposure. It has a reputation for not wearing well and becoming sticky under various conditions. In my view this reputation for poor wear and stickiness comes from attempts to make French Polish look like a contemporary synthetic finish. Since we're going with a more traditional look we don't need to be burdened with compromises made to look synthetic.



This picture shows the flakes of shellac that are dissolved in alcohol. On the left is what we commonly see today which is a heavily processed flake that has been bleached to a "very light blond" so that it looks more contemporary. Problem is this weakens the finish and makes it softer and more likely to go sticky under a sweaty hand. I'm using unbleached shellac flake that you see on the right which was commonly in the 1800's. As I said earlier the finish is going on thin so that dark look will be minimized and any darker cast it might add will look great on an old looking instrument.

I use grain alcohol because it works great and is far less toxic than denatured alcohol. This is what the shellac is dissolved in for application (no I don't drink that stuff!) The little jar is where I keep the cotton and wool applicator I use for application.

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

The best finish for a vintage influenced instrument seems to me to be French Polish. It is the traditional finish for guitars because it is hard, nontoxic, and can be applied very thin. This reduces weight and allows for a very responsive guitar. It doesn't blush or break down from UV exposure. It has a reputation for not wearing well and becoming sticky under various conditions. In my view this reputation for poor wear and stickiness comes from attempts to make French Polish look like a contemporary synthetic finish. Since we're going with a more traditional look we don't need to be burdened with compromises made to look synthetic.



This picture shows the flakes of shellac that are dissolved in alcohol. On the left is what we commonly see today which is a heavily processed flake that has been bleached to a "very light blond" so that it looks more contemporary. Problem is this weakens the finish and makes it softer and more likely to go sticky under a sweaty hand. I'm using unbleached shellac flake that you see on the right which was commonly in the 1800's. As I said earlier the finish is going on thin so that dark look will be minimized and any darker cast it might add will look great on an old looking instrument.

I use grain alcohol because it works great and is far less toxic than denatured alcohol. This is what the shellac is dissolved in for application (no I don't drink that stuff!) The little jar is where I keep the cotton and wool applicator I use for application.

Really looking forward to seeing how this comes out. My grandfather was a professional french polisher, well known around our area for the work he did.
This is looking great Mark.

[TomB'sox]

Well if it doesn't work out it kinda looks like a great party could be had??? Glitter and Everclear.

[SJ VanSandt]

Originally Posted by Mark Hatcher

The best finish for a vintage influenced instrument seems to me to be French Polish. It is the traditional finish for guitars because it is hard, nontoxic, and can be applied very thin. This reduces weight and allows for a very responsive guitar. It doesn't blush or break down from UV exposure. It has a reputation for not wearing well and becoming sticky under various conditions. In my view this reputation for poor wear and stickiness comes from attempts to make French Polish look like a contemporary synthetic finish. Since we're going with a more traditional look we don't need to be burdened with compromises made to look synthetic.



This picture shows the flakes of shellac that are dissolved in alcohol. On the left is what we commonly see today which is a heavily processed flake that has been bleached to a "very light blond" so that it looks more contemporary. Problem is this weakens the finish and makes it softer and more likely to go sticky under a sweaty hand. I'm using unbleached shellac flake that you see on the right which was commonly in the 1800's. As I said earlier the finish is going on thin so that dark look will be minimized and any darker cast it might add will look great on an old looking instrument.

I use grain alcohol because it works great and is far less toxic than denatured alcohol. This is what the shellac is dissolved in for application (no I don't drink that stuff!) The little jar is where I keep the cotton and wool applicator I use for application.

I had no idea - that is extremely cool. Can't wait to see how it comes out under finish. And still at your base price? I am loving this whole project more and more all the time.

[nootis]

This is all very interesting Mark. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

From now on, I’ll forever think about guitars when frying eggs. Thanks!!!

[Deft Tungsman]

Thanks for sharing, Mark. Your work is beautiful, and your threads are very informative.

Everclear and glitter, indeed!

[Mark Hatcher]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

Really looking forward to seeing how this comes out. My grandfather was a professional french polisher, well known around our area for the work he did.
This is looking great Mark.

From what I see French Polish started being used in the 16th century. Musical instruments were French Polished right from the start. However, it didn’t really start in America until the middle of the 1800s. The shellac comes from India and Taiwan so maybe, it’s use started a bit earlier where you are?

Originally Posted by TomB'sox

Well if it doesn't work out it kinda looks like a great party could be had??? Glitter and Everclear.

Well, there is that. I hadn’t thought of those flakes as glitter before.

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

I had no idea - that is extremely cool. Can't wait to see how it comes out under finish. And still at your base price? I am loving this whole project more and more all the time.

Thanks Stan, I have done a lot of French Polish over the years, especially on my early work. This is the first time I’m going with some of these older methods though. I have all these little test pieces of shellaced wood in the shop and am pretty confident of the look, feel, and durability.
Yeah, I can keep my base price. Actually, I am spending a lot more time researching, practicing, testing and doing set up than I am actually building this guitar.

Originally Posted by nootis

This is all very interesting Mark. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
From now on, I’ll forever think about guitars when frying eggs. Thanks!!!

Thanks for following along nootis. It does seem odd today to use a dairy product for finishing wood. It reminds me of the milk paint they used to use too.

Originally Posted by Deft Tungsman

Thanks for sharing, Mark. Your work is beautiful, and your threads are very informative.

Everclear and glitter, indeed!

Thanks for commenting! This build feels to me like a bit of an expedition into the past. It’s the kind of thing that keeps guitar building an adventure!

[Guitars44me]

This axe will be UBER COOL

Very informative thread, Mark! Thanks!!!

Cheers

Paul