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Finishing over Signatures

I was approached by a local music venue about finishing over the signatures on this Dean guitar. I have finished over signatures before, but never an entire guitar. The main challenges, as I see it, with this endeavor is prepping the existing finish. Cleaning the existing finish without disturbing the signatures will be time consuming enough, but abraiding/sanding the finish will be cost prohibitive. I have already experimented on a test…

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Why do you think they faded? Sunlight, chemical issue, abrasion?
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Old celluloid, new ABS

What’s the best way to make stark white ABS binding resemble 60 year old celluloid?

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Hi John, Here's the results of my methodology for getting ABS to look like old celluloid... If you'd like me to walk you through it, feel free to reach out via Instagram or email.
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Custom Fingerboard Slotting/Milling in Canada?

Looking to get a custom fingerboard slotted, radiused and cut for block inlays, preferably in Canada. Any leads much appreciated! 🙏

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Cascadia in BC will do customized fretboards. They haven't carried much stock lately but it's maybe worth an email. If you go to any blank they're selling, at the bottom you'll see they offer custom C…
Tom Krebs - Mill Street Guitar DiscussionDiscussions

Proper Work Station Additions

Hey all, I have been working with the work station for a few months now. I love it. I found a few little things that have helped me. 1. A mic stand to support the main beam. I bought the Total Vise version and it didn't work as well. 2. Rockler Bench Cookies as rear cross member supports. They have the correct 5/16-18 inserts in them and screw on easily. Now the thread rod has a sort of hi/low setting by just flipping it for acoustic or…

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Excellent ideas. I use a cymbal stand instead of a mic stand for mine. Yes buy the neck support I agree. Can you post the link to the thumbwheels from Amazon?
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Guitar Bouzouki full build

Some of you might enjoy this - a full recent guitar bouzouki build. It's about 35 mins long. Plenty of woodworking tips in there for the eagle eyed. Give it a watch, the tunes are great. Nigel

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That was AWESOME!!! I've always wanted to build a cylindrical top guitar. I had envisioned it exactly how you executed it! I did have some emails with Johann Brentrup before his passing as he had descri…
Tom Krebs - Mill Street Guitar DiscussionDiscussions

Air Filtration Hood Setup for SM Buffer

We just ordered the StewMac buffer. Looking for ideas/photos for a hood(s) to remove all the particles flying off. We have a 4 inch 1250 cfm dust collection system. Thanks for any input. Tom K

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Doug's solution is a lot better than mine. These do a pretty good job of catching the fluff when raking out the buffs. They are attached with a single bolt with a lock nut and swivel back out of the w…
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Magnifiers - inexpensive and invaluable tools

I am a retired dentist. One saying we had was, “You can’t fix what you can’t see.” And another was, “The day you start working with magnification will be the best and worst day of your practice.” The worst because you will see what you have been missing, and the best because you will never miss it again. So even though I have my Dan E. Model visor loupes, and my retired dental loupes on throughout the day, sometimes, it’s not enough. I pi…

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P.S. - I used it this morning to assess how complete my epoxy pore filling was. There was no guessing - I could see the evidence. You could also use your iPhone to magnify - I think on mine the magnifi…
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Factory Friday

It’s Factory Friday! I’ll be in the shop today from 2–4 PM Eastern for the weekly open office hours. Drop in, hang out, ask questions, talk tools, guitar building, SMF, or whatever you’re working on in your shop. No agenda. No presentation. Just shop time. Join at www.stringsmicrofactory.com/factoryfriday See you this afternoon! ✌️

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