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Type: Posts; User: Rolfe

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  1. Replies
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    Re: Phoenix mandolins closing shop?

    Thanks for all the kind words about Phoenix mandolins and the support for Jenny. She made the difficult phone call to me a while back and, while it is sad, it is a good move for her. She is an...
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    Re: Question about EM2000

    Hi Gary, Sorry I haven't checked the Target forum. I've been working extensively with EM2000 following problems with KTM-SV. I color by using TransTint dyes in water and an Iwata air brush. Since...
  3. Thread: ball ends

    by Rolfe
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    4,873

    Re: ball ends

    Good quality end nippers applied carefully to the ball avoiding the string can produce a nice loop.
  4. Thread: ktm-9

    by Rolfe
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    6,452

    Re: ktm-9

    I didn't try EM6000 because it contains too much acrylic, causing the bluish haze, so I can't compare with EM2000. I have found that every waterborne has its own quirks and application needs, so...
  5. Thread: ktm-9

    by Rolfe
    Replies
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    6,452

    Re: ktm-9

    After extensive testing, I have gone with Target's EM2000 and their waterborne shellac as a sealer. So have the Girouards and others.
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    Bad news for bridge posts

    A month ago, I had ordered twenty sets of mandolin bridge threaded posts and thumbwheels from Stewart MacDonald, and this morning I grabbed a set to install in a bridge. The post wobbled in the...
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    Re: EnduroVar Caution

    Hi Bernabe,
    The problems were evident just a couple days after spraying. I don't think you need to worry after all this time. The two mandolins are fine now with the repairs, but I just don't like...
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    Re: EnduroVar Caution

    I tested Enduro-Var thoroughly after difficulties with KTM-SV, and I had not only chipping on the edges where the finish meets bare wood but severe shrinkage in all inside corners: i.e. neck/body...
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    Re: For "Gerheads" and phans of Rolfe

    Thanks for the nice words. Unfortunately, there have been recent problems with KTM-SV that the company could not solve. Two other mandolin builders also experienced this. There should be no...
  10. Thread: Stainless or EVO

    by Rolfe
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    6,172

    Re: Stainless or EVO

    I use EVO exclusively and have for several years.
  11. Thread: Top Thickness

    by Rolfe
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    2,320

    Re: Top Thickness

    I think you mean the total thickness of the wood rather than how much wood is left in the center after carving. So, yes, 15mm from top of rim to the top of the top on all the Phoenix models. But...
  12. Thread: Side sound Ports

    by Rolfe
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    Re: Side sound Ports

    David, that size looks good. I put mine about an inch closer to the neck block. Before the back goes on, I cyano a piece of maple veneer that fits between the lining strips and extends about a 1/4"...
  13. Re: Phoenix mandolins, tell me about your experiences with one

    Correction to the correction: the radius on all the Phoenix mandolin fingerboards is 7 1/4". The nut is 30mm (pretty close to 1 1/4"). A few years ago there was a custom mandolin made with a 1...
  14. Thread: Rigel tailpieces

    by Rolfe
    Replies
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    2,647

    Re: Rigel tailpieces

    Sorry, the Rigel tailpiece is different than what I make. The same machine shop provides the flat profiled and drilled blanks, but I don't bend them for the curved Rigel sides. And, of course, I...
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    Re: Carbon Fiber D tube

    I haven't talked with Dave in a while (sorry!), so he wasn't aware that I switched to a CF bar 3/8" deep by 1/4" wide. I work the fingerboard and frets dead flat, and then, when it is strung up,...
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    Re: How thick neck should be to cosidered thick :)

    Phoenix mandolin necks run 21mm at the nut, 23mm at the 7th fret with a 6mm fingerboard.
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    Re: Question on Grover 309 tuning machines

    Someone must have put them on backwards! They work normally like most other tuners.
  18. Thread: End Pin Came Off

    by Rolfe
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    6,785

    Re: End Pin Came Off

    If you put an even coating of super glue on the end pin, let it cure, then put it back in, it will solve the problem without making the end pin hard to remove. If one coating doesn't do it, a second...
  19. Thread: Neck Joint

    by Rolfe
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    8,197

    Re: Neck Joint

    I haven't ever had a neck come off. It can't even when it is broken. The carbon fiber truss bar goes from the headstock up into the fingerboard support block. I did have a slight separation down...
  20. Thread: what spray gun?

    by Rolfe
    Replies
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    24,038

    Re: what spray gun?

    I like the Walcom EGO available from Homestead Finishing. It works very well with a 3hp oil-free compressor.
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    Re: what's your favorite varnish brand:(and why?)

    I considered trying Epifane products, especially since I can almost see the U.S. warehouse from my shop window, but when I started asking around about it, I was warned that some serious health issues...
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    Re: Black nut material

    I bought black dyed bone from Culpepper. Knife handle material. Also comes in other colors; I use amber for my Jazz model.
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    Re: Douglas fir as a tonewood...

    Okay, finally here. I did use Doug fir for most of the 149 Unicorns I built, and then I made a short series of Phoenix "Unicorn Commemoratives" with all of it from Alamo Hardwoods in San Antonio. I...
  24. Re: Buying small quantities of wood for making bridge

    Check with a violin maker in your area. He/she would be using the same woods and might have nice pieces.
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    Re: Bandsaws/Blades/Fences

    Another rave review for the Wood Slicer.
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