Venture a Guess ?

[panther]

Nice work Dan!!
I Like it when people are inventive. Any thoughts on how to pour the German-carve

The German carve will have to be done by hand like on wood. The only difference between working Resin and wood, resin is pretty hard to screw up, you simply fill with more epoxy and repair the screw up. Unlike wood, the repair is absolutely invisible every time.
I just don't have the skills right now to do a body in wood. The resin is my next best shot.
I've finished the Cavities for the pickups and the controls. Will post photos later, you will be impressed I think.

Anyone want part ownership n a new guitar business.

Dan

[sleeperNY]

Just a quick question Dan. I was wondering if you added anything into the resin for reinforcement, like chopped fiberglass mat or cloth. I know from the automotive end of resin if you didn't add mat or cloth it got very brittle and could break easily. Of course I never worked with it that thick. that could make all the difference.

Jim

[panther]

Just a quick question Dan. I was wondering if you added anything into the resin for reinforcement, like chopped fiberglass mat or cloth. I know from the automotive end of resin if you didn't add mat or cloth it got very brittle and could break easily. Of course I never worked with it that thick. that could make all the difference.

Jim

Jim;
Yes the resin can become brittle IF it is cured too rapidly, I cut back on the hardener and let it cure slower than I would normally. I am using a small amount of filler probably less then would be recommended for a production type situation, but then it's for personal use and only an experiment.
I would say though that the body will be susceptible to breakage if dropped, but hopefully like with any of my guitars, I don't plan to drop it. The body will be able to withstand the same knocks that a clear coat would, and obtain about the same damage.
Dan

[sleeperNY]

I am looking forward to seeing what you have. It sounds intriguing. I do believe that the thickness you have will help to keep it from breaking. That is a lot of Resin. LOL

Jim

[panther]

I am looking forward to seeing what you have. It sounds intriguing. I do believe that the thickness you have will help to keep it from breaking. That is a lot of Resin. LOL

Jim

Surprisingly I hope to keep it below 1 gallon as much as possible. right now it's about 2/3 complete and just over 1/2 gallon.
Dan

[panther]

Well, I made it at under a gallon of resin, In fact with a little more planning I can probably get it down to 3/4 gallon.
Here are 3 photos, One right out of the mold, Second partially cleaned up, Third with the neck I made in place.
As seen in the 3rd photo the guitar weighs in at 8 lbs, but I have a lot of material to remove yet so I'm guessing about 7 to 8 lbs when finished.
Dan

[Sarah93003]

Cool! How does it feel? Is it just the photo, or are the pickups a little too far to the left? I'm anxious to see where this goes!

[panther]

The neck pick up was off by 1 string. I had it figured correctly at first, and moved it, but the move was wrong. No big deal just cut out the right side, and fill in the lefty. Not like wood, I'd be screwed. I still have alot of carving to do before I mount the hardware for final fitting.
If you notice the PU and control cavity are both shielded, and it's molding right into the body.


Dan

[olrocknroller]

This project brings to mind the Switch Vibracell guitar, which carried this concept a little further, making the neck a part of the mold as well, reinforced with carbon fiber rods...I am watching with interest, wondering if a "Switch" might be one of my future projects! I particularly liked your mold construction, and wondered how difficult it would be to mount a piece of pipe cut in half length-wise for a neck, and some kind of way-out headstock. The angle of the neck to the body would be tricky to get just so with welding...

[panther]

I will admit, this project is a real challenge, and I'm sure I will make many mistakes along the way, but I'm confident the finished guitar will look nice, maybe slightly heavier then I expected. When I tap the body, it is very hard to tell that it is not wood. It has a very distinct wood sound.
I have a tremolo tailpiece, but It's not Mosrite. So I have to make a decision do I go with the Bigsby style, or dish out $250.00 For the reproduction, or make one of the early tailpieces ?
Dan