Rick Liftig luthier wannabe… slowly gettinthere
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You’ve got to watch out for this stuff – it’s probably lurking in your shop. Here’s more information highlighting the dangers of this ubiquitous chemical:
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division – dihydrogen monoxide info
dhmo.org
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division - dihydrogen monoxide info
Dihydrogen Monoxide resources, information, research and more. Dihydrogen Monoxide is a dangerous chemical. Buy a Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide T-shirt.
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You’d be amazed what you can discover with an MSDS. Here’s an MSDS for the highly dangerous chemical, dihydrogen monoxide:
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BTW – You can garner a lot of information about a product from the Safety Data Sheet (SDS or MSDS) which lists the basic chemical and hazard information about a product. Simply google “product name MSDS (or SDS)” OTOH, after reading theses datasheets you might never want to use any chemicals ever again!
It appears that the “Hardwaxoil Pure,” the acrylic base is “Oxybis diacrylate” and the catalyst is “Diphenyl Phosphine Dioxide.” The two components are dissolved in glycerol.
And once you understand a little bit about the chemistry, you understand the solvents used and the compatibilities. And of course there are always proprietary ingredients (the special sauce) that are hinted at.
The MSDS can be found here MSDS_Clear.pdf
ledcoatingsolutions.com
For 60 Years, Vesting Has Been Developing And Producing High-Quality Wood Treatment Products, Such As Waxes, Oils, Stains, Lacquers, Outdoor And Maintenance Products For Various Markets Such As The Floor And Furniture Industry And The Restoration And Decoration Industry.
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I just did a deeper dive on their website and they have added a lot of nice features since I last checked. Of course, the features are in the ‘paid’ tier, but hey, someone has to pay for the electricity. A suggestion: sign up for the free plan and start playing with it. It has a lot of capability and is intuitive. My only concerns would be: Will the company still be around in a few years? And, as a backup, can I download a copy of the presentation?
I started playing with the app about five years ago and they’re still around. Plus, I’m pretty sure that the answer to the second question is, “yes.”
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Hey Ian – that’s your cue!
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Hey Aaron! Greetings from down the road in West Hartford.
One of the things that I don’t like about Instagram is its inability to weave a narrative. Check out this presentation I did on a site called “Bublup” https://rolls.bublup.com/view/b8cdd061-fc88-493a-a487-7ff5f5f112fc
The top photo is essentially a basic webpage about the build. And, if you click on the lower picture, you get the presentation (roll) mode of the app.
best,
Rick
rolls.bublup.com
A dying friend found a piece of a mahogany tabletop and passed it on. This is the story of how it became a guitar.
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Beau – I really like your veneer treatment of the headstock on the peghead side. That adds a really nice touch and it shows off the tuners, too.
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Here’s a link to the build: https://rolls.bublup.com/view/b8cdd061-fc88-493a-a487-7ff5f5f112fc
rolls.bublup.com
A dying friend found a piece of a mahogany tabletop and passed it on. This is the story of how it became a guitar.
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Dale Fairbanks used them on my Fairbanks ‘Fox’ and I adore them. I’m not sure if Rickard is still making the guitar set or not. (They differ in tuning ratio from the banjo set). They were expensive to start, and then the price went up further. But I love the appearance and the easy tuning.
There’s a neat story behind this guitar. A good friend, Larry Fox, found a mahogany table leaf (on garbage day) by the roadside. He called me up and said, “This is beautiful wood. It’s solid and would make a great guitar.” And so, for several years, the wood sat by his furnace, just waiting.
But Larry succumbed to a ten year battle with cancer back in 2020. About a month after that, I was talking with his wife, and Jan asked, “Is there anything you want from his shop?”
Me: “Jan, check on the left side of the furnace and see if there’s a slab of wood there. It is? I’ll be right over!”
Dale obliged and on December 26, 2021, delivered my “Fox” guitar. The Rickard tuners lend a striking element to the headstock’s appearance.
