Posted on April 29, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Rosin Varnishes Rosin Varnishes by Louis DeGrazia Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #226, 1982 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 Rosin varnishes are shunned by master violin makers because they are soft, “chippy,” and do not adhere well. Yet they are not so bad in these respects that they could not be used by an amateur or beginner on instruments with no pretension to outlast their maker. Pale rosin is a wonderful, natural, wood-derived resin that can be very easily made into a variety of beautiful and acoustically suitable varnishes both of the spirit and oil type. Its solubility in both alcohol and turpentine and its compatibility with oils and other resins make it a versatile ingredient that can help in combining normally incompatible substances to achieve special properties. Rosin varnishes have been around for centuries and in some respects they resemble those of the old Cremonese masters. Pale rosin in powdered form can be obtained from pharmaceutical companies which use it in preparation of salves and ointments. This is the purest grade and is recommended for varnish making. Rosin can be added to many varnishes to add body and to make them softer. Adding rosin to shellac makes a “woodcarver’s varnish” that can be prepared in just a few minutes, although it is best to let it stand overnight. This varnish brushes well, dries considerably slower than straight shellac, has good luster, and is much softer than shellac. To prepare, simply dissolve as much rosin as will go into solution in orange shellac and strain. 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 April 29, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Electronic Aiding of Stringed Instrument Sound Comment on Electronic Aiding of Stringed Instrument Sound by R.W. Burhans Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #10, 1975 Introduction In perspective we should view modern sound reproduction as an “Electronic Art” which requires somewhat different types of skills than the “Mechanical Art” developed by the Luthier. The same type of careful attention to detail are required in both and there is no substitute for long hours at the workbench with a lot of reading of the literature published in periodicals like: Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics, Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Electronotes Newsletter, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, and even Scientific American. There is even a trade quarterly circulated to music shops, Musical Product News and Musical Electronics, which is a sales promotion and product announcement type with information on the myread of stuff on the current market. Still others are dB the sound studio engineers magazine, a magazine called Audio, and another DB, Down Beat. 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 April 13, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Bow Hair Jig Bow Hair Jig by Thomas Snyder Originally published in American Lutherie #3, 1985 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume One, 2000 As and apprentice luthier, I have come up with a better mousetrap for rehairing bows. The results with this method have been uniform hair tension, long-term retention, and reduction in rehairing time. The jig was fabricated from pine and oak. I used oak on all blocks. Item 4 makes a great carving back for ferrule wedges. I average ten bows a month and this method and jig has cut my time in half and increased the quality. On my sketch, items 2A, 2E, 2D, and 2F are the new additions to an old jig. I have made a few small changes. For the lack of a name, I will call this a “hair holder.” Item 2A swings aside to place hair over sponge rubber. The half of a 1/8" dowel holds the hair in place when the wing nuts are tightened. 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 April 12, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Making Lining Strips — One Making Lining Strips — One by Rolfe Gerhardt Originally published as Guild of American Luthiers Data Sheet #71, 1978 and in Lutherie Woods and Steel String Guitars, 1997 I used to make lining strips one at a time, a long, tedious process. Then I visited Charlie Hoffmann in Minneapolis and was inspired to work out this gang-saw setup. The saws are 6" plywood saws, very small kerf, and are spaced on the radial arm shaft with 1/4" spacers. Three blades fit comfortably on my radial arm saw. The holder is a board with a guide strip and two hold-down springs. This holder is clamped to the radial arm saw table. I hold the strip I am sawing with my other hand. 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 April 8, 2021March 6, 2024 by Dale Phillips Hand Sander Dust Collection Hand Sander Dust Collection by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, April 2021 Shop dust is a pervasive enemy that can cause damage to the lungs and sinuses. One of the silliest inventions ever is the dust collection bag that is hung on many hand sanders in an attempt to convince woodworkers that the manufacturers care about our health. They don't work, they might even blow off of the machine causing a dust cloud of their own, and the irregular port sizes make it difficult to improvise a vacuum hookup. I broke down and bought a new DeWalt DWE6421 sander along with the DWV9000 hose-to-sander adaptor and a 20' length of 2" hose, all for about $110 from Amazon. The long hose is to keep me as far away from the noisy shop vac as possible, though I still wear earmuffs while working. The rig works very well, much better than even the powerful down-draft table I used at Huss & Dalton Guitars. It's not perfect, though, and a particle mask should still be worn for safety. All photos by John Calkin Remember that the filter in the shop vac will clog up and need cleaning long before the collection tub is full. As the photo illustrates, it is way too easy to put off cleaning it for too long. I intend to be more diligent. ◆
