Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Product Reviews: Frets.com CD Product Reviews: Frets.com CD by Fred Carlson Originally published in American Lutherie #62, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Frets.com CD I don’t know how many clones luthier/repairman Frank Ford (Gryphon Stringed Instruments, Palo Alto, California) has made of himself, but we in the lutherie world can be thankful that they all devote vast amounts of time to furthering the luthing cause. At least, it sure seems like there’s got to be more than one of him, considering all the stuff he’s got going. I ran into Frank recently at one of the bimonthly meetings of NCAL (the Northern California Association of Luthiers) where he updated attendees on his latest and ongoing ventures. These included a couple of things that fit into the product category and seemed worthy of mention here. I’ve been intending to figure out a way to justify a more detailed mention of Franks’ amazing lutherie web page, www.frets.com, in one of these columns. I’ve made note of frets.com in the past, but I hadn’t yet figured out how to put a product spin on it. After all, although it is undeniably the product of an enormous amount of work and dedication, a website is essentially bits of digital information on a computer somewhere, freely accessed by anyone with a computer and an Internet connection. This is pretty different stuff than router jigs and fret files. It’s more like a book, only you don’t obtain a hard copy of it. (Unless you do an awful lot of downloading to your computer printer!) Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Toxicity of Odorless Superglue Questions: Toxicity of Odorless Superglue by Bill Hunter Originally published in American Lutherie #82, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Ralph from Austin, Texas asks: I recently read on a luthier e-mail list about a guy using odorless cyanoacrylate glue for filler. The brand he uses is by Satellite City, maker of Hot Stuff™ and UFO™, which stands for “user-friendly odorless.” I know from experience that vapors from CA glue are not friendly to the eyes or to the respiratory system. My question is: if it has no scent and you don’t have any skin exposure, does this mean it’s rendered totally nontoxic or nonirritating? The bigger question is: how are products made odorless? Are there just blocking agents so that we are unable to detect them, but they’re still there, and therefore still irritating or toxic? Bill Hunter of Simi Valley, California, cofounder of Satellite City, answers: “Toxic,” in general implies a lasting or long-term harmful effect. Cyanoacrylate adhesives are not toxic except to those who are allergic to them. The same could be said of milk, peanuts, and grains. “Irritating” is comparable to the feeling one gets in the eyes and nose when dicing onions. The scent is not what irritates the eyes, nose, and throat, it’s the fumes. And, of course, if the fumes are masked, a product can give the unrealistic impression that there will be no irritation. In fact, the scent of many chemicals is a good gauge by which to judge exposure. If, on the other hand, there is no scent because there are no fumes, you have the best possible working conditions. Hot Stuff “UFO” instant adhesives have been relied on by folks who have allergic reactions to typical cyanoacrylates since 1988. Many of these people can’t be in the same room where an instant glue is being used without a violent reaction. No problem with “UFO.” It’s the only CA they can use. Regarding skin exposure: Skin exposure, even for typical cyanoacrylates, is not a consideration for 99.99% of users, and in thirty-five years, I have never, ever heard of anyone being bothered in any way by skin exposure to “UFO.” Note: Mr. Hunter also sent me the MSDS on CA glues, which didn’t help me understand. I tried to follow-up Mr. Hunter’s answer and he repeated the above information. I’d like to hear from some of you with sensitivities to the regular stuff and perhaps others who understand the chemical lingo. A product so seemingly integral and essential to modern lutherie certainly deserves a little scrutiny.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Typical Instrument Dimensions Questions: Typical Instrument Dimensions by R.M. Mottola Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Jacob Tarnowski from cyberspace asks: I am a CAD drafter. I found the object library in the computer program I am using is sadly deficient in musical instruments, and so I was wondering if you could let me know who to contact to get some typical instrument dimensions for guitars (acoustic and electric), mandolins, violins, and so on. Are there books you’d recommend, or any manufacturers who may be willing to provide such information? R.M. Mottola of Newton, Massachusetts responds: The short answer is, unfortunately, that there is no short answer. To my knowledge there is no comprehensive source for dimensional info. Which of the many sources to go to would depend on just how accurate you need to get. There are a smattering of sources for CAD models, but these vary in level of detail, accuracy, and file format. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Brushing Varnish Questions: Brushing Varnish by Wade Lowe Originally published in American Lutherie #70, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Ray Thompson of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania asks: What would you recommend for a good brushing varnish, either oil-based or spirit-based for guitar? Or do you know of recent written material on this? I have tried Behlen’s 4-Hour Rubbing Varnish. It did not seem to dry hard enough on test pieces. I tried the French polish (shellac) but now I’d like to try a brushing varnish for its ease of application as compared to spraying or French polishing. I have thought of trying to brush shellac. I read that if you do very thin 10% coats it can work. Then just fad level and spirit it off after build up. But that might be as tricky as French polish. I want a finish I can brush on, let dry a prescribed amount of time, steel wool it back; and repeat as necessary. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Guitar Top Grain Orientation Questions: Guitar Top Grain Orientation by Alain Bieber Originally published in American Lutherie #83, 2005 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Alain Bieber from Paris, France asks: Did a serious luthier of the past ever consider building with any other option than a strict classical “longitudinal” spruce grain orientation? A French patent of 1829 by a luthier named Lacoux is about a “guitare perfectionnée” whose main point is to have an “harp like” orientation of the soundboard, tilted 90° from the classical one. I never have seen that oddity, but Joël Dugot at the Musée de la musique (Paris) told me he thinks he saw it. Such old patents are stored in an old attic.
