Posted on August 11, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Tinting Lacquer Marks Inlays Tinting Lacquer Marks Inlays by Michael Dresdner Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #280, 1984 and Lutherie Wood and Steel String Guitars, 1998 When I have very intricate inlays and I don’t want to scribe the fingerboard, I take all the inlays and spray their backs with a rubber-type spray adhesive like photo mount. Then I place them on the fingerboard where I want them and spray it lightly with lacquer toner in a contrasting color. For instance, if the fingerboard is rosewood, I’ll spray it with bright yellow. I then pull up the inlays leaving the bright yellow lacquer and a brown spot in the shape of each inlay. It’s a great fast trick. The whole fingerboard can be done at once without any scribing. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 1, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Twenty Ancient Dyestuffs and Eleven Mordants Twenty Ancient Dyestuffs and Eleven Mordants by Nicholas Von Robison Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #236, 1983 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Dyestuffs 1) Madder (Rubia tinctorum) is one of the most ancient dyes, and its color fastness ranks among the best. It is such an excellent source of red that its name (rubia) means red in several languages. In Holland during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, it was the principal source of wealth. By 1792, encouraged by Charlemagne, France was the top grower. We are told that the French Revolution ruined the farmers. They were later revived by a decree of Louis Philippe, who made red caps and trousers mandatory for his army. In England imported madder was also used for army uniforms (redcoats). Before the “Madder Disaster,” England’s total imports came to one million pounds sterling. When alizarin, synthetic madder, was synthesized in 1869, a yearly world madder production of 70,000 tons declined to nothing. Historians speak of untilled and abandoned madder fields and of thousands of starving farmers (Schaefer, The Cultivation of Madder). Today madder can be hard to find; and sweet woodruff, one of the madder family that produces a less potent red dye, may be substituted. If you prepare the dye from roots, be sure not to use too much heat or boil it too long as the color may shift to a muddy brown. 2) Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), also called eastern hemlock or spruce pine, is an important tannin dye. The bark, either fresh or dried, produces a wide range of colors from rose to slate gray. The nice thing about this plant is that it grows over a wide area of North America so it is easily procured with very little expense. I get mine from a landscape gardener who always saves me a bag of trimmings from one of his pruning jobs. A sharp knife will easily strip away the dark outer bark to reveal the red-purple streaks inside. It is not entirely colorfast. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on May 6, 2021May 21, 2025 by Dale Phillips Finishing Lute Soundboards Finishing Lute Soundboards by Lawrence D. Brown Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #229, 1982 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 There has been much discussion in early music journals recently about the materials used to finish lute soundboards. It would certainly be to our advantage if we knew exactly what was used on the soundboards of old instruments. Some people suggest that it is a moot point because no one is using exactly the same wood for soundboards that was used on old lutes. The old lute makers were almost certainly working under the same commercial pressures as any 20th-century workshop, and like us, used whatever high-quality timbers they could get ahold of. In addition, different luthiers probably used different materials and techniques to finish their soundboards. It is well known that old lutes have very little or nothing at all on their soundboards. This would seem to be the most relevant point of all. Modern craftsmen have discovered that even one coat of varnish on a lute soundboard has a deleterious effect on the tone of the instrument. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account. Finishing Lute Soundboards by Lawrence D. Brown Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #229, 1982 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 There has been much discussion in early music journals recently about the materials used to finish lute soundboards. It would certainly be to our advantage if we knew exactly what was used on the soundboards of old instruments. Some people suggest that it is a moot point because no one is using exactly the same wood for soundboards that was used on old lutes. The old lute makers were almost certainly working under the same commercial pressures as any 20th-century workshop, and like us, used whatever high-quality timbers they could get ahold of. In addition, different luthiers probably used different materials and techniques to finish their soundboards. It is well known that old lutes have very little or nothing at all on their soundboards. This would seem to be the most relevant point of all. Modern craftsmen have discovered that even one coat of varnish on a lute soundboard has a deleterious effect on the tone of the instrument. The main concern of a historical instrument maker is to produce instruments that are acoustically, mechanically, and aesthetically similar to the instruments produced by early makers. This does not, however, preclude the use of any and all modern finishing materials. Modern lute makers must also respond to commercial forces and the demands of their customers, as long as this can be done within historical parameters. Bare wood accumulates sweat and dirt at a rate that is intolerable to musicians who are used to having a protective varnish on their instruments. Because I build a great many lutes each year, I have been able to experiment with a variety of protective coatings on lute soundboards. Although my main concern has always been acoustical, I cannot ignore cosmetic considerations since lute making is rapidly becoming a very competitive market. For this reason, I have tried and rejected egg white sealers because they turn green — especially where the soundboard comes in contact with skin. Sodium silicate (water glass) also turns green and must be tinted with an orange dye in a lacquer overcoat. Oil finishes penetrate the