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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:18 pm
by ratso
I bet a Ric custom shop would be kept busy enough with just us forumites (not to mention the hitmakers of today & tomorrow!)! It seems each of us have a vision of our own fantasy Ric piece, based on many threads I've seen here. Can you imagine seeing one offs in the hands of todays Rock heroes! It would fuel future sales much like Lennon, McGuinn, Townsend, Squire have today!
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:15 pm
by jps
...except they didn't play custom shop instruments, just standard models.
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:59 pm
by dale_fortune
Times Can Change Jeffery. These are the next steps. I felt that I didn't give enough to the making of the truss rod, so here are a few pictures and an explanation. This is the exact same way we made the rods in 1973. Using 3/16 inch rod stock, it gets measured and then bent. With a very solid hammer, it gets flattened at the end. Then cut off leaving a 1/2 inch for the threaded part. The other tip gets ground to an angel of about 30 degrees to horizontal. Then the other tip gets a 10/32 standard thread applied to it approx. 1 inch long. Now for the body wings and the binding. 1st picture shows the scrapper blades needed to level out the binding to the body edge. Then using 100 grit sand paper by hand, I will rough it down. These marks will be taken out with 150/220/360 sanding steps. Several pictures of the neck stock being band sawed to the rough thickness of the body wigs. This is done before the finger board is mounted to get a roughed out thickness. Well it's time to close shop. Hasta Luego.
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Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:10 am
by oreca
Dale: Did you need help with the copy/pasting? I know you asked this earlier, I'm not sure if any one guided you through it.
Using Photobucket.
Once all the pictures you want uploaded are on your account, open another IE browser, or if you're using Mozilla, another window.
One will have the Photobucker website, and the other the thread you want your pictures on.
I find using multiple windows makes it easier. You can use the Alt+Tab feature to switch browsers easily by pressing Alt and then the Tab button to switch through the different programs you have open.
Now when you're on Photobucket and all your pictures are on your account use the little check boxes next to your pictures to select the ones you want on the thread.
At the bottom of the page there's a button that says "Generate HTML and IMG code". Click that.
Then it will bring you to another screen, and use the last box called "URL's for email, Yahoo messenger, AOL messenger, etc".
Make sure the text is selected. Then you can either Right click and use the Copy, which brings the info to the "clipboard", and then open up the forum window which will already be open and Right click and select Paste which will Paste the info from the clipboard.
You may find that using Ctrl+C for copy and Ctrl+V for paste is alot quicker to use. Ctrl+X does cut FYI.
I hope this wasn't too long and boring, I wanted to give as many tips as possible.
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 4:27 am
by dale_fortune
Thanks Patrick I'll try that, seems I'm still having problems transfering pix.
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:06 am
by jingle_jangle
Dale, buddy, the copy and paste is a big timesaver. To have to enter each one of those loooooong photobucket URLs I would not wish on anyone.
Interesting that you're on truss rods today, because the '68 335 restoration shots for today are on the same topic. Truss rods were different in '68. See the post and find out how.
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:15 pm
by dale_fortune
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:44 pm
by ozover50
Looking gooooood, Dale!!
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 6:24 am
by jingle_jangle
Lutheiry--it's such a delicate, sensitive art.
Dale, is that the hammer that was used to drive the Golden Spike at Promontory Point?
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 2:11 pm
by ozover50
"Luthiery".... try saying that after you've just knocked off a bottle of Beamer!!
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 7:34 pm
by dale_fortune
Right On Howard. Cheers Mate!
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:45 pm
by soundmasterg
Dale, I have a question about the acetone binding methods you're using? Do you need to get special binding or will any of the type that people like Stew-Mac sell work? And do you just dip the binding in acetone, or rub acetone on it, and then stick it in the slot, and hit it with the heat? Or how does that work?? I've only tried it before myself with glue, heat gun, and tape, and with thick binding like some of the old Les Pauls, and I had a hard time making it stay where I wanted it to. I finally gave up and had a much better luthier than me do the binding. (check out
www.kollguitars.com for examples of his work)
Here's a couple pics of the one off I made my uncle as a surprise with the type of binding I had Saul Koll use on it. I put his name on the headstock so he couldn't refuse it since it was quite a big surprise! In case anyone wanted to know, I'm in red in the pic, and my uncle is holding the guitar with a smile on his face.
