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Good Day All,

I'm just cleaning up a binding job with Zipflex purfling. Looks great. Love that stuff to work with.

I've set the Zipflex a hair below the Spruce accept for about a 2" section where it is pretty much flush.

Obviously I'm going to be very careful and not sand the crap out of it but how much of a good shell layer is there on the surface? Anyone have any idea? I'm just wondering HOW careful I have to be.

Cheers,
Danny

BTW. BTW. FWIW. First guitar I have not used CA for the bindings. Likely won't be going back. This was a far more enjoyable and found it much easier to do a mostly perfect job.

I've never used Zipflex, but I'm surprised to hear you say that going away from CA was easier. Can you describe that in more detail? My forehead beads up with sweat just thinking about trying to get the joints on binding to look decent. Today I use titebond. I tend to get good results on the joints at the butt end of the guitar, but that top joint on the back binding is never a treat. I use the mini miter trick that Terrence Kennedy shared, but I still sweat bullets the whole time.

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I love Zipflex too, it's fantastic. By the way that you describe it you have no worries at all. If it's 'a hair' below or flush then sand away as normal. As an educated guess I'd say you got about 1/16th inch of solid abalone before you might bottom out, I never actually tested it though. As for gluing in Zipflex I can't imagine using anything other then CA, it's perfect for it. But I'm sure Titebond along with the bindings would work well too.

To sum it up, everything is easier and better. Butt joints are perfect. On Maple. And don't even get me going on how much I did not enjoy cleaning up the side binding with ca. My least favourite task always. I just finished. Wow! So much easier, cleaner and faster. I'm sure ca soaks into the binding and makes it more difficult to level. I've always had slight variation in binding thickness when finished. Generally only detectable by me, but non the less pissed me off. Not today my friend. And the rest of the clean up is just soooo much easier. Another aspect that i hope it will improve. The pesky gaps that show up with the first coat of nitro. Seems no matter how hard I try to fill them, they always show up and require drop filling after.

Zipfex ? anyone?

Perfect! And thanks for that. I may run a bead of ca around the shell.

What glue did you use, Danny?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

If memory serves there is about .050 of shell, plenty to sand. I use zipflex a lot and have never had any issue with sanding it. I use CA to install the zipflex and B&W purflings and can't imagine anything being easier. I do use Titebond or LMI yellow for wood bindings, and then flood the zipflex with CA again before sanding and scraping everything flush.

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It will probably be alright.

Titebond Alex. But what Greg said above makes pretty good sense. It is a binding, B/Pear/B, Zipflex layup. Somewhere in there may be a little starved for glue.

Thanks all!

Pics, or its just all talk.

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

I've used zip flex several times. It is great stuff. I'm not sure how much you can sand it. I just treat it like ablam and don't sand any more than necessary.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Hahaha. Give me a chance to clean it up Brian. I just flooded it with ca last night.

I'm liking this one. It's a dread, which I don't build many of. A very old and beautiful Taz Blackwood set and Stellar Bearclaw Sitka. Customer wanted a 4 3/8" sound hole. Cool eh! A commission for a really nice guy. I've kept him up to date daily with progress pics via text. It's very enjoyable for both of us and only takes a second.

Pics later today maybe.

Cheers Pal!

I seem to recall someone getting a hard time for building dreads.
Probably just a dream.

B

_________________
My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

That's a good idea. You can notice that the pieces are 'loose' withing their ZipFlex tracks. Tacking them down good with thin CA will set the min stone.

BTW left over ZipFlex pieces from bigger guitar projects are awesome for smaller projects like this Uke...

I'm happy! I would like to call this sexy but it is a dread. I do get the allure of the dread though. Such an amazingly unique sound. I'm really looking forward to string this one up. The customer wanted an enlarged sound hole and I was all over that. This would look really nice with understated, minimal inly on the FB. He is however big on shell. I made the mistake of sending him to DePaule website. That was a mistake but I did manage to talk him out of making it look like a banjo.
From a builders prospective life is so much easier building a guitar not having a tight waist. Hours less time and zero stress bending.
Cheers!


And thanks for your help!

looks great!

I removed the backing from a small scrap of Zipflex. The thickness of the shell itself measured 0.049" (i.e., 0.050" as previously noted). Note that if you sand too much, the color of the underlying surface can be different from the unsanded surface.

In the event that you are flooding with CA where spruce might be nearby, be aware of the "ca wicking and discoloration" issue. CA can turn beautiful spruce yellow. Where end grains are exposed. This issue is not repairable (there are techniques to compensate). -Mike

Shellac is my friend Mike.

Nice Danny, looks you're getting the hang of it.

B

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Thanks Brian. I am always looking for new and creative ways to screw up. I find them regularly. Fortunately I'm a good carpenter too.

Just saying.

DannyV Posted

I really like how you used the radial wood with the pearl. Love the look.
How did you do the radial?

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Hey Joe. (!!!) If you are referring to the rosette, it's not radial. High Curl Maple. Bent on the pipe and a touch scorched unfortunately. More so on the treble side but I think it will all work out.

BTW. If anyone is interested. AST has a deal on random lengths of Green Abalone Zipflex right now. Like 40% off deal. And they will ship to Canada. How that works I have no idea because i didn't ask too many questions.

Thanks Danny. I like the idea of using curly maple!
It looked like the pieces were bent. I couldn't quite figure out how to do that with end grain zebra wood.

And thanks for the tip on zipflex. I'll check it out

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Ast?


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