Most of the day's work was spent working on the headstock. When I started that morning, the headstock was still in need of a lot of work. The routing job had been done, which gave it its shape, but the router can only do so much- all of the finishing touches would be done with various types of files.
To start, I took a template which was the shape of the headstock, placed it upon the top, and used a well-sharpened pencil to mark portions of the headstock that needed to be removed via filing. I started with a very small square file, and switched back and forth between that, and a small triangular one. The points on these files assisted in achieving the troughs that are seen in the top profile of the headstock. I defined each trough, and made sure everywhere in between was smooth, and fluid. I used a half-round file to centre the peak of the headstock, which was where the ebony accent strip that runs the length of the neck/headstock ends. The second major step of the day was creating string ramps. String ramps are found between the guitar's nut and the peg to which the strings are affixed. There are a few different ways to do string ramps- the two I was choosing between was rounded fronts, or flat ones- I ended up choosing flat. The look reminded me of church windows, or some other sort of window, having a flat base, and a rounded top. This step took a good while. The African wenge laminate is a very hard wood, so filing takes a lot of effort. I filed the ramps, giving them a very apparent grade, ending just below the taper point, near the base of the guitar's headstock. I did a bit of a hybrid ramp, having flat bottoms, that transitioned into a curve- Ned complimented my design. Once the string ramps were complete, it allowed you to see the wenge, maple, and mahogany all at once, which was very nice.
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| String ramps |
During our lunch break, Ned observed that it was a nice day, with little to no wind. Him having an interest in remote-controlled helicopters, he decided it was a good opportunity to fly! I believe this was the first time I had ever seen an RC helicopter in action, and I must admit, it was pretty neat. I spent 5 or 10 minutes watching him fly.
The next step I worked on was the beveling- all of the sharp edges were beveled, for aesthetic reasons, and also for functionality. Having a beveled edge reduces the chance of chipping, and permits a better bond for the sealing of the guitar, reducing the chance of the finish being rubbed off, at a corner. I did all of the beveling with files. The profile at the top of the headstock, the entirety of the routed channels and string ramps, and the perimeter of the headstock were beveled. I also softened the back edges of the headstock, and gave the back corner of the peak a slight round. This process took some effort- like I said, the wenge is tough.
This was essentially the last step of the day. There were a few little touch-ups I did, throughout the day, that were just for cosmetic purposes, but nothing too substantial. Files were the tools of the day, and they did their jobs well! With my help, of course ;)
Here are a few supplementary pictures:
This was essentially the last step of the day. There were a few little touch-ups I did, throughout the day, that were just for cosmetic purposes, but nothing too substantial. Files were the tools of the day, and they did their jobs well! With my help, of course ;)
Here are a few supplementary pictures:
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