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  #76  
Old 02-10-2019, 08:25 AM
GeoffStGermaine GeoffStGermaine is offline
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Tim - very cool jig! Looks like it would make a lot of bending more risk free.

The guitar looks great!
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  #77  
Old 02-10-2019, 08:56 AM
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Tim McKnight Tim McKnight is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j. Kinnaird View Post
That is a lovely nest of miters around the neck area. To Quote Vader, “impressive”
Thanks John. The older I get the more nervous I become at doing such fine detail work with a chisel. I just wish my eyes were 40 years younger but unfortunately that's not the case. I like what GR14 posted above ("When life deals you lemons, sometimes you just have to make lemonade") and that statement could certainly be applied to my eyes as well.



Quote:
Originally Posted by David Wren View Post
What an ingenious bending jig (and I only half understand what's going on with it!)
Thanks David and if you have questions please ask as I'll be glad to share.



Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffStGermaine View Post
Tim - very cool jig! Looks like it would make a lot of bending more risk free. The guitar looks great!
Thanks Geoff. I shared the jig design here in hopes that it may help other builders struggling with the same task.
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  #78  
Old 02-13-2019, 09:25 AM
GaultierRedon14 GaultierRedon14 is offline
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Default Finishing the slots on the headstock





Filing the slots





Filing the angle





Finished.

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2016 Darren Hippner "Torres" classical model--German Spruce/Pernambuco


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  #79  
Old 02-13-2019, 09:36 AM
GaultierRedon14 GaultierRedon14 is offline
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Default Pernambuco Bridge

Freshly planed and ready to go.






Hand filing the pyramids and other edges.






Sanding it smooth.






Finished.

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2016 Darren Hippner "Torres" classical model--German Spruce/Pernambuco


Commissioned:
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late-2024 Michel Aboudib--TBD
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  #80  
Old 02-13-2019, 10:33 AM
Neil K Walk Neil K Walk is offline
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Very nice! Making the bridge is an art form all unto itself, one that Tim helped me out with when I struggled at my first attempt. It takes an analytical mind and a practiced hand, neither of which I possess but that Tim possesses in spades.
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  #81  
Old 02-13-2019, 03:23 PM
TacomaDR20 TacomaDR20 is offline
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As if this guitar wasn't tasty enough, that looks just like bacon....












I took last weekend off for a much needed break. I turned to an old fashioned sketch pad to put some thoughts down on paper. When you bend wood over a form, hot pipe or any other object of your imagination, the inside of the wood fibers are in compression while the outside of the wood fibers are in tension. This Pernambuco wood ALWAYS fractured on the outside of the bend which was in tension so I imagined I needed more pressure on the outside of the wood. The wood was also becoming very brittle in my previous bending attempts. I had to find a way to add more pressure to the outside of the wood while reducing the heat induced embrittlement in the wood in the heat effected bending zone.

Bending wood over a heating blanket poses some problems because the entire piece of wood is being heated at once, which works well for the majority of woods, but not in my case. I needed a way to control the heat in a smaller and more localized area. Bending wood over a smaller hot pipe allows one to apply heat in a much smaller localized area but its difficult to apply an even and higher force to the outside of the wood. I had my best results bending over a hot pipe but I couldn't apply enough force to the wood. The Pernambuco would get to the yield point and begin to bend and then it would just snap whenever IT decided to.

Finally the light bulb went off and I came up with a design that would allow me to position the wood vertically, apply heat only where I needed the wood to yield during the bend and also allow the rising heat and steam to preheat the wood ahead of my bend, without drying or over heating the wood. This is what I came up with on paper and later built a prototype in the shop Sunday afternoon.











It uses heavy springs at both ends of the stainless steel outer bending slat which provides plenty of outer force on the wood and a constant and controlled downward pressure on the wood fibers during bending. I bent the wood over a smaller silicone heating blanket but the blanket only comes into contact with the wood when its being coaxed around the form. I am happy to report that it worked like a charm on my first beinding attempt.










Don't worry, this is not blood! Pernambuco bleeds color when water is applied to it...





















Success! ... FINALLY!










