Staining and Shellac

[ken cierp]

Ditto what Dave said plus there's photo posting info here

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48

and here

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=185

The photo size rules are to preserve the viewing enjoyment for all members -- giant photos that cause side to side up down scrolling are not fun.

Lets stop the photo posting conversation here since this is a finishing thread

[Joe Farmer]

Picasa worked great. Thanks!
I know space is limited so I'll only post 3 pictures. The neck is what started this whole thread for me so I included it too. The top shows how the Egg White sizing turned the top from a bright white to an antiqued look. The back shows how well the wood shows through the shellac.

For anyone following this thread that wants to try shellac for the first time, the most important DON'T DO I learned is to let the flippin thing dry for a good 3 days or more before fiddling with it. It may be dry to the touch after a day but is isn't dry enough. I put the neck on, strung it up and played it for 15 minutes or so. I put it on the workbench to fine tune the action and I saw fingerprints nicely inlaid into the finish just below the sound hole where I anchored my fingers for some finger pickin!! I was able to fix it with alcohol (another really nice thing about shellac) but it was a needless, time consuming repair.

Thanks for everyone's help!! I'm happy with the final result.
Joe

LimbaNeck.jpg (112.98 KiB) Viewed 6070 times

LimbaBack.jpg (127.93 KiB) Viewed 6070 times

LimbaTop.jpg (116.48 KiB) Viewed 6070 times

[Dave Bagwill]

That's a gorgeous job Joe! Well done.

[Joe Farmer]

Thanks Dave, wish you could HEAR it. I've played a couple of other Limba guitars, but they didn't have anywhere near the sound this one does. I sure wish I knew what I did to make it sound this way. Top is Adirondak, so I'm sure that helps. But it sounded so flat and dead before I made the changes.... Of course, I goofed up and guessed at about a 2 1/2 degree neck angle (before I read Kens instructions) and the saddle is pretty high. I wonder if the string height above the soundhole helps give it that awsome sound??

I'm building a Dreadnought out of Myrtle (back and sides) and Redwood (top) next, after I finish my Ukulele. Not sure what I'm going to use for the neck yet, but I'm sure I'll be needing help somewhere during the build since it will be my second guitar. I built the first one some 30 + years ago and a lot of that knowledge died with some of the brain cells that held it.

I guess this is the end of the thread, so I'll be talkin' at ya'll somewhere down the line.

Ken - You are the BEST!!! I've spent hours on this site and have learned SO MUCH. Neck angle and set has been my nemisis and what caused me to stop trying to continue building way back when. Your articles have really helped give me the confidence to start again. I may be hitting you up on how many cards to use when sloping the rim for the 1 degree offset for a Dreadnought (after I check all posts on neck sets).

All the best to everybody!
Joe

[John Parchem]

Congratulations! very nice. Beautiful wood as well.