sorry to ask, or potentially be the bearer of bad news, but is there an intentional reason the large final dot on one of the necks looks like it is off centre??

I noticed that too Idris but I thought maybe it was shaped as a music note and Andy was having a bit of fun?

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Strictly project and just for fun

Well spotted

Both actually, on Ruth's it's a musical note for the 12th fret. On mine, I've gone for an eclipse inlay, the moon is the pearl dot set in the copper powder and epoxy mix which is the sun. And deliberately placed off centre, I promise. It helps it catch the eye and gives a sense of movement. Although, we won't know for certain how it works out until I get the strings on. If it works out, great. If it doesn't, then I've learned something, which is also great.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Oh dear, made a fool of myself again! Idris was looking at Andy's fret dots. I was looking at Ruths (which are more obvious). Looking forward to learning if the eclipse works though. My new Breedlove has the dots up near the lower 'E' up to the twelth and then down near the top 'E' above. Which is different and works well. But my thinline tele, my only real custom, which has one sister, has the most boring dots, which I don't mind. But the luthier who built it has his wife's name inlaid from the third to the twelfth on his (the sister) which I think is lovely. I ain't going to mess with my fret board though! Mine's going to stay boring dots where you would expect to find them because its perfect as it is. Maybe one day I'll have a guitar that has a more creatively inlayed fretboard, one day...


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Strictly project and just for fun

If it makes you feel any better (prolly not) I was fooled too. I must say, I really like the idea of that musical note on Ruth's fretboard - a touch of class no less

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Custom inlays can be a lot easier than people expect, especially on Ebony and Rosewood boards. Make a nice shape in pearl or similar, make a slightly oversized hole to put it in (the less oversized, the better), and rely on the stained epoxy to cover a multitude of sins

And talking inlay, I had a quiet day today while I wait for the new bindings to arrive (current status - Left LA according to the US Postal Service) so I took the chance to do a little housekeeping.

Some of you will remember that a piece had dropped out of the rosette on Ruth's Uke a while ago. But I managed to keep track of it. So I decided to glue it back in place today. Here it is lying forlorn on the front.



But with the help of some epoxy resin and some clamps... here it is glued in place.



And after that, I sharpened my cabinet scraper again. Back to a sensible edge

Other news... I received a parcel from Mouser this afternoon with the parts I ordered for some electric guitar wiring projects. And this morning I received the parcel with my Arduino Uno and have made a start on learning how to program it, apart from generally wanting to learn more I have some ideas about using them to make MIDI controllers and making a Fender Deluxe replica with stepper motors to work like Neil Young's

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Just a couple of small jobs today, taking the chance to get up straight before the new bindings arrive. I want to bind both backs at the same time, bending the wood is relatively straightforward but it is all about hand skills. The more you do and the more often you do it, the better you get.

So, I decided to have a look at the bloodwood headstock bindings. I hadn't yet tidied up the bindings around the curves at the nut end, so that needed doing. Generally, it came out quite nicely. But there's a little ledge by the nut on one side where the tape pulled it in a little too far, leaving an exposed edge.



I cleaned up the shelf with a scalpel and found a piece of scrap bloodwood to fill the gap.



And then glued it in place.



Then, it was time to have a look at the pearl I glued yesterday. Some work with a scraper and sandpaper took it back quite neatly. Here it is after I wiped it down with white spirit to lift the sanding dust.



Not too bad. Should come up nicely when I french polish it.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Real French polishing?
Now that's an art all by itself!

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Yep, real French Polishing. I have all the consumables ready and waiting. But it has been a while since I've done it, so it could be entertaining...

Meanwhile.

I trimmed back the fix to the headstock binding neatly enough.





And as the package from LMI has now arrived in the UK and cleared Customs, I thought I might as well get ready for binding. So I grabbed the new bloodwood bindings to trim to length.



Well, one thing led to another, and I accidentally plugged in the bending iron and filled the bowl with water. And before I knew it, I'd already bent the first piece of bloodwood.



And as you can imagine, after the previous experience it was more than a little nerve-wracking. But I made sure to pick out a couple of pieces with the grain going along the full length. There was one minor split on the outside of the curve that opened a little, but no more than you might expect. And a couple of lesser splits on the inside that are nothing to worry about, they always come good when you glue anyway.

So, all I needed to do was to work some glue into the outside split and clamp it thus.



One side down, one to go. And I am regaining my confidence in the bloodwood and beginning to like it again

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

"Well, one thing led to another, and I accidentally plugged in the bending iron and filled the bowl with water."

