Part 5: Nearing the Final Form

Part 5: We can see and hear what the guitars final form will be.

 

These guitars are getting closer and closer to getting the strings on hearing their sounds. The next steps are to put in the binding and purfling. Ivoroid and snakewood are stacked on top of each other for the binding. The purfling is going to be Jay’s wave design with the negative area filled with a pigmented epoxy.  It is a challenge to get the waves to line up were the meet at the top and bottom. It depends on the total length of purfling needed and can be varied with the size and spacing of the waves.

 

The channels are routed for the binding and purfling. The machine used is a movable arm with a router mounted on top. With the guitar on a lazy susan it makes traveling the outer edge easier.

The waves are routed out in the CNC. It’s simple to do these in bulk. The waves are held down with double sided tape. Care must be used when prying them up or they will break. They are heated up to loosen the tape then removed from the spoiler board with a chisel.

One of the waves. The fuzziness must be cleaned up before use.

The waves are glued into the inner edge next to the wood. This creates a nice well for the filler. The overhang needs to be clipped off.



A black pigment is mixed in with epoxy to create a filler. The popsicle stick is a great for spreading.



The pigment is spread in. Unless the perfect amount of epoxy is used there is always cleanup.



It can get messy. All of the excess needs to be sanded away, without sanding through the waves or creating gaps with the wood.



The red on black on white is distinct.



Finished.



Complete with the neck on.





Since the bodies are together we can hear what they will sound like.