Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi there,

I have a thread over on the Doc-U-Build section on this guitar but I thought I'd post this question here to get more eyes on it. Here's the link if anyone's interested, it's an OM with Carpathian Spruce and EIRW, English Walnut/EIR neck.

http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10130&t=43260




The rosette is a segmented rosette using Amboyna burl. I hope to start french polishing the guitar this weekend. I have pore filled the back, neck and sides with ZPoxy, but I was curious about what to do with the rosette. The grain on the burl goes every which way (being burl) and there are some end grain and small pores here and there. Can I french polish over this as it is? Should I fill with Zpoxy? If so how would you keep the epoxy from getting on the top? This will be my 3rd french polish, the last one turned out very well.

How would you approach it?

Thanks in advance,
Murray

The rosette looks great!

I have pore filled abonyna rosettes with zpoxy before french polishing. I use a gloved finger to put it on. I remove almost all of it with a scraper I make by sanding the edge off of a straight edge razor blade. I try to keep it off the top and clean up with a rag with alcohol on it when I do. When I level the cured zpoxy on the rosette any film of zpoxy on the top gets sanded off.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

This one's Amboyna burl. I filled it with WEST epoxy before I cut the sound hole, which makes leveling the fill easier.

With the sound hole cut, I'd be brushing on WEST leaving little to scrape/sand off. It's easy to keep the epoxy on the rosette with a steady hand and a brush.

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Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Does anyone impregnate the burl with epoxy while it is still in the raw form? I think this would make it a little tougher and easier to work with.

Just like in pen making, if you will stabilize the burl before cutting or turning it will hold up better, be easier to work with.

Guys thanks for your input. Looks like I'll be following John's advice and applying some epoxy tonight via gloved hand. I suspected this was the correct approach but I suppose it's always best to consult your more knowledgable peers. I'll update progress as it happens.

Thanks again!

Yes, I've done them like that. Some burls are about the consistency of cork initially. I've used both CA and epoxy to harden things up, but prefer the epoxy (less fumes).

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au