Funny that, I tend to have those sort of accidents too, but they only seem to happen with respect to things I want to do, never with things I'm supposed to do

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Will, you have to understand that I've had a bad experience bending bloodwood. I wanted to do it, but I didn't 'WANT' to do it, so I let it sneak up on me

And funny how things turn out... My last 3 orders from Luthier's Mercantile all came via USPS. And every time I got a letter from Parcel Force telling me where to go to pay the Duty/VAT and collect the parcel or arrange final delivery. So, there I was waiting for the letter this time, and the parcel was delivered by the Royal Mail this morning!!

OK, I know I'll soon be getting the letter telling me how to pay the Duty/VAT but at least it's saved me a trip.

Then I opened the parcel and checked the paperwork... 6 lengths of blue purflings, however, I ordered 4 blue and 2 green. Not so good. I checked the email confirmation of my order and I hadn't made a mistake. For the 1st time in over 15 years LMI made a mistake!!!

So I sent a polite email.

Meanwhile....





... here's today's delivery. Both nuts and saddles are fine, I deliberately choose over-sized ones, so I can guarantee a great fit for the nuts and have as much margin as possible for fine tuning the intonation seeing as these are the first ukes I've ever built. And you can see the ziplock bag with the white plastic rod for the fretboard side markers too. So, all fine otherwise.

And then, on with the bloodwood bending, nervously.



And here it is Pretty good, although it was stressful at times. To be honest, half the problems were caused by me being extra cautious and wetting the wood more than absolutely necessary, too wet is as bad as too dry. There were a couple of moderate splits and a small one, but nothing out of the ordinary. Perfectly reasonable and normal.



So I glued them.

And, when I got home I already had a reply from LMI apologising for the error and telling me that they would be sending a couple of the green purfling strips. No quibbling, just solving the problem. And to put it in context, the shipping for the original order was more than the cost of the woods/parts. As always, fantastic service from LMI. And you can quote me on that

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

---

to put it in context, the shipping for the original order was more than the cost of the woods/parts. As always, fantastic service from LMI. And you can quote me on that

Andy

---

You have to love the American service ethic! Glad the bloodwood bending is behind you.

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Strictly project and just for fun

Looking like I need to book a return visit Zen! Could do with a new nut on the Mustang too... Amazing work as usual.

Hewesy

Well Paul, you are always welcome to visit. And a new nut doesn't take long. Was it really about this time last year you were down?

But back on track...

After bending that pesky bloodwood it's time to fit it

I was planning to use the bending iron again to bend the purflings, but after a quick test they followed the curves easily enough so I decided to go for it.





And it all went far too smoothly, I'm not used to that!!

So smoothly that I had plenty of time left to spare this afternoon. So why not make good use of it and fit the edge marker dots on both fretboards?

Sounds like a plan...

So first up, lay a strip of masking tape along the edge of each fret board and get out the ruler and pencil.



Clamp a block to the fretboard tongue to keep things square, and drill some holes.



The plastic was 2mm diameter, and I used a 2mm drill bit which usually cuts a fraction oversized. But the plastic was a very good fit, needed a little encouragement. But after mixing up some stained epoxy again, I was able to seat all the dots neatly and tap them home with a hammer



So a very good day today. Tomorrow I'll trim the bindings and fit the second side, and then trim the side dots. And then look forward to a day off on Sunday

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Well, two out of three ain't bad

Didn't take long to remove the Sellotape from the body and to trim back the side dots.



And then some patient work with a scalpel and chisel soon had the binding trimmed back neat and square, ready for fitting the second side.



So, it was just a matter of test fitting the second side and trimming the binding to exact length. I decided it would be best to shape the purflings this time. And they bent nicely with the bending iron. And I got as far as starting a temporary fix with masking tape, ready to mark out and cut the bindings. And I thought I took a pic, but it appears I forgot. Sorry about that, I'll grab one on Monday before I go any further.

By then it was a little too late to get everything trimmed, fitted, and glued.

And Mark had another window out and it had been obvious once he started looking at it that the bottom rail was too rotted to save. So we made and fitted a replacement, and then glazed it ready to refit. We're getting pretty good at repairing sash windows

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Another sunny day in ukulele land. And as promised, here's a pic of the bindings fine trimmed to length and ready to glue.



The purflings are nice and easy, but the bloodwood binding takes time to trim. It's a couple of mm thick, but needs a really nice clean, accurate, cut. So I use a scalpel to initially score a cutting line and then cut deeper and deeper, and remove the surplus material from the waste side of the line. Shaving the end off with a chisel can break out the grain if you aren't careful. And even a fine cut with a razor saw needs to be tidied up.