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Rosella – like many of the others, my basement shop space is limited. Maybe 200 sq ft total (125 ft workable). In that space I have a bandsaw, a drill press, two benches and tools\storage on most walls. A small, sturdy stand alternately hosts my sharpening station or a belt sander. Our house’s utility room, which contains the furnace, water heater, gas meter and electrical panel, takes up 75 square feet of it. It’s an inefficient space, but I make it work.
Two things have bugged me: ventilation\dust (which I have eased with a portable HEPA filter) and ceiling height. It seems no matter how careful I try to be, I routinely whack the headstock of the guitar on the ceiling (there’s a large heating duct adjacent to a supporting column\beam down the center), or on one of the many corners in the room. Bugs the heck out of me; I almost want to add padding all around the room. (OTOH, as I consider it, maybe a padded cell would be a very appropriate room for most luthiers) Seriously, if you can manage it, try to establish a zone free of any objects\ corners around and above your bench.
IMO, the workbench comes first in any shop design, then work around that space. Make sure that all stationary power tools have clear space around them so they can be used safely. Place storage on the walls or on shelving units and figure out items that can be swapped in and out (like my sharpening station\belt sander). A lot of the design evolves over time, but the basic elements – the bench and the stationary tools will likely stay in the same place by necessity.
There is one other issue which I have not figured out: the force of gravity seems to be much higher in my basement than in the rest of the house. Tools and workpieces often fall to the ground or roll off the bench when I am not looking; it always seems to happen at the most critical juncture when all I can do is watch in disgust. What’s that all about?
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Before my dental practice got going, I was an avid woodworker. As I got busier (and as my family responsibilities increased), by the end of the day, it was getting very dangerous to be near power tools or sharp edges. My day off (Friday’s) became my shop day, but over time, Friday’s became the day to take care of all sorts of household chores, etc. so you have to set priorities. It was absolutely imperative they I put in all of my energies at work because of my responsibilities to my patients, my staff, and the need to keep at the 100% over a nine to ten hour day. That was the choice I made, and I am happy that I did.
Now in retirement, I am in my glory. I go down to the shop by about seven and work for 2-3 or more hours when I am at my best. I have a modest budget for tools and a small space – this is probably the best of both worlds because it keeps your acquisition urges under control!
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Our local Ace hardware has rolls of self-adhesive cork (about 1/16” thick and a foot wide). And, the rolls are inexpensive.
And as mentioned by Paul, the packing paper works really well too. Rolls of that material can also be found at your local paint store, probably Ace too.
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Gluboost Fill n’ Finish has worked very well for me. After application I go through the Assilex grit series and honestly, at that point it’s going to take very few coats of “whatever” to create a gloss.
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This is such an important topic, I’d like to add one item to everyone’s sharpening system: a really good magnifier. A simple jewelers loupe will suffice (10x or more). When you see the edge at that level, you will immediately understand where you are in the sharpening process and whether you are doing a good job.
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Tony – Generally the Town\County will tax the percentage of the property that is used for the business at a different rate (in our town it’s lower!). And as you mentioned, the tools are set up on a depreciation schedule of X years, as is your inventory (guitars, wood, hardware, etc.).
Just a note: look very carefully at how your County\Town handles a home business as far as zoning goes. If you are in a residential area (looks like you’re in a business area), this can generate complaints from neighbors.
It looks like Bishop CA has a business development office. In our Town, these folks are a very handy resource for finding your way through the rules and regulations. They also can serve as a small business advocate. Nationwide, I am seeing this trend of small business support on the local level – so take advantage of their expertise. (Note: many times these offices can direct you to small business grants and tax relief programs that you may not have been aware of).
Good luck with this!
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I suspect that like most, I have tried every inexpensive system out there, and never could pull the trigger on a Tormak system. But, I was at Woodcraft supply about a year ago and I purchased this system: https://campbell-randall.com/product/razor-sharp-edgemaking-system-8-deluxe
Understand that I reserve the system for keeping things sharp. Initial flattening of plane blades and chisels is still relegated to my diamond stones.
