Adan Akerman Akerworks Fine Instruments
Forum Replies Created
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Hey all, if anyone’s shopping for humidification stuff (it’s getting dry!) here’s a dump of the components I have going at the moment. They seem to be working well so I thought I’d post before one of them craps out.
This is in a small space (350ft² with peaked ceiling) but they seem not to be operating at capacity, could go bigger.
Last winter I used the ultrasonic Levoit recommended above but the straight tap water put a LOT of that fine powder over everything, beyond annoying, probably health hazardous. From what I read it takes more distillation than I’m willing to do to fix that. I could be wrong!
But now I’m evaporative: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08G1XY69W
…and I used tubing and push-to-connect fittings to plumb a float valve to my mop sink: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU6YQGA https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096MC8BGF (I had to heat-bend the arm of the float slightly to get a good fit in the tank)
…so it’s basically robotic now. No more bucket hauling 🙂
I’ve had it fighting accelerator-and-brake with the dehumidifier in this highly variable East TN weather but it’s looking like we’ll dive into full time humidification soon.
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this is the dehumidifier if it’s relevant to anyone: https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Vissani-25-pt-Dehumidifier-for-Basement-Garage-or-Wet-Rooms-up-to-1500-sq-ft-in-White-VAD25S1AWT/328193335?cm_mmc=ecc-_-THD_ORDER_CONFIRMATION_BOPIS-_-V1_M1_CA-_-Product_URL&ecc_ord=WG66862098&em_id=196e96baa5ba3294c0d726193ebfc0ac7e90079497fb27e559bc6898e6eacc1c
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Thanks, I’ll give that a look!
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Sweet, I’m glad I didn’t imagine the whole exchange 😂 Thanks, I’ll look forward to the recipe when available.
I got some PolyX after that interaction and have finished a couple of my stick dulcimers with it. I love the effect, it has a nice (for my purposes/tastes at least) darkening effect and is very forgiving to apply. It’s a slow cure, though, and I could see various uses for the modified version.
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Hey Paul, I’m using it to glue braces to tops and backs of these fairly tiny stick dulcimers, body roughly 6.5” x 11”. I’ll also use it to glue on the backs, using a thick caul over a bit of conforming material (shelf liner?).
I’m beginning to think you’d want to scale it a bit for similar tasks with a full size guitar, maybe use multiple press screws.
I’m inexperienced, lutherielly, but it feels like a generally useful enough tool, just good to have a robust smasher around for all sorts of reasons!
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Somethings you have to buy for the name alone! That looks like it could be pretty great.
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Incidentally, here’s what I did: egg crate foam cut to size (not cheap) and a custom box built up around it from the unassembled material of a different size box.
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Thanks, Ian! Missed your note somehow. That Frank Ford article is great, such a clear explainer.
My rasped-spruce + Titebond wood paste filler is in place and has been curing a few days. I’ll sand it all flush soon. But from what I’m reading I think that filler choice will prevent me from using epoxy, right? The internet suggests PVA is effectively a release agent for epoxy resins? Or will the high spruce content of my paste make it work ok?
I’m glad it’s a learner guitar, this would be stressful if it were fancier!
I hired my eight-year-old to make the spruce raspings, not sure if we need to take that into account here. Not impossible there’s some booger content in there.
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“Like surprise packages” 😂
That is a ton of useful info, thank you so much. You’re right, I was being very tentative about heat. Having a thermometer and a target temperature like that will be a big help (on that next crummy Facebook guitar over in the corner).
I didn’t previously appreciate the cat-fur-like aspect of the top’s grain. That could explain the part of the perimeter where the spatula just slid right between layers of the top, kind of a sick feeling when that happened.
Somewhere I’d seen Beau Hannam’s recommendation to always use a fresh scalpel blade and score around the bridge before removal, as you’re describing, but I was probably being a bit tentative with that too.
Thanks again, Tony!
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Testing… This one is 3.3mb… and… (edit post-posting…) success! Excellent, thanks!
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Oh, wow! That stuff is super cool looking. I’ll definitely see what I can learn about them. Thanks.
