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Update
This instrument is finally in shape. There's some work pending, but it will go into pause while I start building others. There's a place near my house where a lot of entrepreneurs gather on Saturdays to show their idea. Making some instruments for display and going there might get me more attention an potential clients. The second update comes from the previous owner. My friend had a medical emergency (actually, it was her grandmother). Thus, she won't be able to buy this one. It isn't a problem except for the fact that I don't have the timber to make a cheaper one. I'll sort that out later. For now, take a look at the progress of this build.
A glimpse to the future of the instrument.
On the Mould
Last time we saw this one it was coming on the mould for assembly. Here we start by making place to the end block. This one holds the sides in place and it's another point of contact between the sound board and back.
Something that bothers me is the fact that all the information written in the instrument corresponds to another person and situation. But it is closed now. Nothing more to change except gluing a new label. We make use of a neck piece to hold weight of top of this. This is just the beginning.
This gives us the starting point to place the rest of the angles according to the drawing on the sound board.
Bending the sides
Nothing difficult about bending wood. You need to get it thin enough. Then, water comes into play. It works to prevent wood from burning, but it also hydrates the fibers of the wood. When that is soaked, it becomes more flexible. Heat ends the bargain. Using heat we can shape the wood to the shape of the heat source. In this case, it is a can. This helps us with the lobes and waist of the instrument. Think of it as getting curls in your hair (not my case since mine are natural, but you get the idea). Same principle.
Once the wood is bent, it is important to keep it like that. Even though wood has been severed from its source and dried, it keeps moving as long as it exists. The shape of the sides isn't something natural so wood fiber will try to go back to their straight shape or following the grain of the piece.
After taking some measures we can cut the sides and glue them on the sound board.
Kerfing
We move on towards the reinforcements of the body. The kerfing helps gluing the sound board to the sides. They are wood wedges placed inside the instrument. Some luthiers (those with the gear) use a strand of kerfing. That is make by making shallow cuts in a strip of wood. It is more elegant but requires more precision than individual pieces.
Reinforcing the sides.
These reinforcements widen the contact area with the back. The other kind are vertical strips of wood that go between these and the kerfing. Those strengthen weak point of the sides such as the waist and the lobes.
Ready to close up
With the reinforcements in place we can now close the instrument.
Before doing so, we apply a coat of sealant inside the instrument to keep it protected. This coat goes on the inner side of both sides and back. We do not apply it on the sound boar (at least not in the inner part) since it would harm the sound of the instrument.
Once the back it placed as a lid, we go ahead and apply enough pressure to keep it in place and help the glue do its job.
Out of the Mould
This is one of the best things to do when making an instrument. It is always exciting to get the instrument out of the mould. Makes me feel like a child during Christmas every time.
But the instrument needs some trimming. There's always some material to remove from the back and top. We make quick work of it with the help of an exacto knife.
Then we are left with a handsome instrument.
Fretboard
The fretboard and bridge are external pieces. Whether you prepared them in advance or not is up to you. I'm using purpleheart for this build. It is a beautiful wood but really tough to work. However, every bit of effort that goes into making an instrument is repaid once it is complete.
That's it for now! We are waiting to get some bindings on this one. Once that's done, the fretboard will go on and the sealing process will start.
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