And now it's ready, time to glue it in place.





And here's a closer look at the butt joints at the neck and body blocks.





And I managed to get it taped without running out of Sellotape !! RESULT

This evening I dismantled the Kahler trem on my Manson Flying V and gave it a good clean and lube. And tomorrow I'm off to town to pay a cheque into the bank account, so no ukulele post tomorrow I'm afraid.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Just thought I use my 1000th post to remind you...

Quote zenguitar:

---

And it should be a lot quicker to build than a guitar.

Andy

---

...and say awesome work, awesome post

DM

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Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Nice to see you and the bloodwood are getting on so much better these days

On a side issue, and not wishing to teach grandma to suck eggs, did you put a waterproof membrane under the repaired sash window? The Victorians, in particular, had a habit of sitting these on a cement sill which is about as water resistant as a sponge

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Quote Dynamic Mike:

---

Just thought I use my 1000th post to remind you...

Quote zenguitar:

---

And it should be a lot quicker to build than a guitar.

Andy

---

...and say awesome work, awesome post

DM

---

What an excellent use for your kilopost Mike. And the key word in my quote is 'SHOULD'

And as for the sash window, it was one of the sliding glazed sections we repaired, not the window frame...

Now, I need to wait for that cheque to clear, have to order a 500K Log pot for my V and some assorted electronics bits so I can experiment more with my new Arduino

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

---

And as for the sash window, it was one of the sliding glazed sections we repaired, not the window frame...

---

Quote:

---

Now, I need to wait for that cheque to clear, have to order a 500K Log pot for my V and some assorted electronics bits so I can experiment more with my new Arduino

Andy

---

Watch out Andy! It's a trap! The things breed, and in no time at all your home will be filled with them

P.S.
Certified member of Arduinos Anonymous

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Quote Folderol:

---

Watch out Andy! It's a trap! The things breed, and in no time at all your home will be filled with them

P.S.
Certified member of Arduinos Anonymous

---

But not so anonymous now my friend Your secret is safe with me.

Even before I bought it I was looking at all the different ways to make my own Arduino derived circuit boards. And Mark just happens to be a top notch C programmer... Think MIDI controllers. And then I thought of Neil Young's '59 Fender Deluxe, the twiddler, and the big red floor controller... I have the schematics for the amp, just add 3 stepper motors and a few relays... And I can put together the cabinet easily enough... Now, where do I find the budget?

So tempting

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

And after the excitement of an afternoon wandering aimlessly around Plymouth, back to those pesky bloodwood bindings.

And after a while with a nice big chisel trimming them back neatly, they look pretty good so far.



A few small gaps that need filling, but generally pretty good.

So out with the epoxy and black stain



And while I had it ready, I took the chance to touch up the front too



You'll remember that I left the front rough finished until I had the back bindings fitted. So all in all, a good afternoon.

I'll get those both tidied up tomorrow and then cut and fit the strips for the body end and heel. And I expect I'll soon receive the correct green purflings from LMI so I can get on with the 1st uke's replacement back bindings.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

And with only a small cut (right on top of one that's just healed!!) to show for my efforts, I present... Tidy ukulele bindings

First up, one side of the back rough trimmed...



And as all was working out well, I carried on and trimmed both sides and took them flush to the back. All using a Stanley knife blade as a scraper. Stanley knife blades, average in a knife for cutting, but make great scrapers. And if you really insist, you can resharpen them rather than buy new ones all the time.



There, that's the back done. And after that I switched to the front.



All nice and dandy, and I even tidied up most of the tool marks left after the initial rough trimming months ago. So, a very good day. And when I got home, no missed delivery note for the green purflings I'm waiting on. But they should be here very soon.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Looks good. The only problem I'd have with a stanley blade as a scraper is that its not easy (and slightly dangerous) bending it just enough so the corners don't dig in.

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It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Exactly right Will,

But the good news is that you don't have to bend it (or a 'proper' cabinet scraper) to get it to cut nicely. And because the front and back are slightly curved you can get the binding flush without digging the edge of the scraper/Stanley knife blade into the front/back.

But I will concede the 'slightly dangerous' point. On Saturday I picked up a little 'graze' from the saw as it went through and bumped into my finger. It had nicely healed when the Stanley knife blade slipped off the edge of the binding and snicked the same finger in almost the same place. There was only a little blood though, and it was fine today





And here are the two body end strips fitted and ready to glue. There were a couple of small gaps where the front bindings met so I decided to fill them with a mixture of white glue and bloodwood sawdust at the same time as I glued the end strips in place.