Thanks again to those of you who sent words of encouragement and prayers our way. They were certainly appreciated![/QUOTE]
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  #82  
Old 03-01-2019, 05:00 AM
GaultierRedon14 GaultierRedon14 is offline
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Default Applying the finish

Things are coming along! Here are a few teaser pictures of how the finish will bring out the beautiful orange and gold hues of the back and sides








I should note that there was a small issue with the fretboard, so Tim is going to replace it. We're waiting now for the new P fretboard to reach the target moisture content level before he proceeds.
The fretboard will feature some simple, vintage reproduction MOP snowflake inlays as well. He's already cut out the inlays and I think they're going to look great and add to the slightly vintage look of the instrument.
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2016 Darren Hippner "Torres" classical model--German Spruce/Pernambuco


Commissioned:
mid-2024 Michel Aboudib MA-J Fanfret--Western Red Cedar/Bois de Rose
late-2024 Michel Aboudib--TBD
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  #83  
Old 03-01-2019, 06:58 AM
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cigarfan cigarfan is offline
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So purdy!
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  #84  
Old 03-06-2019, 07:55 PM
D.Kwasnycia D.Kwasnycia is offline
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Great build Tim and love the bending jig!!
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  #85  
Old 03-06-2019, 10:12 PM
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Steve Kinnaird Steve Kinnaird is offline
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This reinforces my conviction that it is SO much fun to watch Tim work.
And inspiring-- as my brother appropriately quoted Darth, "Impressive".
Indeed, Obi-Wan taught him well!

And Tim, those miters--the ones that almost killed you--are killer.
Holy cow those are amazing!

Steve
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  #86  
Old 03-11-2019, 06:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cigarfan View Post
So purdy!
Thanks Dennis.


Quote:
Originally Posted by D.Kwasnycia View Post
Great build Tim and love the bending jig!!
At the risk of sounding redundant, thanks Dennis




Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Kinnaird View Post
This reinforces my conviction that it is SO much fun to watch Tim work.
And inspiring-- as my brother appropriately quoted Darth, "Impressive".
Indeed, Obi-Wan taught him well!

And Tim, those miters--the ones that almost killed you--are killer.
Holy cow those are amazing!

Steve
The miters were certainly stressful as was bending the Florentine bindings but it all worked out in the end. We had a small set back. Seems some idiot inlayed one of the FB inlays upside down. Wonder who he was??? We should be back on track very soon and get this puppy finished up.

Thanks again to all of those following this build along.
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  #87  
Old 03-12-2019, 09:02 AM
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David Wren David Wren is offline
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You really start to get a sense of how striking this instrument is going to be when you see an image of the lacquer hitting it ... love it Tim!
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  #88  
Old 03-12-2019, 09:42 AM
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Guitars44me Guitars44me is offline
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Smile Tapered fretboard

Quote:
Originally Posted by GaultierRedon14 View Post
This will give you a general idea of the fretboard and headstock shape. I've always appreciated the tapered fretboard style and often wondered why it is so rarely used--does anyone ever play on those upper frets?
Of course it looks odd since this design is so rarely used, but I think some of the modern-style luthiers (I know of a only a few who've made examples of this) could create different styles of tapered fretboards that are very attractive--you can use a straight line like on mine, or use a curvy style, in any number of different ways, depending on what fret you start the taper, how many total frets you want, etc.
Anyways, I like the look, but I don't expect it to become common anytime soon!
I looked at numerous examples of vintage and vintage reproduction instruments for ideas and this is what Tim and I settled on. It has 22 frets.

Yes, that fretboard is Pernambuco! It should make an excellent fretboard, but of course due to it's extreme rarity and light color, it's not exactly a popular choice. I think this particular piece is going to look very nice once it's fretted and oiled.
Headstock veneer is a very dark, streak-free piece of quartersawn Gabon Ebony.


I like it too. John Kinnaird and I have been discussing somthing a bit similar on my upcoming build.
I play with a rather low setup and often am playing with my thumbpick over the end of the fretboard in a quest for the most possible bass tone. This concept would reduce the pick bonking frets and the " snare drum effect"

My goodness this axe is a beauty! Glad you finally got the pesky pernambuco bent!

Have a wonderful day

Paul
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  #89  
Old 03-13-2019, 01:31 PM
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Tim McKnight Tim McKnight is offline
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Hi Paul,
I would think the tapered FB would work quite well for your style of play.
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  #90  
Old 03-13-2019, 10:48 PM
Kenneth Casper Kenneth Casper is offline
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Gents, that Pernambuco has great color. I haven't worked with it. Does it oxidize a bit and get a deeper orange with time? Tim is doing great work as always.

Ken
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