French Polishing underway

I have joked before about how I always seem to have polishing to do and this just illustrates the point. Here is John's guitar with 5 days of polish on it, so a little way to go yet before it is completed. The Amazon rosewood is beginning to look really rather fine and I am looking forward to getting it finished. In the little glass jar in the foreground is the cloth or 'rubber' that is used to apply the french polish, and on the other side of the neck is the polish itself. Polishing is one of the first things that I do when I get into the workshop each morning. I find it relaxing and allows me time to think about what else I have to do that day.

Nikolaus Georg Ries Terz guitar

This little terz guitar was made by Ries in the mid 19th century. Nikolaus Georg Ries had been part of the Staufer workshop and the Austrian style is very apparent. The guitar behind the Ries is an anonymous Austrian guitar from (as auction catalogs would put it) the collection of gentleman. This is a sweet and simple guitar with great charm, although as the pictures show, it is in need of a little attention. This one is being restored under my supervision and I am making a copy for my own amusement. (What does a guitar maker do in his spare time? He makes a guitar.) The back and ribs are of flamed maple and have ripened to a wonderful colour which I'm afraid I have not captured in these pictures. The bridge is not original and has already been removed.

New tools, old tools part 2

I have just had a clear out of tools (mainly carving gouges) as I needed the room. I have accumulated so many tools over the years, and have also given a good few away. I am getting to the point where I have what I need and no more. This is a good place to be.

The center piece of this picture is my Record No. 5. When I started learning guitar making at the London College of Furniture in 1984, Herbert Schwarz my tutor, sent me off to acquire a plane. That part of the east end of London had once been the centre of woodworking trades and there were still a handful of reminders from those days. Crispins Veneers in Curtain Road for example,was a wonderful example of old fashioned supplier. Contained in a ramshackle 19th century warehouse, it was full of wonderful exotic veneers, and when you had selected what you wanted, it was carefully rolled in cardboard and tied with string. Invoices were hand written, standing at a lectern and if they had been scratched out using a quill, the picture would have been complete.
One grey October day I walked up Old Street to Tyzacks tool shop and bought this plane. It wasn't a shop that you wandered round; you went up to the counter and asked for what you wanted, and waited while a man in a brown coat disappeared into the back of the shop to find the tool you had requested. I have had this plane since that day and it is the tool that my workshop centers around. Although it is just a standard mass produced plane, it is a tool that I implicitly trust; I know exactly what I can do with it; it works perfectly.
The engineers square is commonplace, but always in use and rarely in its space on the tool rack. For me this is the perfect size for most of my work, although I have a bigger one, and indeed, a smaller one.
The brass purfling cutter was made at the LCF, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was from the skilled hands of fellow student Nick Swann. Different makers swear by different designs. I like the simple functionality of this one and I am now very used to it.
And finally, at the bottom of the picture, a 1 inch Sorby paring chisel. It was Michael Gee who turned me on to paring chisels and now I wont use anything else. The length of the blade allows you to keep some distance between you and the work and gives even finer control over the cutting edge. Other makers use shorter chisels and do fine work, but this is something that works for me. The smooth boxwood handle feels cool and comfortable in the hand. Looking at the picture leaves me shocked at how much shorter the blade is than when I first bought it; many years of honing have taken their toll. Fortunately I have stockpiled a few of these and so I am confident I have a lifetime supply.

WARNING

It has come to my attention that a guitar is being offered for sale on various auction sites listed as a David Whiteman guitar. It is almost certainly not one of mine. If you have any doubts or questions about a guitar you have purchased, or are thinking of purchasing, please contact me. I will up date this as soon as I have more information.

Ready for polishing...

This week has been busy and I am glad that it's Saturday and I can relax a bit. Earlier this week I got John's guitar ready for finishing and the picture above shows it hanging up and waiting for a coat of shellac sealer. This stage is known as having the instrument 'in the white'; an expression that makes more sense when applied to violins, where the pale maple and spruce looks very white compared the richly varnished instrument.

The picture below shows the neck and heel after shaping was completed. These are the main tools I use to do that task. I still favour a wooden spokeshave for the main shaping. An age old design, this boxwood example is a joy to use and can remove wood quickly and accurately. The rosewood handled knife I made myself when I was a student in London and it is fantastic for carving the elegant sweep of the heel.
So now this guitar is ready for polishing (in fact I have already put the first coat on) and the Amazon rosewood is already beginning to look rather lovely. About a week a go fellow guitar maker Michael Gee phoned and one of the things we talked about was French polish. Michael is a fabulous maker who I was lucky enough to be taught by many years ago. I refer to polishing as a black art, and it really is one of those aspects of guitar making that can have you pulling your hair out on occasions. I recently heard someone say that you never properly finish French polishing a guitar;there just comes a point where you give up!

Almost complete...

Johns guitar is now ready for filling and polishing and these few pictures show the guitar as it was on the bench at the end of last week. I always enjoy fretting and since I have acquired this soft faced hammer I am even happier. The picture above shows the last few frets being installed. The metal block in the picture is held under the fingerboard whilst the upper frets are being tapped in and helps to prevent the soundboard splitting. Regular followers of this site will know that Johns guitar has featured more than any other guitar I am making at the moment. This is due to the fact that John is on the other side of the globe and so must share in the making of his guitar by digital means!

Here is an earlier picture of the fingerboard being glued and clamped, and below is the fingerboard prior to clamping. The masking tape on the soundboard keeps the excess glue in check. The next post will show the completed guitar awaiting polish...

Happy New Year!

I think the fact that I have only just been able to post a Happy New Year message is pretty much indicative as to how busy the past few weeks have been, and at the moment it very much looks as though 2011 is going to proceed in a similar fashion.
Johns guitar is nearly finished and ready for polishing; pictures to follow in the coming week. Various small repairs have been taken in, completed and dispatched. Simon brought his Ramirez round on Saturday and we spent a happy half hour discussing guitars and kite surfing! I have also drawn a N. G. Ries terz guitar from the mid 19th century, and I intend to knock out a copy later this year. I am also gearing up to make a Stauffer copy with an adjustable neck, although as that is just for fun it will have to slot in between commissions. I will post more on these guitars soon.
Polishing continues: I am polishing a walnut and spruce guitar made by Max in my workshop. It's a lovely looking guitar and we are all keen to hear what it sounds like. Max takes the wonderful pictures on my main website including the one at the top of this post. This guitar has long gone from the workshop but its hard to resit showing it again! So a busy year in front of me-keep watching!