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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4049
Location: Utah | The bottom of a saddle slot is not flat. The ends dip down a small amount, resulting in the piezo saddle rocking a little bit on the high spot. The little dips are under the last 1/4" of the slot. The middle section seems to be flat. This guitar needs approximately .085" of shimming. This morning I made a custom bone shim and discovered the problem with the bottom of the slot. As a rough guess the dips are about .010" at the ends.
I'd like to either level the bottom of the slot, or come up with a simple way to profile it so a custom shim can be sanded to shape.
I definitely don't have the nerve to try routing out the slot with power tools.
I'm thinking some kind of clay or play-dough could be used to mold the slot, and then if it doesn't adhere it could be removed and used as a pattern for the shim.
Alternatively, perhaps put a small amount of some sort of paste or thick liquid into the slot to level it out, which would become permanent.
Ideas or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks. |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | If all you need is .010 inches off each side I would use a hand tool to remove said material. A little crocus cloth on an appropriate wood support or there are small files also that could fit in the required space to do the job. That way you would not inadvertently remove too much material. You could make a small straight edge to know when you have achieved the desired effect. |
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Joined:
June 2012
Posts: 2320
Location: Pueblo West, CO | Two ways to bring the low spots up to the height of the surrounding area.
One is epoxy paste or putty. These can be found in the hardware store and are sold in two strips. You break off equal-size pieces and massage them together, then push them into the space to fill.
The other is to plug any holes in the wood with candle wax. Scrape off the excess wax so it's level with the surrounding area. Then mix up some laminating resin and use a toothpick or small paint brush to add resin to the low area(s). Add resin until the low spots are level with the high areas.
The second technique will require more care to make sure the liquid epoxy doesn't leak anywhere. The paste/putty is thick, like silly putty, so it can be pressed into place, the excess scraped off and left to dry. |
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Levelling the bottom of a saddle slot - BFLG questions again
