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Now before we go any further, lets make sure all the frets
are level. They very seldom are perfectly level. This
does not need to be done now, it can be done later after the
varnish has dried, but may as well do it now. |
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The high spots are levelled (very carefully) with fine
sandpaper wrapped around a piece of plate glass.
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Now the high frets are dressed with a fretting file and
checked again until all the frets are perfectly level.
There is no need to introduce any relief because the force
of the strings will bend the neck just enough to give the
necessary relief.
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Usually there will be a few small gaps between the binding
and the sides. These are filled with wood filler.
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The neck is scraped into shape with the scraper. Knees
make great clamps for this job.
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Neck sanded into shape, making sure there are no dips or
high spots. I feel the shape of the neck until it
feels good in my hands, and with a combination of scraping
and sanding the neck gets shaped into a comfortable profile.
This step is important. It is easy to end up with a
neck that feels wrong - either too fat or too thin, and that
ruins the whole feel of the mandolin.
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Course sanding the back
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Course sanding the sides.
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End of the headstock is cleaned up and shaped with a small
sanding drum in the Demel.
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Now the instrument gets a good going over with fine
sandpaper. This step is crucial because if you don't
get rid of all the scratches and small dobs of glue and
uneveness of the surface, it will cause no end of trouble
when varnishing. Usually I will need to go back to a
courser grade of sandpaper and go over a few spots, or add a
bit extra wood filler. Is very time consuming.
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I usually use a natural finish on tops. Here a bit of
colour is applied to the spruce, but it is a natural stain
that I extract from Blackwood. It does not look like
stain, it is the only colouring agent I have found that will
give a natural look to Spruce. It darkens with age and
will give a nice vintage look to the top after a few years.
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Lastly the whole mandolin is given a coat of dark blonde
shellac to pop the grain. The shellac is applied with
a rag or high quality artist brush.
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