Retopping first Falcate braced Classical Guitar

[Tim Benware]

http://www.grevenguitars.com/retopping-demo.html

I think that's where I got that part of the process, so long ago I forgot.

[John Parchem]

Thanks Ken and Tim,

I think Greven's site is where I first saw it as well. I remembered the part of routing from the top away from the inside but I did not have an appropriate base. Tim I really like the picture of the base you used. The next time I think I will go all the way.

[John Parchem]

I braced the top and have glued it back onto the body. It actually went pretty well. I bent a couple of sets of 1.7 mm steps on my hot bending and laminated them using west system epoxy. I used a a band saw and cut the two laminated braces to produce the full set of braces.





After the last messy falcate top, I lifted my go bar deck from the floor to the top of my bench. With extra light I could see well enough to cleanly apply just enough epoxy to clamp on the falcate braces.





I clamped the transverse brace in place so that I could carefully mark out the channels for the braces. With the braces marked I cut them with a razor saw in a parrot vise. I place the brace so the vise is used as the stop for the cuts. I use a chisel to punch out waste.







The brace fit well, I glued, profiled profiled it and fitted the top to the body





The top fit pretty well. I did replace the purfling because I'd pulled a chunk back earlier when I removed the top. Without glue and the top in the body I fitted the purfling. There were a few places on the top that I had to lightly sand to make room for the purfling. It did go well, so I glued on the top and the purfling.

[Herman]

Excellent exercise , John.
I would discard the guitar, but you are doing a fine reanimation.
Nice to follow,
Herman

[John Parchem]

Thanks Herman,

Because this was a prototype that I was no longer playing and one I would never sell or even give to someone else I thought it was a great no risk opportunity to test and develop some repair and rebuild skills. Luckily I have the time to indulge.

[John Parchem]

The top went on pretty well. Probably less gaps than I have after I bind. I filled the gaps and started to french polish the top. At this point I know the guitar is going to turn out OK.





I could have used the padauk bridge I had on the the last top, but I did not take enough care when I removed it. so I laid up and profiled a walnut and a BRW bridge blank. I resawed into three veneers 4 mm, 3 mm and 2 mm thick and laminated them back together with two sheets of carbon fiber. The BRW bridge sure looked good but it was 24 grams and the walnut was 16 grams (before the final profile. I will ebonise the walnut bridge and use it. I will save the BRW bridge for a time when I have a top that is a bit too stiff.









I had a fun time with my micro-mill and did most of the final profile on the walnut bridge. I finished with a chisel.




Bridge before final sanding and ebonising.