wood too deeply and remain soft. They also collect dirt and discolor badly. What is needed is a finishing material that will adhere to the surface but not penetrate it very deeply, a material that will dry to a hard, durable surface resistant to mild solvents; and a material that will go on in an extremely thin layer, so as not to have an adverse effect on the tone of the instrument. This is the most successful method that I have found so far. It requires the use of a compressor and a spray gun, lacquer sanding sealer, lacquer, and lacquer thinner. I use a touchup gun. It is smaller than a standard gun and holds about a pint of liquid. It also has a smaller spray pattern than a larger gun, which seems about right for spraying a lute-size instrument. Mix 1 part lacquer sanding sealer with 1 part solvent. This makes an extremely thin solution that dries instantly when sprayed on the soundboard, preventing it from soaking into the wood. (If the spray gun is held too far from the soundboard, the solution will dry in the air and deposit a dusty film on the instrument.) Sand lightly with very fine paper or steel wool. This is followed by two coats of lacquer, also mixed 1/1 with solvent. This makes an extremely thin coating that seems to have no effect on the tone of the instrument, but provides a hard and reasonably durable surface. The lacquer sanding sealer not only seals the wood but makes an excellent bonding coat between the wood and the lacquer coat. The surface may be lightly smoothed with steel wool. The reduces the gloss to a uniformly dull finish. I have tested the acoustical effects of this finishing technique by playing the instrument in the white and after being finished. I have also compared the tone of finished instruments to identical instruments that have not been finished. It has been noted that old lute soundboards seem to be somewhat dark in color. This was probably due to the effect of ultraviolet light on the wood. Mask one-half of a newly cut and sanded soundboard with heavy paper and leave it around the shop for a month. It does not have to be in direct sunlight. Notice how dark the exposed side of the wood becomes after such a short time. I have noticed that different types of spruce seem to darken more quickly than others. I really doubt that early lute makers artificially darkened the soundboards of old lutes, since this would mean coating the wood with an additional substance when the tendency seemed to be to put as little as possible on the soundboard. I regularly get a variety of Middle Eastern stringed instruments, including ouds, in my shop for repair. These instruments normally have bare, untreated soundboards. The older ones (20–60 years old) have turned quite dark and closely resemble the lute soundboards in old paintings. In most instances they are not just UV-light darkened but uniformly dirty. In any case, why should we be trying to build lutes that look 20–60 years old when they are brand new? I, for one, am content to wait a few years. ◆
Posted on January 12, 2010May 30, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Review: Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #61, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Stewart-MacDonald, 1998 ISBN 978-0964475236 The death of lacquer as an available finish was pronounced at least ten years ago. Because lacquer was so environmentally hazardous, the various levels of government were supposed to restrict its use to the point that manufacturers would find no profit in producing the stuff. Well, folks, it hasn’t happened, and lacquer remains the premier finish for most string instruments. If you’ve yet to have your first heady whiff of lacquer fumes, you should study Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step before you dive in. If your plans include the re-creation of the many factory guitar finishes, you should have this book regardless of your experience level. The book has a strange flow to it, though. There are only three stages of finish work — wood prep, finish application, and rubout. However, the plethora of tools and materials available today leave too naïve an approach open to confusion and failure. To avoid this, Erlewine and MacRostie rely on detailed description, technical information, and a degree of repetition to cover all the bases thoroughly. For instance, a description of power sanders is followed twenty pages later by a description of power sanding. Both sections include important and overlapping information. Readers who skip about in order to get on with their finish work will find themselves handicapped. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 12, 2010May 29, 2025 by Dale Phillips Review: Sunburst Finishing by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Review: Sunburst Finishing by Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Reviewed by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #63, 2000 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Video: Sunburst Finishing Dan Erlewine and Don MacRostie Stewart-MacDonald, 1999 Sunburst Finishing is sort of a strange video in that it’s intended to replace Stew-Mac’s out-of-date Color Finishing, yet it doesn’t cover nearly as much territory as the older film. So be it. It only costs half as much as the old tape, and the information included may be as much as you need. The only guitar involved is an archtop Guild with a maple face. Some repair work has been done to the top before the tape begins, and the finish has also been removed. The job at hand is to match the sunburst on the top to that of the rest of the guitar. A yellow toner has to be mixed for the maple, then a brown candy is blended to match the color of the burst. The techniques of precision blending are the heart of the video, an operation at which MacRostie is a master. Chip sheets and blending boards are made which can be stashed away for future reference. The work is also referenced to the recipes in MacRostie and Erlewine’s new book, Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step (p. 530), which is a useful touch. There is no wood prep involved in the job (as far as the camera is concerned), as this video is intended to work in concert with Spray Finishing Basics, another video by the same dynamic duo. Touchups are necessary when the binding is scraped after the color coats, and the airbrush work is caught on tape. A close look at MacRostie’s scraping tools is a helpful segment. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
