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Doug's Farm Guitar
http://mowrystrings.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10138&t=43077		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Fri Mar 28, 2014 7:13 am ]
Post subject:  Doug's Farm Guitar
I'll be making an OM mod. with materials from the family farm just north of Calgary. The only non-local woods will be the top bracing (Sitka) but is found in the neighbouring province of BC and the purfling. This will be a surprise birthday present for my wife's sister who lives on the farm and loves to play the guitar. This is a unofficial entry as a winner of the 2013 Challenge but I wish to post the build progress nonetheless in this most interesting challenge theme.

The colour of wood in this part of the world is quite light and uniform so I will be creative and ebonize some of the elements for needed contrast using the vinegar & steel wool method.

-top: salvaged cedar from a beam in the 80 year old barn...6 piece top. Btw, looking at the pic can anyone specifically identify the species?
-b/s: birch
-neck: birch
-fretboard: ebonized mountain ash
-bridge: crab apple
-head plate: crab apple
-end graft: lilac
-linings: mountain ash
-back braces: birch
-binding...mountain ash

Coincidently, not knowing of the theme for the current Challenge, I began scavenging materials for this a year ago and began work on it a few weeks ago.

Below- cedar top source on left
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Author:  Joe Sallis [ Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
looks great, doug. niece choice of woods. Don't know why you can't enter the voting?
Author:  eigenwood [ Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Looking good! I love the idea of using those very personal reclaimed woods. It's not obvious to when looking at the pictures that this has a 6-piece top. I'd love to see your process and results for ebonizing the wood if you feel like documenting it!
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sat Apr 26, 2014 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Ebonized mountain ash fretboard. Darkened with a vinager/steel wool stew that brewed for a month. Tung oil on top.
Author:  Alex Kleon [ Sat Apr 26, 2014 11:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
How many applications did you do to get that colour, Doug? It really pops under the tung oil!

Alex
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Alex Kleon wrote:
How many applications did you do to get that colour, Doug? It really pops under the tung oil!

Alex


Maybe three coats. I stopped when it stopped getting darker but is really relative to the sanding grit used. I first went to 320 but could not get it dark enough so I backed off to 220. My test boards sanded to 80 grit through the drum sander went a chocolate brown without using any oil!

I have also tested on apple, which I may use for the bridge, and I hope to achieve a deep charcoal colour...but we'll wait to see.
Author:  Alex Kleon [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Another question, Doug - did you use food grade white vinegar, or cleaning vinegar? I think the cleaning grade is about 2% more acetic, and might speed the process.
One thing for sure, you wouldn't want to put a water based finish over this stain!

Alex
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Food grade vinegar.
Author:  Alex Kleon [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
I'll bet you had the urge to go to a chip truck for french fries after staining!

Alex
Author:  Beth Mayer [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
That colored beautifully. I don't understand the reference to sanding and how that affects the color. It sounded like you were sanding from higher to lower grits instead of the other way around?!
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Lower grits exposes more micro-surface area where the solution can take effect...at least that is my theory.
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
So a few updates...the very soft b/s were causing a lot of cracking, etc. let's just say nightmare. I also didn't like the very light colour with the darker cedar top. So I dyed the b/s a deep brown/black along with the ash bindings but did so in a 'distressed' manner. This is a farm guitar after all...rough and tumble.
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Getting close...
Author:  ZekeM [ Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Doug I'm amazed at the quality of your instruments and how far you've come in the short time you have been building. This guitar is amazing. Keep up the good work. When are you going pro? Lol
Author:  Doug Balzer [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Doug's Farm Guitar
Finished. She is a warm sounding guitar but does not have as much sustain as my other builds...likely due to the soft materials used in the neck, back and sides. Nice tone though, with lots of tonal range, shimmer, and response. I gave it to my sister-in-law today after the farm was hit hard with hail and tons of damage. She cried. She didn't know it was coming. My 14 year old joked afterwards, "Auntie Michelle cried because when she saw the guitar she realized that it sucked so badly...." Glad to have him poke fun.

Specs:

Top: Red cedar salvaged from cedar post on farm. The darker streaks are likely from mineralization over the decades
Back & sides: salvaged from dead birch tree felled in 2010.
Back bracing: birch
Neck: birch
Fretboard: dyed mountain ash
Body binding: mountain ash
Interior lining: mountain ash
Body end graft: lilac
Headstock veneer: crab-apple
Bridge: crab-apple
Heel cap: crab-apple
Nut & saddle: Whitetail deer antler found on the farm. No, I didn't shoot this one.
Tuners: Grover
Scale: 25.4"

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Author:  dzsmith [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
It looks great Doug!
I really like the look of the Crabapple.
The top has some really nice color too.
Great job!
Dan
Author:  Beth Mayer [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Pretty amazing, Doug! You are really talented :)
Author:  CommGuy107 [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 5:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Wow. Nice job. Thanks for sharing its journey.
Author:  Haans [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 6:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Not much for cedar, but that top went together VERY well!
I like the looks of it and good to see you are experimenting with the woods of the future.
That you gave it to your sister-in-law is outstanding!!!
Author:  cphanna [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Nice outcome, Doug! In particular, I like the shape of this guitar very much, but all the little details look very nicely brought together. Congrats.
Patrick
Author:  Nick Royle [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
ZekeM wrote:
Doug I'm amazed at the quality of your instruments and how far you've come in the short time you have been building. This guitar is amazing. Keep up the good work. When are you going pro? Lol


+1

It's lovely, Doug!
Author:  Alex Kleon [ Mon Jul 21, 2014 7:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
That's a killer looking guitar, Doug! You worked some guitar alchemy with those woods, turning lead into gold!

Alex
Author:  eigenwood [ Mon May 04, 2015 2:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Doug, I keep coming back to your build as a sort of inspiration. Any word on how these materials are weathering? I'm especially curious about the bracing and the neck.
Author:  Hesh [ Mon May 04, 2015 3:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Outstanding Doug - very well done!

I love the shape and it reminds me of the Jetsons. Cool shape for a contemporary guitar!
Author:  johnparchem [ Mon May 04, 2015 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Doug's Farm Guitar
Alex Kleon wrote:
Another question, Doug - did you use food grade white vinegar, or cleaning vinegar? I think the cleaning grade is about 2% more acetic, and might speed the process.
One thing for sure, you wouldn't want to put a water based finish over this stain!

Alex



I have been ebonizing various wood for awhile and the site that I learned it from was very clear apple cider vinegar. Also it is not a stain the wood itself changed colors from a chemical process. I found the change has enough depth that I can finish sand the raised grain from the water in the vinegar no problem. Also no problem with water based finishes.
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