Official Luthiers Forum!

I am centering the neck on my OM, and to save marking the top with a pencil I put some masking tape over where I was marking the center and edges on the top. When I removed the tape it puled some fibers, it sanded out OK but I am concerned that when I mask the top where the bridge and neck locations extension are later on I will have the same problem.

I am considering a coat of shellac, will this have to be scraped off when I glue the bridge ?

John

Yes.

Put not one but maybe 2 or even 3 coats of blonde shellac whenever you deal with glue spills (bindings for example) or masking tape. Darker shellacs can stain the spruce too deep to sand without making waves that will be visible under finish.

If you do this under the bridge, make sure you scrape it *all* off with a razor, scalpel, chisel etc something very sharp. Need to do this right before gluing.

_________________
Build log

Lay the tape on your shirt or t-shirt before you put it on spruce next time. Or gently heat the tape before you pull it (45º to the fibres…).

_________________
Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

You are learning that you have to watch the grain direction. you can use tape just pull in the direction with the grain.

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I keep a good-quality 'drafting eraser' handy (the soft white kind from K&E) and it gets rid of pencil marks quite well.

Soft top wood will 'imprint' (under French Polish) from pencil marks even through masking tape- something I learned when recently lining up the neck on a cedar-top guitar.
So a soft pencil is advised if working with cedar. Spruce is a lot tougher in this respect.

Cheers
John

Use Scotch 2080, not 2090.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.