Search found 355 matches

by John Sonksen
Thu Apr 28, 2016 8:05 pm
Forum: Jam Session
Topic: 2016 NW Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit
Replies: 24
Views: 28512

Re: 2016 NW Handmade Musical Instrument Exhibit

Think I'm going to try for Saturday Jason
by John Sonksen
Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:33 pm
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: What Finish for Natural Feel?
Replies: 39
Views: 59981

Re: What Finish for Natural Feel?

on the last guitar I finished I used a product called Paraloid B72. It's typically used in art conservation, but depending on the solvent dilution it can be used as a stabilizer for punky wood, a fixative, or a very thin finish. It comes in pellet form and it's basically a polymer acrylic, and can b...
by John Sonksen
Sun Mar 06, 2016 12:42 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: about conical (Compound Rad ) fretboards
Replies: 8
Views: 9427

Re: about conical (Compound Rad ) fretboards

I've designed them on solidworks and autodesk by building a construction line the length of the fretboard, and then creating a rectangle at each end with equal height sides and overall width corresponding with the width at the nut end and bridge end respectively. Then I draw a circle of the radii I ...
by John Sonksen
Tue Jan 05, 2016 12:31 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: Jason's #4: All maple, dyed black and... purple?
Replies: 23
Views: 30290

Re: Jason's #4: All maple, dyed black and... purple?

so having had a chance to hold this and play it on Saturday, I must again compliment you on this build Jason. Not only did you get the action and neck profile feeling nice, your execution is really professional looking and it's got a great blend of both simplicity and elegance. One thing I'm not sur...
by John Sonksen
Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:24 pm
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Need advice on using TransTint Dye on curly maple
Replies: 22
Views: 30243

Re: Need advice on using TransTint Dye on curly maple

oh and for color coats I like to thin the color concentration down so it takes a minimum of three passes to get to full color saturation. I actually tend to thin to get to six passes, that way it's easier to avoid going too dark in any one pass which can lead to uneven streaks from overly concentrat...
by John Sonksen
Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:22 pm
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Need advice on using TransTint Dye on curly maple
Replies: 22
Views: 30243

Re: Need advice on using TransTint Dye on curly maple

that's a good reason why I prefer to spray a toned lacquer over sealed wood versus dying the wood directly. You may have luck though if you don't have the capability to spray or don't want to do it that way to use wash coats or try a product called Benite which helps to mitigate blotchiness and too ...
by John Sonksen
Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:10 am
Forum: Glues and Finishes
Topic: Penetrol? Useful or not?
Replies: 9
Views: 8844

Re: Penetrol? Useful or not?

I've only ever used Penetrol as a paint additive, it helps oil paint lay down smoother when applied by brush or roller basically. I've never thought of using it as a finish by itself. Really, there are plenty of finishes out there that I don't understand why you'd use this. I've used Tru-oil several...
by John Sonksen
Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:11 am
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: My new favorite tool - the Scraper!
Replies: 22
Views: 17736

Re: My new favorite tool - the Scraper!

Am I the only person here who doesn't draw a burr? I just pull them at 90º on a mill file and hone the face with a small stone. I get two sharp edges that way. What am I missing? I did it that way for probably 15 years and it does work fine, but I found that using a screwdriver shank after I file a...
by John Sonksen
Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:28 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: 2 lacquer questions
Replies: 18
Views: 18985

Re: 2 lacquer questions

this is a last ditch effort before stripping, but I have done it successfully with conversion varnish. Spray on a mix of hardener/catalyst with lacquer thinner or a mix of lacquer thinner and butyl acetate, which will be a bit slower drying and hopefully give the hardener a chance to react with what...
by John Sonksen
Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:10 pm
Forum: Tools and Jigs
Topic: neck shaping jig
Replies: 10
Views: 8443