You can see the plain glue and the mixture there.

And then it was time to glue and clamp. And I grabbed a couple of longer sash cramps that Mark had lying around. Took a little juggling but it worked eventually





And just for your amusement, I've reduced my Flying V to components and made a start on putting it together tonight. The frets are all polished and there's a nice coat of lemon oil soaking in. But that gave me a chance to grab a pic of my Faerie inlay. Something I put in about 15 years ago. It's handled the wear and tear pretty well, I don't even need to touch up the filler in the engraving.



Tomorrow I'll be trimming the bindings, hoping that the courier with the replacement bindings for Ruth's uke arrives, and might even get the bits I ordered to play with my Arduino

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Finished cleaning and polishing the V this morning, then off to work.

Made a quick repair on one of the V pick-up surrounds and then on with those bindings. Made a start with a chisel, but soon decided the Stanley knife blade scraper would be the best way to go. And after a few hours making pretty, thin, red, shavings...

It turned out pretty good. Here are a few views to enjoy









Very pleased, looking good and feeling good too. I even put it together with the neck to see how it was looking and I still have a big grin





So, a great end to the week. Just waiting on those replacement purflings from LMI now. Then I can finish the other uke's bindings too and get on with fitting the necks, fretting, and fitting the bridges.

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Now that IS progress!

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Strictly project and just for fun

Quote Frisonic:

---

Now that IS progress!

---

Indeed it is.

A thought...
Where is the young lady that started this all off? I thought she was supposed to be involved in the build.

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

She was earlier Will,

But the early steps can be boring for those who seek instant gratification. It's only when the donkey work is already done and things start to come together that you get the satisfaction of seeing it as a musical instrument rather than a bunch of bits of wood.

Today was pretty slow, waiting for the courier to arrive with the final purflings still

But I did have a tidy up, get the bindings and purflings I do have ready and I knocked up a handy accessory for when I start to fit the frets. Nothing exciting, but definitely useful. And once the second body is bound I will be fitting the necks and fretting them. Then it'll be time to make and fit the bridges and intonate. And after that, it's French Polishing time So, I guess I'm getting close to the home straight

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Can't blame young Ruth entirely, being as most of us live in the same glass house. Speaking for myself I can't remember the last time I designed and built a guitar rather than succumbing to the instant gratification of buying one that I came across, liked and could afford at the time.

I'm really looking forward to the 'final furlong'. Especially the bridges and intonation part. I've seen necks fitted to bodies and refrets done, but to see how a bridge is thought through, made and fitted will be new. And as for intonation... I've always wondered how it is that acoustic instruments seem to have this one perfect (or not) intonation set up from the get go whereas electric guitars have endlessly adjustable arrangements, which seem to require a bit of tweaking from time to time. That's been a mystery to me for years! I'm sure the answer is that acoustic intonation is adjustable too but I've never known how, unless its to make a new saddle (is that what it's called)?

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Strictly project and just for fun

Andy,

Thank you for this thread, I've been lurking and watching for a while now. What you are doing is, obviously, way beyond the reach of an untrained and, quite frankly, talentless postman.

However, you've made it appear so easy that I've been tempted into buying an old Encore acoustic for 20 quid and doing some research. I've managed to transform a cheese-grater into a lovely playing guitar and now want to go a step further.

Basicly, you've done a cracking tutorial about making a nut from scratch, any chance of the same for a saddle? I've been promised some ivory, is it worth using or should I order some bone?

Regards,
Steve

Thanks Steve

And while it does often look like a Dark Art, luthiery really is a bunch of simple things done well allied to some basics physics and geometry. The whole point of this thread is to show what can be done with some pretty basic tools on a basic workbench. The most complicated joint is a simple butt joint. The hardest parts are understanding how an instrument works and getting your tools sharp enough. OK... and bending bloodwood But to be fair, there are some pretty tight curves on the ukes, guitars are a lot easier in that respect.

Ivory is wonderful stuff, great for nuts and saddles both. But it comes with a massive caveat, new ivory is illegal and you need a lot of paperwork and evidence to move old ivory across national borders. So, even if you have some pre-war ivory, is it worth the potential hassle further down the line? I would say that 99 times out of 100 it isn't, and even when it is you have to be capable of making a nut/saddle to the highest level and prepare the neck/bridge to the same standard. So, I would say 'thanks, but no thanks' to your kind friend with the ivory. Excellent bone blanks cost peanuts and do a fantastic job. Save the ivory for when you have a lot of experience with bone AND have a really nice, old, guitar that sounds amazing.

