Let's see your detail scrapers, Please.....

[Karl Hoyt]

Greetings: I'm chugging along at a snail's pace on my first F5 builds.... and I have the scroll areas rough carved.

So I've been looking at lots of videos of folks carving scrolls, and even some violin building videos trying to get an idea about the best scraper to use for the detail work around the scroll. I have 2-3 gooseneck scrapers which seem to do the trick, but I was wondering if anyone has some customized ones that they use in that area of the mando?

What got me to thinking about this was the violin makers, who seem to have lots more dedicated scrapers.... some for graduating and some for fine details. I made some dedicated scrapers from a dead disston sawblade for my archtop guitar builds... just wondering what you are all using .

Thanks in advance

Karl

[Dale Ludewig]

I don't use a scraper much on the top plate. Spruce and such doesn't cooperate well with me and my scrapers. On the scroll on the top, I tend to use sandpaper wrapped around a dowel of varying sizes or sandpaper held tightly to a piece of belt leather. The problem with scrapers, to me, in those areas is they tend to ride the existing surface. I want something with a little length to it. It helps to get a smooth "un-wavy" surface. Ultimately, I end up just using my fingers and sandpaper.

On the back, with its harder material, scrapers are better. Even then, at a certain point I resort to the sandpaper method. I know it's not romantic but it's effective. I also tend to use industrial sandpaper with a cloth backing, like you'd use on a belt sander, because it's a lot stiffer. When no one is looking, I've even been known to use a small pneumatic sander.

[HoGo]

Scrapers require some learning curve to use properly. First off selecting the right scrapers for your job, second, sharpening them and then proper use...
Sandpaper is very easy to use but often beginners do not use it correctly and it shows as well...
You can get scrapers in many thicknesses, shapes and materials and you can sharpen them to 45 degree or square or like some of the modern 1/8" thick "ice skate" srapers with slight hollow.
I combine both good sanpaper and scrapers in my building.
I typically rough shape the scroll with sharp gouge and fine tuned fingerplane (12mm) than lightly sand with coarse sandpaper (I prefer Norton 80 grit, thick paper-backed for belt sanders - indestructible stuff) this removes any ridges and toolmarks and I really watch to sand the binding equally with wood. for this you need good backing (cork pad or THICK hard leather) shaped to fit the curve you are sanding and not press too much on the paper - just let the light touch do the job.
Once sanded to 80 grit I clean the surfaces and slightly wet clean and after drying I want to have very uniform smooth surface if there are any uneven places I repeat even lighter sanding (this time often with 120-180) and again wet clean and let dry. From then I go to very fine sharpened scrapers (especially on spruce you need perfect fresh edge) and use csraper that fits the area best and watch not to scrape across grain. I sometimes need to scape around scroll but I hold the scraper edge 60-90 degree to the grain of wood and never pull it against the grain. Often changing angle of csraper to surface changes how much wood it removes and bending the scrapers in your fingers also adds to aggressiveness of the cut.
My preferred scrapers are made of old fretsaw (0.024" thick) one is rectangle roughly half of the blade other is kind of elliptical with one large radius flatter than the other (both of teh smaller radiuses are same aprox 1/2"). I sharpen them like cabinet scrapers to 90 degrees and ALWAYS polish at least to 600 grit before burnishing the hooks. SOme folks recommend just file to square and then burnish but for fine scraping on spruce the finish of the blade is crucial.
I can scrape most of the scroll almost perfectly clean with the oval scraper.

[Austin Clark]

I sharpen the same way as Adrian but put more than a 90 degree hook on them.
Small scrapers for scrollwork and the big one for shaping arch/recurve and flushing binding to the body.
The small oval is thinner so I can flex it for a better angle of attack.
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Oh, and I should point out that sharp is critical. If you are making dust and not curls, they aren't sharp!

[Karl Hoyt]

Thanks very much for your responses, all : I should have qualified my query a bit: I'm very familiar and comfortable with scrapers and know how to get a great hook on them. I was specifically wondering about if you have any specific profile besides a gooseneck for those small scroll areas and perhaps for recurve areas. Austin's shapes are interesting and I'll probably replicate them.

So Austin and Adrian did just contribute to my query a bit... I never thought about using old fret saws... brilliant: they'll cut nicely with snips and take a decent hook.........

Thanks very much, folks!

Karl