What's on Your Workbench?

jtcnj

jtcnj

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There is a thread like this on another forum for small snippets that maybe dont merit a new thread. Somewhat like our So Anyway thread.

This is my first crack at a bone nut from a blank for my Indio Tele from some months back.
Not great, but functions well - except the G string slot was a bit wonky.
The Hosco double sided 10-46 nut files I have has an .017 - but it is too wide for an unwound plain G.

I scratched up some bone dust to fill the slot and dabbed the CA glue on it, re-cut the slot with the B .013 blade and massaged it a bit.
I made the initial cut with my swanky new X-acto mini back saw, didnt make it into the pic.

Not great, but works well.
I will probably make another, but this is ok for now.

I rubbed candle wax on the clamp jaws so any overflow of the CA glue wouldnt stick.

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"On My Bench" right now is just the 1965 Gibson SG Jr "tune up" and another DSL40C Head Cabinet conversion.

But keeping in the vein of the original post, I'll add this.

A while back, a client reached out to me about repairing a bone nut in a 1958 Gibson Les Paul he had recently acquired. The 'G' had been cut too deep/wide at some point in the guitar's life and he did not want to risk damage by replacing the nut.

I accepted the challenge and decided to try and "cut & plug" a few nuts on cheaper guitars as a good learning experience.

I went out into our garden and found one of our dog's discarded steak bones. Using a 3" cut off wheel in a die grinder, I cut several long 'slivers' of bone, in varying widths, and saved them in a zip lock.

My first step was to take the 'G' slot out to .042" with a Stewie-Mac file. Then, I cut/filed a bone chip that press-fit into the slot:

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I applied super glue and held the chip in place with a tensioned 'G' string:

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Next, I filed the chip down until it was flush:

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Then, started cutting the new slot, starting with a .010" file and working up to size in small steps:

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The end result was pretty good...

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Now, I'm much more confident doing this repair on a rare, vintage instrument.
 
I'm serious about that ham bone question.

.017 G string.
Visually comparing the edges, the blade marked .017 is closer to the .026 than the .013.
It is these. There is not another edge tha looks to be .017.
I'm going to make some test cuts and look at the slots more carefully.



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Picked up an "open box" 490T from Stratosphere ebay store.
The Guitar Madness '59er set in this EPI is pretty good though.
Plugged it in to make sure it works; Christmas dinner is on!
Will dial it in later today.

Finally rotated the switch on this one.
The poker chip is stuck on so I left it.
I play with the neck at a pretty steep angle, so I rotate the switch to more in line with the sweep of my hand.

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Well in the shop, quite a bit ! :pound-hand:

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In the studio I’ve been working on a parts caster. Took a 97 Squire apart and used the body, added a Warmoth Paduak neck with ebony board, Schaller tuners, brass saddles and a loaded SD pickguard. Still need to finish the setup but the neck is great and the SD pups have a lot of tonal variety.

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jtcnj said:
I'm serious about that ham bone question.
Click to expand...
My apologies... :facepalm:. Don't use pork bone because there are much better options. Pet shops usually carry different dog chewing bones made of cow femurs or water buffalo horns which are denser than pork bones. With a bandsaw you could probably cut quite a few nut blanks out if one piece of bone and save a bunch of money.
 
Kind of a “workbench” project. Got everything for it except pups. Which are going to be P90s. Stain and finish the body. Fabbing the switch plate and pick guard using carbon fiber. Not going to be a standard Tele pick guard. Thinking more like an Ernie Ball tear drop look. 1640468732675.jpeg
 
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