Finished Pics! Single Cut 5-string Short Scale

[spacecowboy]

2 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Then a bit of smoothing out with the goose-neck scraper.  I have FINALLY sussed how to re-burnish these wonderful bits of steel.  Burnished properly, they should work like simple planes producing shavings, not dust :

Please share your knowledge oh wise one!

I can't for the life of me find any guide that makes me confident enough to get sharpening them, I love my gooseneck scraper but I'm fast running out of uber sharp edges! Any guidance that you followed would be brill!

Edited June 2, 2021 by spacecowboy

[Andyjr1515]

1 hour ago, spacecowboy said:

Please share your knowledge oh wise one!

I can't for the life of me find any guide that makes me confident enough to get sharpening them, I love my gooseneck scraper but I'm fast running out of uber sharp edges! Any guidance that you followed would be brill!

No problem.  Is it specifically the goose neck or re-burnishing cabinet scrapers generally?

And, based on it taking me about 6 years to re-burnish one that works well, I don't think there's much wisdom involved...but maybe there is impressive persistence  

[spacecowboy]

Yeah I use the gooseneck alot and the rectangular one every now and again, I've watched a couple of vids on it, probably more just getting on with it! 🙂

[Andyjr1515]

29 minutes ago, spacecowboy said:

Yeah I use the gooseneck alot and the rectangular one every now and again, I've watched a couple of vids on it, probably more just getting on with it! 🙂

The key is getting a square edge in the first place.  I'll take a few photos in the morning of a simple way of reburnishing rectangular ones and goosenecks.  It's one of those things where you don't need a lot of equipment and it's pretty easy once you know how...but the knowing how is the critical bit  

[BassTool]

5 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

 

The darkening at the volute...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

😁

@SpondonBassed

[Andyjr1515]

Sometimes opportunities arise. 

There were only a couple of small offcuts of the top walnut left, but I realised that it was enough to do a bookmatched headstock plate if Matt preferred that to the ebony - and yes, that's the way we are going to go.

I thicknessed and joined it last night and cut it out this morning.  Clearly the glue line in the middle will fully sand away but this is broadly how it will look

 

Couple more swifts to cut out sometime during the day

 

[Pea Turgh]

I liked it before, but that balances it so well.  Hats off to you, Sir!

[Daz39]

17 hours ago, BassTool said:

 

😁

@SpondonBassed

"Darkening of the Volute" - that sounds like the latest EP from basschat's resident neo-prog-metal band.

[Andyjr1515]

The headstock is designed to accommodate the 5 ultralights, keep the string runs straight and, most importantly fit in the electric guitar hardcase that's ready and waiting!

A double check that the tuners will fit in the right places also gives me how much room there will be to pop a couple of swifts onto the headstock plate:

 

For those who have seen this many times, feel free to skip the next few photos - the inlays 

They are marked out on the mother of pearl:

 

Cut out with a jeweller's saw:

 

Positioned and a pencil outline drawn round them:

 

Then out comes the Dremel with a precision router base and 1mm bit:

 

One done, one to go!

 

And then glued in with epoxy mixed with walnut dust which will secure them and the squeeze-out will fill any gaps with walnut-coloured filler:

 

And after lunch I can sand them down and we should have a couple of finished inlays

 

 

 

[TheGreek]

Perfect opportunity missed to use the classic Blue Peter line "..and here's one I prepared earlier".

Looking good.

Edited June 3, 2021 by TheGreek

[Andyjr1515]

'And here's one I've just done'

[Pea Turgh]

Classy!

[HazBeen]

It is a good thing your logo isn’t a millipede, that would take ages  

[Andyjr1515]

And even on the headstock plate you can't have too many clamps! :

[Andyjr1515]

At the moment it is cut a touch oversize and straight sided - but it's on  

Once the tuner holes have been drilled and I know exactly where the tuners are going to be I will carve the curves a bit deeper to tone in with the body shape :

 

But, final shape or not, always worth a gratuitous mock-up

 

[BassTool]

5 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

The headstock is designed to accommodate the 5 ultralights, keep the string runs straight and, most importantly fit in the electric guitar hardcase that's ready and waiting!

A double check that the tuners will fit in the right places also gives me how much room there will be to pop a couple of swifts onto the headstock plate:

 

For those who have seen this many times, feel free to skip the next few photos - the inlays 

They are marked out on the mother of pearl:

 

Cut out with a jeweller's saw:

 

Positioned and a pencil outline drawn round them:

 

Then out comes the Dremel with a precision router base and 1mm bit:

 

One done, one to go!

 

And then glued in with epoxy mixed with walnut dust which will secure them and the squeeze-out will fill any gaps with walnut-coloured filler:

 

And after lunch I can sand them down and we should have a couple of finished inlays

 

 

 

Never get bored of this bit, brilliant every time 👌🏼

[Daz39]

5 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Perfect opportunity missed to use the classic Blue Peter line "..and here's one I prepared earlier".

Looking good.

Yeah: @Andyjr1515 why don’t you make one extra each time and have a box of 20 different sized swifts?

[Andyjr1515]

48 minutes ago, Daz39 said:

Yeah: @Andyjr1515 why don’t you make one extra each time and have a box of 20 different sized swifts?

That would be far too organised for my scattershot way of doing things.

And I wouldn't remember where I'd put them 

[zbd1960]

Just read through the whole build to date - love it. The walnut looks fab. 

