Official Luthiers Forum!

[QUOTE=Todd Rose] I really like the eccentric rosette idea. I might have to borrow that.

It's torture seeing the beautiful guitars people build and not being able to PLAY THEM!!![/QUOTE]

Feel free to copy anything you see. I saw something similar on a guitar somewhere one day and decided to try it as well.

I'm going to have to try one of those armrests!!

Mike

How many guitars is that for you now Robbie?

It looks beautiful, you've really carried your design elements right through the whole guitar. I like it a lot.

What's the red thing next to the label? Pic?

Thanks Paul for the compliments! The red thing next to the label is wax with the "O'Brien" seal stamped in it. I know, it looks like someone stuck their chewing gum in my guitar! Counting my personal guitars and all my student's guitars (yes, I do have a hand in every one of them) from the last couple of years since I have been teaching I am around 130 guitars now.

Your a guitar making superhero....with a high tech glue spreading device!!

From an aspiring Jr. Wingnut

Robbie Well done!
    I have just finished an my second armrest and so they really impress me since I have a feeling what's involved. How do you go about putting the veneer on that armrest bevel? I would like all the gruesome details.

John

Okay John, Here is the "secret".
Start by putting luthier adhesive of the yellow type on the armrest bevel area of the guitar using your high tech glue spreading device. Put some more on the veneer of choice using the same tool. Allow this to dry. I then take a luthier heating element (the kind used to iron your shirts) and iron the veneer into place. The heating element causes a chemical reaction to take place that allows the luthier adhesive to molecularly bond the veneer to the armrest area. For best results you need to use your wife's best iron, I mean luthier heating element, and make sure to return it before she finds out. I am not sure but it appears that working under the time constraint and possiblity that your wife could catch you at anytime with the best household luthier heating element causes you do do it right the first time and actually helps the molecular bonding process. After that just use a combination of small planes, knives, scrapers etc. to trim the veneer to size. There you have it.        

Cool tip Robbie!

Makes my mind start to wonder what other tricks one could do with your gluing technique.

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Thanks Robbie. I actually have one of those tools with similar usage constraints. It must be used when the wife is not in the house because she will know the moment it is turned on, etc. etc.

How thick is this veneer that you use?

John,
The thickness of the veneer used on this guitar was a bit thinner than my normal .7mm or roughly 1/32 inch. I would guess it was around .5mm I had the pucker factor going the whole time I was building this guitar!