OK Will, how about I go into a little extra detail with the bridges and intonation? Would that do the job? And I can always do a more detailed thread on saddles if you need more detail after I've done the uke saddles, how does that sound Steve?

Meanwhile, back to this afternoon. Here I am after battling the elements to collect my parcel from LMI, just look at the size of the box.



And with the packaging removed, this is what was inside!!



Remember, it's only the green bits I needed. The brown wood is just the scrap they taped it to to keep the purflings safe in transit. Although it looks very much like the Peruvian Walnut I used for the necks. It's safely in the scraps box, I'm sure I'll find a use for it sometime

And with all the bindings and purflings to hand there was no excuse, time to break out the bending iron. After the bloodwood, the moderately flamed maple was a pleasure to bend, even around the cutaway there was only one split and that was easily glued. So here are all the bindings ready to start glueing tomorrow.



Once they are done, it's a matter of fitting the necks, fretting, making the bridges and saddles, and then finishing. Sounds so easy when I say it like that

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Thanks for the advice on the Ivory Andy.

I'll stick to bone then. If you'd do that regarding the saddle and intonation I, for one, would be very grateful.

Another little question... I've just realised I've a couple of Roe Deer antlers kicking about, have they any potential for nuts, saddles or pins?

Cheers,
Steve

No problem Steve, I'll make a note to go into detail with the bridges and saddles. I might even do something unusual with the saddle for mine, depends how it sounds when I string it up.

Antler horn is one of the traditional options for nuts, saddles, and bridge pins. Not as bright as bone because it is softer and the 'grain' can be a little more variable. But definitely an option, especially if you have a bright instrument you want to warm up. And if you want to make an instrument a lot brighter you can take a tip from banjo makers and consider a mother of pearl nut and/or saddle. If you do want to experiment with the antlers go ahead, but when you are cutting it keep the tightest, straightest, grain for guitar work and the wilder patterns make great knife handles.

Meanwhile, back with the ukes...

Having foolishly remembered to pick up a fresh roll of Sellotape I had no excuse, I had to glue the first side bindings.





And I am very pleased. I went for the cutaway side first because that's the hardest. And it looks like it has gone very neatly around the cutaway. I'll see better when I take the tape off tomorrow. And then I can trim the ends neatly and fit the second side accurately. Should get it glued on too if all goes smoothly.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

What a lovely day today, despite the weather

It didn't take long to trim the bindings for the second side and get them glued in place.





And as I took some time out yesterday to remove the paper backing from the fretboard tongue on the other uke I thought I might as well grab the neck bolts and make a test fitting.



Holding itself together, all own it's own. Isn't that rewarding

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Had a quiet day today at work (too quiet), so showed this thread to one of the office girls - longest I've ever known her to be quiet

--------------------
It wasn't me!
(Well, actually, it probably was)

Quote Folderol:

---

Had a quiet day today at work (too quiet), so showed this thread to one of the office girls - longest I've ever known her to be quiet

---

I knew there was a reason we started this!! LOL

But meanwhile, back in Electric Ukuleleland (and I do have plans in that direction)...

Step one today was to remove the Sellotape and make a start trimming back the new bindings with the chisel.



And all working out so far, so more work with the chisel and then the legendary Stanley knife blade as a scraper. Until it's almost done.



But before I get them totally flush, I want to fix those two little splits around the cutaway. And the first job is to grab a fine paintbrush to get some water into the splits and soften the wood ready to bend it back into shape. And once it's had time to soak in, time to load the splits with glue and get some clamps on. And I'll be honest, it took a good 15 minutes juggling clamps, cork pads, and MDF blocks to get them both neatly pressed into place.



But I finally got it all in place. So tomorrow I can get them finally flush to the back and scrape the sides flush too. Then it'll be time for necks, frets, and bridges.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

I should have posted last night, but it was open mic night in the pub and I got back rather late.

However, I have uploaded the pics so here we go.



those little splits seem to have glued OK.



And here's the back with the bindings almost completely finished. The scraper didn't work so well with the flame of the maple, so I patiently worked it back with the chisel. Just need to finish off around the cutaway and then I can get on with a test fittiung of the neck.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Out with the sandpaper this afternoon. And it didn't take too long to get everything fine and dandy. So I popped on the neck for a test fitting.





Looking good and everything fitted together nicely. So nicely that I thought I'd take some pics of both together before removing the necks again.









They are looking good

But now both necks are off and I think I'll make a start on fretting them tomorrow

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Looking very good indeed! You should be rightly pleased with those pics Andy.

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Strictly project and just for fun