It’s two cardboard wheels that fit on a conventional 8 inch grinder. One is coated with silicon carbide grit, and the other gets charged with a buffing compound. I like it. It works. It’s a lot less hassle than water, oil or diamond stones. And being able to let the motor do the work saves a lot of wear and tear on the old hands and wrists. I have had to recoat the carbide wheel once, but it’s easy – you smear a layer of glue on it and roll it over the carbide dust. The acid test is that after a sharpening session (as Ian implied), I run out of hair to shave.
My one annoyance is that I miss having a stone on my grinder for heavier jobs. But I really like having this always available. Ergo, I may get another grinder. These cardboard wheels are so light, a Harbor Freight import could easily handle them. Then I could put the nice wheels back on the Rikon grinder.
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Alright, I try very hard to not act like a silly twelve year old who likes bathroom humor, but really, this is pretty silly…
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Hey Corey – I also need to get up to Burlington. I got to know Dale and his family pretty well when they lived here. I have a beautiful Fairbanks F35 that he built from salvaged mahogany. I wish my playing could match the guitars quality!
And I agree, I wish he was still local too. But he has a growing family and the Iris gig made a lot of sense. There’s a nice article about him in Acoustic Guitar Magazine this month.
The story about my guitar can be found here: https://rolls.bublup.com/view/b8cdd061-fc88-493a-a487-7ff5f5f112fc
rolls.bublup.com
A dying friend found a piece of a mahogany tabletop and passed it on. This is the story of how it became a guitar.
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John – sometimes the articulating paper is almost too sensitive and hard to read. It will mark every bit of raised grain leaving you confused as to what and how heavy the contact is. After all, this is designed to mark slippery and smooth teeth. It hasn’t been mentioned much, but sometime back there were several videos with Iris Carr where she talks about chalk fitting. Try both and see which suits your style. They are both useful.
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Most articulating paper is like the ones Doug illustrates. The length is aleays going to be approximately the length from third molar (wisdom tooth) to canine (Eye tooth). The width is usually about 3/4 inch. I’m surprised that you got stuck with short pieces – I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen those! Look for thin versions of the paper. The thick stuff will leave a really big smudge.
Once you place it in the joint, all it takes is a little wiggle to leave a mark. And the blue color does not stand out well against the wood. Be prepared to rinse and repeat a lot because the articulating paper is very sensitive to pressure.
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Thom – SS is not your big concern, it’s healthcare. You will not be eligible for Medicare until age 65. Until then, your medical insurance will cost $600, $800 per month and more. This is not a bad time to find a financial advisor and have them run some simulations with you. Of course, they want to enroll you in their funds, nothing comes for free. But most of them are honest and want you to prosper.
Even in my situation, where I am a retired dentist, I waited until 70 to pull social security. Granted, I am in a very different position than most looths, but the bottom line remains the same – there will be a point where you won’t be able to do the work (either the pace, or the frustrations, or the physicality ) and you will have to cut back. As many on the Loothalong have heard me say, the two professions have a lot in common: It’s piecework, it’s valuing your time, it’s about charging enough to not only pay for your overhead, but your benefits and your living expenses. Young dentists are a lot like young looths – they have the technical aspects of the field under control, but they really need to develop business and people skills.
The advice I received was that my 50’s and 60’s would be my most productive years. I took that to heart and worked hard. Then I retired at age 68. My wife was a teacher and has a good pension – this has helped greatly.
Good luck – Again, talk to an expert.
Rick
PS – social security will be there for us. Inflation may chew it up however.
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The trick to using ultrasonic cleaners is the solution that you use in it. The US cleaner will also be volatilizing these solutions (due to vibration) so you want to keep it lidded – you also need to avoid using flammable solvents (you don’t want them volatilized!). Most of the time, a high detergent solution is your go to. One technique is to use some non-sudsing detergent in the bath water, and the actual solvent\cleaning agent in the small beaker. This decreases the amount of agent that you need. The detergent in the bath water is a ‘coupling agent’ to allow the ultrasonic waves to propagate more efficiently..