Also, if you are having virus problems, go to
www.trendmicro.com and do a free anti-virus scan. Moreover, if you're on the internet without either a hardware firewall like those built into a router, or a software firewall like Norton Internet Security or other products like that, then you WILL get viruses unfortunately. You'll get them even without you doing anything because of security weaknesses in Windows. I highly recommend to go to microsoft's page and download ALL the windows updates and set it to automatically update.
Very nice work on this guitar Dale. I'm eager to see it done.
BTW, Mr. Hall, are those old pin routers you have for sale? I'd be interested if they still work and the price is right. I know some others who may be interested too if you feel like getting rid of them?
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 6:44 am
by dale_fortune
Hillsboro, only a mile away. I bet your Uncle was surprised. Now for the binding questions: The heat gun is only used to soften the binding so that it will conform to the shape of the body you are attaching it to. The acetone acts like an adhesive, it will melt the top layer of the binding so that it can be attached to the slot on the body/neck. You start at 1 end and work your way thru to the other end. Using acetone and a soldering brush, apply the acetone to the binding and wood about 4 to 5 inches at a time while pressing the binding down into the slot. The plastic will go into the pores or grain of the wood holding it firmly as it dries. I use masking tape to hold it in place over night. The binding I'm using is celluloid acetate, highly flamable. Gibson uses a Vinyl type of binding, most suppliers sell both type, it's your preference which to use. I like both, it just depends on the guitar project.
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:13 am
by soundmasterg
Dale, thank you for the quick answer! I'll have to try this on the next guitar I decide to put binding on. I think the thick stuff I was using the last time on the guitar in the pic was a Vinyl type, so maybe it wouldn't work with that and acetone. I'll have to make sure of what type I have.
My uncle was pleasantly surprised and plays it all the time now, which made me feel good of course. Part of the impetus of making it was that he had a 1968 Les Paul that was stolen a couple years before this, so I made him a replacement of sorts. The one I made, the body is made similar to a RIC hollowbody, but I did it opposite. The back is western ash, hollowed out with a router, leaving a center block and a couple braces inside. The top is maple and was glued on, with the binding put on to hide the glue joint. I chose to make a bolt on neck, which is hard rock quarter sawn maple with an ebony fingerboard. The pickups are Duncan '59 models. After doing that project, I've decided I don't like western ash very much as its heavy and hard to work with. The guitar sounds and plays nice though, and he liked it, so it was a success!
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:54 pm
by dale_fortune
Here's the progress today. The neck is routed to a rough thickness to match the body wings. This is done the same way we did this in the early 70's by using an overarm router. I use a 1/2 inch Dbl. flute carbide bit, at Rickenbacker we used a 1 inch Dbl. flute bit. Then using a small chisel and hammer the end is cleaned up before the finger board goes on. Then the body wings are run over the joiner to make a square edge to match the neck. Using the same routing method the back of the peg head is taken down to a rough 5/8ths inch then the router marks are rough sanded out on a small table/belt sander. This is how we would lay out the neck stock before gluing and clamping the finger board on. Using #20 wire brad nails, place them in the surface of the neck stock then cut them off leaving a small part sticking out of the neck. Place the finger board on squarely using the nails to keep it from moving when the clamps are tightened. Apply the wood glue and clamp in place using soft pine between the clamps and finger board. Clean the excess clue from the truss rod channel with a steel rod, then clean the excess from the edge of the finger board. Let dry for 2 hours, remove clamps and we're ready for frets. Clean the fret slots 1st with a .022 fret saw. There are several fretting methods, I use a small arbor press to install frets. Finished frets look good, use a small brass tipped hammer to set the fret ends. Just a lite tap on each one does the job. Now we're ready to file the fret edges level with the side of the finger board. This takes us to the neck binding. 1st Dbl. check to make sure your fret edges are still set level on the edge of the finger board, you may have to tap a few back down with the brass hammer. The binding is applied with a brush and acetone to the finger board several inches at a time. I wear latex gloves when working with binding and acetone, keeps the stuff out of your skin and pores. Let the binding dry for at least 4 hours before scraping and sanding to level on the finger board.
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