Re: neck shaping jig

Do you mean something like this: http://cambrianguitars.com/compradjig.html ? It can be made to radius fretboards or necks. This is very similar to what I've had kicking around my head for the last couple years, good to see it works and I don't have to go to the trouble of building it first to find...
by John Sonksen
Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:50 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: how to remove iron stain from maple
Replies: 15
Views: 11729

Re: how to remove iron stain from maple

I don't think solvent is going to do anything to it to be honest, it can break down a film finish but it's not going to go in and lift out the stain. If you can't sand or scrape it off maybe you can modify your finish like do a darker stain color, a burst or a solid color? I know it's not ideal but ...
by John Sonksen
Fri Nov 21, 2014 2:23 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: how to remove iron stain from maple
Replies: 15
Views: 11729

Re: how to remove iron stain from maple

it's always a good idea to put a thin strip of wood between your clamp bars and what you're gluing up to avoid this. Some woods stain worse than others, oak for example tends to go kind of deep. I'll bet you can scrape it off though.
by John Sonksen
Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:15 pm
Forum: Archtop Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: bending very figured maple without wetting
Replies: 13
Views: 11870

Re: bending very figured maple without wetting

I've used a spray bottle to mist it with water but absolutely don't get it soaking wet. If it's wet the water will steam off straight through the phloem which creates the figure in the wood, and will soften it as it goes through resulting in a kink or a tear. I bent some curly maple around the upper...
by John Sonksen
Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:12 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: fretting - rounding errors
Replies: 8
Views: 7114

Re: fretting - rounding errors

are you populating the fretboard with single points that you are crosschecking against your spreadsheet, or are you mousing over a fret slot width feature? Just trying to clarify if you're picking up the edge of one side of the fret slot versus the center of each one. Even if it were the latter it s...
by John Sonksen
Sat Oct 25, 2014 3:02 pm
Forum: Wind, Percussion, and Miscellaneous and Experimental Instruments
Topic: Metal "ring" on the flute. How to make it?
Replies: 10
Views: 17143

Re: Metal "ring" on the flute. How to make it?

why not find a piece of pipe with the appropriate inside diameter, mate it onto your wood and then work down the outer thickness slowly being careful not to overheat it?
by John Sonksen
Fri Oct 24, 2014 12:33 pm
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: fretting - rounding errors
Replies: 8
Views: 7114

Re: fretting - rounding errors

Now that I read this again, is the fret calculator generating all of them from the nut at once? If so your formula needs tweaking
by John Sonksen
Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:01 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: fretting - rounding errors
Replies: 8
Views: 7114

Re: fretting - rounding errors

That seems like more than just a rounding error to me. Are you measuring point to point, edge of fret slot to edge of fret slot, are there any offsets set up in the selection parameters? I would definitely not go forward with those numbers, you'd be better off with a long steel ruler and calipers.
by John Sonksen
Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:17 am
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric
Replies: 23
Views: 17810

Re: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric

Nice to see you and the Mrs. today, John. That set of strings is just what the doctor ordered. I might need to check them out myself. Good to see you too Jason and thanks again for your gifts! I have to say I'm going on a couple days here and it's holding in tune, it's a huge relief for me and I wo...
by John Sonksen
Sun Oct 19, 2014 2:51 pm
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric
Replies: 23
Views: 17810

Re: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric

Excellent! Did you have to drill out the 6th tuner post? The 7-string set of Hipshot Griplock tuners I got were a standard 3x3 set with a 7th left-side tuner thrown in: it was obviously drilled out at the factory, and not made that way, as the hole is not black and there was a little brass swarf on...
by John Sonksen
Sat Oct 18, 2014 3:40 pm
Forum: Solid-Body and Chambered or Semi-Solid Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars
Topic: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric
Replies: 23
Views: 17810

Re: downtuned tuning problems with a six string electric

So good news to report, I traded out the DR's for a set of D'Addario EXL158's, Baritone Lights and this thing tunes right up! I haven't done the intonation on it yet, and I'm not expecting miracles tbh, but if it's holding tune up to the twelfth I'm considering this a success.

Go to advanced search