As Dan alluded to, most ultrasonic cleaners use a basket or beakers to hold your parts off the floor of the cleaner (never rest them on the floor of the cleaner.). And note that when a US cleaner dies, it may still buzz, but not produce any cavitation – beware buying used (you know how I l found that out, right?). Overall, they’re handy devices to have around – not a necessity, but handy.
One more thing… parts with flaking plating may end up looking pretty ugly when done. They’ll be clean, but ugly. And forget about preserving patina. But the US cleaner is an absolute necessity if you are going to be re-plating.
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Here’s a thought. Use some good magnification and a good light to look for scratches after every grit. Age and astigmatism is a funny thing; as you get older, the surface may look very good to the naked eye (almost as if it was air-brushed), but when magnified, you immediately see what you are missing. This happened to me at the age of 30 (I’m a retired dentist) and I was shocked at my loss of acuity. Magnification was the solution. The common phrase among my colleagues was, “You can’t fix what you can’t see.”
Harbor Freight has some very inexpensive visor loupes available. You might want to puck up a small 10x jeweler’ loupe too.
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Great to hear! My one thought about them is I would love it if they were a little stiffer, but heck, I just double up – they’re cheap enough. Gawd, we love our improvised tools!
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Also, in the “closet shelving” section of Lowe’s (not Home Depot) they sell plastic end tips that are designed to fit over the ends of wire shelving. They fit the fiber glass rods perfectly.
My fiberglass rods are from Harbor Freight – they are used for fishing wires through electrical conduits.
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Ian – (re: the name of the UMGF guy) are you thinking of Bryan Kymsey? He’s the guy who is known for modifying older Martins.
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I use all three, depending on the size of the gap\open pores. It’s nice to have the option. The thinner formulas sand more easily, and flow into the defect more easily, but don’t fill it as quickly.
Moments ago, I was filling around the end graft of my present build with the regular. I had to fill in a lot of irregularities that were not scraping out well and would have require some really aggressive sanding. Then I coated with some thin GluBoost and went through the Assilex\Bufflex sequence.
Actually I had to use some ultrathin – the dispenser portion of my bottle of thin is pretty messed up… I just came upstairs to order some more when I saw your note. I have some Stewmac replacement bottles and will probably decant the contents later today. No matter how hard I try, I seem to always end up ruining the dispenser portion of the bottles.
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I was working with the GluBoost this morning and thought I’d add a bit more to the conversation: Because the stuff hardens on command, you can almost immediately hit the surface with some 800 grit Assilex. Then, a wipe with mineral spirits makes all of the small ripples, gaps, pinholes and missed grain apparent. So, you apply a bit more GluBoost in those areas and repeat the process. I’m sold on these new materials – and the Assilex\Bufflex system is miraculous.
Before even getting to the first coat of finish, I am going to have really perfect surface as a base. And because of that, I will only need light coats of finish to achieve gloss (I’m seeing that with the mineral spirits already).
I’m finding I have a lot more control over the process, immediate feedback and a lot fewer surprises.
I am wondering if I’ll have to abrade the surface for better adhesion of the finish (it will be either shellac or CrystalLac).
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Re: Dale Fairbanks’ garage – I’ll add that’s a really valid concern. My town (Dale’s former town) has a well-deserved reputation for crotchety neighbors who like to complain. Many municipalities have strict rules concerning home businesses. In fact, Adam Buchwald of Circle Strings\Allied Luthiery (and Dale’s compatriot at Iris Guitars) finally had to move out of one house in Burlington, Vermont because of a very nasty neighbor, even though he had covered all of the bases with the city.
So a word to the wise – be careful out there!
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I agree on the Harbor Freight set.It’s really handy having the /64 sizes, and the price, well heck… $9.99 on sale for a decent set of drills can’t be beat.
