After contour sanding, I glued up the neck and body. I like Titebond II Dark wood glue for darker woods like walnut and mahogany. Like all glues, I resist the temptation to wipe off excess glue when it is wet. I wait for it to dry and then the squeeze out comes away cleanly with a chisel or razor blade.
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| Once dry, the residue will come off easily with a bit of scraping. |
The front of the headstock I wanted to darken for contrast, but did not want to just spray paint it black. I ebonized, or pickled, the mahogany with a mix made from soaking a steel wool pad in vinegar for a day. Once I clear coat it with shellac, it will look great.
The neck and back of the body are finished, except for final polishing & buffing. I'll tackle the front this week. Both for aesthetic and health reasons, I decided to go with a modified French Polish approach, using shellac with a bit of dye added to deepen the natural beauty of the mahogany as I build layers. I used standard mahogany color grain filler from STEWMAC after dying the body with own mix of alcohol dyes mixed with a bit of shellac sealer.
14 sessions to build the back and neck. Creates a beautiful, thin finish that absolutely glows: if it was good enough for master violin makers, it's good enough for me. Definitely time intensive, but time is something I have.
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| You can get a bit of an idea of the color and sheen after applying the sealer, dye, grain filler, body coats, & glazing coats of shellac. |
Some people have asked about the durability of a shellac finish: the best testimony I have is my great-grandfather's violin. It was made in the mid 1800s, saw a ton of different conditions, and still looks good today. Plus it's probably the easiest finish to repair, if it is damaged.
Posting more when I get the front done.
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