[Andyjr1515]

And what is probably the final 'one slip could spell disaster' step is done...and, happily, without a disaster.   Drilling the tuner holes 

There's lot's of stuff to get right - not leaving the backs of the tuners hanging in fresh air, keeping the string runs as straight as the neck blank size will allow, positioning the tuners so they don't clash, drilling the holes straight so the bushes don't bind.  Well, with a lot of care and a huge dollop of good luck, I think it's OK.

And why the angled tuners?

See above 

So I have just a couple of preference questions to ask Matt and a tidy up of the volute carve and then I think we are rapidly moving towards the 'finish sand' stage

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Andyjr1515

[TheGreek]

Personally......shame there isn't more of the Purpleheart on show. 

[Andyjr1515]

On 02/06/2021 at 14:19, spacecowboy said:

Please share your knowledge oh wise one!

I can't for the life of me find any guide that makes me confident enough to get sharpening them, I love my gooseneck scraper but I'm fast running out of uber sharp edges! Any guidance that you followed would be brill!

OK - short diversion for @spacecowboy or anyone else interested in one way (I'm sure there are many) of re-burnishing card/cabinet scrapers.  By the way, when you buy a set (and they are not at all expensive) they come ready burnished so this is only if you use them more frequently and they go blunt.

It's all about getting a completely square edge

Once the cutting edges of the scraper are completely square and sharp (the solid blue in this magnified representation), we will be 'squashing' the top of the scraper which will create a tiny burr either side:

And then we will be rolling that burr over a touch so it now acts like a mini plane:

 

 

Starting with a rectangular one.  This is what I do.  

 

To get that edge absolutely square, I polish the edges on both sides on a flat abrasive surface.  You can use a flat file, or some fine emery glued to a piece of glass or similar but I find my diamond sharpening block (which I use to sharpen my chisel and plane blades on) easier.  I use this wet:

Then I use a piece of wood with a saw slot cut in it highly sophisticated tool to hold the scraper at exactly 90 degrees and run the edge along the diamond block:

I now have the completely square and sharp edges.

I then clamp the scraper in a vice.  I pop a drop of light machine oil (bicycle oil or 3-in-one) on my finger and run it along the edge (careful because those edges are sharp)

Then I take a screwdriver or similar (needs to be hard, chrome vanadium or similar) holding either end and at 90 degrees to the scraper, I press quite hard and run it down the length of the edge.  I repeat this three or four times, ensuring it remains square:

This will have deformed the edge and formed the teeny burr (you will be able to feel it but probably not see it)

Now I tilt the screwdriver shaft around 30 degrees and repeat along one side of the scraper edge.  Again, personally I press quite hard.  This will bend the burr into a minute hook shape.  I tilt the screwdriver shaft 30 degrees the other direction and peen over the burr on the other side:

You won't be able to easily see the burr but you should be able to feel it with your finger (again, remember it's sharp)

 

Goose neck is exactly the same except you have to fiddle around a bit moving it round the curve, especially the edge flattening and the burnishing:

  

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

[Andyjr1515]

21 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Personally......shame there isn't more of the Purpleheart on show. 

There is when you're playing it

I'll take some 3/4 shots when the proper finish is one - there's PLENTY of purpleheart showing  

 

 

[spacecowboy]

9 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

OK - short diversion for @spacecowboy or anyone else interested in one way (I'm sure there are many) of re-burnishing card/cabinet scrapers.  By the way, when you buy a set (and they are not at all expensive) they come ready burnished so this is only if you use them more frequently and they go blunt.

It's all about getting a completely square edge

Once the cutting edges of the scraper are completely square and sharp (the solid blue in this magnified representation), we will be 'squashing' the top of the scraper which will create a tiny burr either side:

And then we will be rolling that burr over a touch so it now acts like a mini plane:

 

 

Starting with a rectangular one.  This is what I do.  

 

To get that edge absolutely square, I polish the edges on both sides on a flat abrasive surface.  You can use a flat file, or some fine emery glued to a piece of glass or similar but I find my diamond sharpening block (which I use to sharpen my chisel and plane blades on) easier.  I use this wet:

Then I use a piece of wood with a saw slot cut in it highly sophisticated tool to hold the scraper at exactly 90 degrees and run the edge along the diamond block:

I now have the completely square and sharp edges.

I then clamp the scraper in a vice.  I pop a drop of light machine oil (bicycle oil or 3-in-one) on my finger and run it along the edge (careful because those edges are sharp)

Then I take a screwdriver or similar (needs to be hard, chrome vanadium or similar) holding either end and at 90 degrees to the scraper, I press quite hard and run it down the length of the edge.  I repeat this three or four times, ensuring it remains square:

This will have deformed the edge and formed the teeny burr (you will be able to feel it but probably not see it)

Now I tilt the screwdriver shaft around 30 degrees and repeat along one side of the scraper edge.  Again, personally I press quite hard.  This will bend the burr into a minute hook shape.  I tilt the screwdriver shaft 30 degrees the other direction and peen over the burr on the other side:

You won't be able to easily see the burr but you should be able to feel it with your finger (again, remember it's sharp)

 

Goose neck is exactly the same except you have to fiddle around a bit moving it round the curve, especially the edge flattening and the burnishing:

  

 

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for this! Looks like a need to make myself one of those space age tools for running against the stone first! 

Seriously though that's probably the easiest to understand guide I've seen! 

Should get it published online pronto! 

[SpondonBassed]

The bass is looking really good.

How do you flat the inside curve?