Technics for FP the heel/side area

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Vince

Posts: 141
Joined: Oct. 21 2012
From: Germany

Technics for FP the heel/side area

What is your technic to polish the heel-rib junction?
What is the secret for a smooth finish in the edge.
How do you prepare the heal surface before polishing?

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Vince
http://www.gitarrenbau-held.de/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 7 2014 15:08:36

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Vince)

Many guitar makers don't bother with finishing the inside of the heel. I do it both ways, with or without.

If you are finishing the inside, just seal the wood with a little shellac polish, it's not necessary to bring the polish to a mirror glaze.

Ramirez seals their top wood on the outside about 3 mm under the edge of the fingerboard so that the top won't crack when there is a humidity change. The fingerboard and top wood contract and expand at different rates.

As far as the heel and sides go, just French polish using a smaller rubber and work the polish into the edges using continuous applications.

If you use color then develop a technique that makes it work, poco a poco.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 7 2014 21:58:43

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

As far as the heel and sides go, just French polish using a smaller rubber and work the polish into the edges using continuous applications.

And remember that the word "just" makes it sound easy and its not. A few pads of micromesh to polish inbetween the layers and after at the difficult points is not a bad idea.
French polishing is one of the most complicated things to explain in words. Its very organic and very personal how you do it.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 8 2014 6:45:12

johnguitar

Posts: 208
Joined: Jan. 10 2006

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Vince)

quote:

What is your technic to polish the heel-rib junction?
What is the secret for a smooth finish in the edge.

As always in FP never stop on the surface. This is more difficult at a junction but very important. Wipe away from the junction, tiny circles and very then sometimes wipe along it. Use a small rubber or a well-made pointy one.

quote:

How do you prepare the heal surface before polishing?

Apply shellac to the heel before final sanding, let it soak in, re-apply, apply alchohol to make it soak in more. Then you can sand and scrape and you will find that the heel is more homogeous; the difference between hard and soft grain is not so marked. I do this to the whole neck but the heel needs more applications and more sanding.

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John Ray
https://www.johnguitar.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 8 2014 8:16:49

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Vince)

John,
It sounds like like you have started FP'ing yourself. As far as remember you used to (like me back then) take your guitars to Antonio for the FP. Has that changed?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 8 2014 12:27:36

johnguitar

Posts: 208
Joined: Jan. 10 2006

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

Yes Anders, I have done some polishing since I used to see you in the streets and workshops of Granada. I never took my guitars to Antonio but rather to Javi.

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John Ray
https://www.johnguitar.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 9 2014 20:51:50

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1677
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Vince)

Sometimes I get best results when I FP the neck (including heel) while the ribs are masked off with tape, and the ribs while the heel is masked off with tape. Then again, sometimes putting masking tape over finish on one of those areas leads to the finish being pulled off with the tape. The masking seems to do the most good for the seal coat, which in my work is colored.

Other times, since applying finish to the heel leads to getting some finish on the rib, I am just careful to go on and apply finish directly to the rib at the same time so that the rib is finished evenly.

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 10 2014 5:21:42

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

quote:

Then again, sometimes putting masking tape over finish on one of those areas leads to the finish being pulled off with the tape

3M white-out tape seems to be better, as it doesn't pull off finish. It covers the area nicely but is gentle to the finish.

Most any office supply store sells it. It is called 3M Post-it and is about 1 inch wide.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 10 2014 14:17:27

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1677
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: Technics for FP the heel/side area (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Thanks, Tom. That's a good idea.

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 12 2014 1:44:24