I enjoy French polishing which i started learning on my last two projects. I even used pumice which breaks down the wood fibers and deposits them into pores in the surface of the wood.
Type: Posts; User: SBJ
I enjoy French polishing which i started learning on my last two projects. I even used pumice which breaks down the wood fibers and deposits them into pores in the surface of the wood.
I enjoy the carving but I have started to learn to use my core muscles like Adrian describes above. I also use a router in rack that holds it above the piece. The only technique I didn't see...
There's an exceptional octave mandolin build going on over at the Guild forum: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/ahg-octave-mando-build.216226/
Call Smakula Fretted Instruments
PO Box 882, Elkins, West Virginia 26241
304-636-6710
Bob probably has the parts you need.
I have built five mandolins from scratch since I retired about four years ago, and I think the main variable for the sound I want is the gradations of the top and back plates. Each one has been more...
Go for it. I'm not an expert on bowlbacks, but I am an expert in getting into things I don't know much about, which is how I started building mandolins. You'll enjoy it.
It is bright but not tinny. I hope it will play a bit warmer.
I built a body for an NOS Black Rose Baby neck, which is bolted on. The black top is lamp black powder in 2-lb cut shellac, a very high-solids mixture. I used pumice to fill the pores in the walnut...
I'm considering putting one of mine on consignment at a local guitar store (not Guitar Center, etc.), letting the owner know what I would accept (i.e., no chickens or rugs)
I'm finishing my current mandolin build (my fifth) with a black top using lamp black and shellac. I started with about four ounces of two-pound cut shellac and added a teaspoon or so of lamp black,...
Walnut has open pores that you probably want to fill to create a smooth neck.
After all, mandolin is Italian for out of tune
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/65560-Mandolin-Quotes
Cut a slot in a piece of aluminum soda can to mask off the fingerboard while you're cleaning the frets with steel wool or sand paper.
I've built four mandolins but I still search for all this stuff, so this is a tremendous resource. Thanks for your efforts.
Patience and practice are the keys. The top of my first mandolin was pine boards from HD, and the back was a repurposed cutting board. I hate to waste any usable tonewood. It was great practice and...
I bought an old Washburn A5 style missing a top and carved a new arched top. I did not remove the neck, and it was beyond my luthier abilities to fit the top under the elevated fretboard nicely. It...
I used an inside mold for the four mandolins I've built. My pipe is 2 1/2 in diameter with a heating cartridge, light dimmer and stuffed with aluminum foil. Search the archives for excellent advice...
I've built four mandolins, and the top and back on each one is thinner than the one before it. I now have a concept of how flexible the top and back have to be, which seems too thin like Andrew said....
+1 for a wax warmer and the technique NAS describes. I also put in locator pins in the head block and tail block to quickly set the top in place.
Some months ago, I bought an NOS Framus Black Rose Baby mandolin neck because I like the black and red vibe and the pearloid headstock. I'm building an A5 style body for it with cats eye f holes,...
Nobody sitting across the room at a jam can see all the flaws in my mandolins (nor do they care), so I just play them, and your secret is safe with us!
I built my first mandolin out of soft pine and a repurposed maple cutting board. It wasn't a complete build but I learned a tremendous amount about wood and using small tools. While building three...
I also recommend Graham's book, but be sure you get the plans with it. Some sellers don't include them.
I mix blonde dewaxed shellac flakes with denatured alcohol (DNA) and tint it with Keda powdered dye mixed in DNA. Zinsser makes shellac in a spray can.
One reason to seal before staining is to minimize dye being preferentially absorbed by the end grain like in the f holes. Another is that it allows you to scrape all the color off and start over if...