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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Next job is to get the electronics installed, which means cutting and drilling holes in the bowl.
First I drew a template in CAD for the jacks. The photo is kind of blurry, but you get the idea. 
Test fit of jacks. 
I used spray glue to secure the printed template to the side of the bowl. 
Jack holes all drilled and ready for installation.
The Optima needs a molded mount to be glued to the inside of the bowl and a hole cut for the face plate/outer mount.
Mount location is marked on the inside of the bowl. 
I also marked the location of the hole for the battery box. 
Holes for Optima and battery box are cut.
The area where the mount is glued to the bowl is masked off.
And, roughed up with 220-grit sandpaper, as was the underside of the mount.
Mount is glued with Hysol 0151 and clamped to cure for 24 hours. Then, it's time to start final fitting of the top in preparation to gluing it to the bowl.
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Location: SoCal | This stuff is so cool.....
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Location: Tuscany, Italy | moody, p.i. - 2018-01-13 12:23 AM
This stuff is so cool.....
+1 ...  |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | The bowl is ready to be glued to the top. All the holes are cut and/or drilled, label has been printed and glued into place. 
Here's a close-up of the label. The gold metallic toner really makes this look like gold foil.
Holes are masked from the inside. Time to glue the top to the bowl.
Visqueen is taped to the gluing board, just in case. Top is in place.
A bead of Hysol 0151 is run along the lining.
Top and bowl are joined and excess glue scraped off. I'll wait 24 hours, then pull the body off the board.
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | I pulled the body off the bench and sanded off the excess top overhang in preparation for routing. 
I removed all the hardware from my Stewmac MacRostie binding trimmer to use it as a router table.
Purfling channel is routed.
Binding channel is routed. Next job is to glue in the zipflex abalone purfling, then bend the rosewood bindings to shape.
Edited by DanSavage 2018-01-19 1:23 AM
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Location: Muenster/Germany | This is going to become a wonderful guitar.And I love the vintage style Ovation label. I never understood why Ovation exchanged these with those cheap and ugly-looking blueish paper labels. Inside of really expensive guitars!
I must say that I did not understand all technical specifications of this story but as far as I got it: you are able to built Ovation bowls?
Now that this is about to get complete, did you ever think about an Ovation JUMBO guitar? |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Hi Michel,
Yes, I think you're right. The top has a nice tap tone. It sounds a lot like a wooden drum.
Thanks! I like the old foil labels, too. Especially in gold foil. I would suspect the change from the foil to paper had a lot to do with the bottom line. Too bad, because the foil labels really add a touch of class.
Yes, that's the gist of it. I can now mold my own bowls, both deep and parlor. As you know I'm not really a fan of cut-away guitars, so these two suit me just fine.
An Ovation jumbo would be interesting. I imagine it would be really loud.
Actually, my next project will be an interesting one. Not so much for what's being done, but for whom.
Dan
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Location: When?? | @Dan - "Actually, my next project will be an interesting one. Not so much for what's being done, but for whom."
Oh sure.. just leave us hanging.
btw.. nice, nice wood on this one for Patch. Looking forward to seeing the grain with a finish on it.
Edited by Love O Fair 2018-01-19 3:15 PM
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | DanSavage - 2018-01-19 1:00 PM Actually, my next project will be an interesting one. Not so much for what's being done, but for whom. Dan You mean I won't be the center of attention anymore?!!!  |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Yep. Sorry to say, that day is coming soon.
Look on the bright side. You get to keep the guitar as a consolation prize.
Edited by DanSavage 2018-01-20 1:49 PM
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Well we can't have that can we? I might have to put on my thinking cap again.  |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | It's time to glue the purfling. It's actually a pretty easy process. It's a little time-consuming, but not all that difficult. I thought everyone would find this interesting.
The basic process involves gluing the inner BWB purfling and zipflex abalone purfling using thin CA glue. This is done all the way around the guitar, one side at a time. Then, the outer BWB purfling is glued to the zipflex purfling.
First step is to locate the center line of the guitar. The inner BWB purfling and zipflex are tack-glued about an inch at a time to the purfling channel in the top. 
The process continues all the way around the top.
The zipflex comes in 15" sections. When you get to the end of the section, you glue right up to the end, but leave the last inch or so free so it can be glued at the same time as the new section.
The next section is pushed into place so the end is flush with the end of the previous section, then both are tack-glued into place. Then, you just continue gluing.
Bass side is done. This took about 30 minutes to do. Time to move onto the treble side.
The treble side BWB purfling is matched up to the bass side and a new section of zipflex is butt-glued into place. 
Both sides are done. Now, it's time to glue the outer BWB. 
Outer BWB is glued on both sides.
The inner and outer BWB purfling needs to be scraped down so it's close to the surface of the top. I like to do this to get a tight glue joint between the binding and the purfling. 
Inner and outer BWB purfling has been scraped close to the surface of the top and I'm ready to start bending the rosewood binding. I'll do the final scraping of the purfling/binding once the binding is glued to the top. 
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Location: Indiana | You're getting really good at this. Beautiful work. |
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Location: When?? | Curious.. what is the the inner/outer BWB purfling made of? And what method did you use to scrape it down flush with the abalone? Do they not manufacture size selection options of them both in the the same height to begin with so that this step can be avoided? |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Thanks, Jonmark.
Al,
The BWB is made from fiber (black) and maple (white) layers that are bonded together. Stewmac sells a good selection of these.
I used a large rectangular steel scraper sold by Stewmac.
Not really. The zipflex is ~1/16" thick and the BWB purfling is ~1/8".
The scraping step is necessary to make sure the final height of the purfling/binding layers are even with each other. It's pretty difficult to do that in the gluing stage.
Edited by DanSavage 2018-01-23 11:43 AM
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Patch asked for rosewood bindings. I've never done wood bindings before. I knew I needed to pre-bend the bindings, but I wasn't sure which method to use.
I tried the steam method first. I bought a steam box kit from Rockler's, then built a wood steam box. I steamed the bindings, then taped them to the body and left them overnight.
When I removed the tape, the bindings definitely took a bend, but there was quite a bit of spring-back. 
Onto the next time-honored bending method, a propane torch-powered hot pipe.
Much nicer.
I removed the tape from the other side and bent it to shape using the hot pipe.
Binding is glued to the body. I'll let the glue dry until tomorrow, then take off the tape to see how it looks.
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | This is so educational.
But the more that I watch, the more that I realize that I cannot do this in my bedroom. 
Great Stuff! 
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Location: Muenster/Germany | Old Man Arthur - 2018-01-31 9:53 AM
This is so educational.
But the more that I watch, the more that I realize that I cannot do this in my bedroom.
Great Stuff!
I couldn´t even do this in my workshop.... |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | DanSavage - 2018-01-30 2:50 PM
Patch asked for rosewood bindings. I've never done wood bindings before.
You coulda fooled me! That is really incredible work. I've been trying to get my wood bindings right for my 1868 for years, but every time I practice, I break more than I bend! You've definitely got the touch. As usual, thanks for your immaculate documentation. I go to school every time you post! Patch has got to be pretty excited about this!
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Thanks, everyone.
I pulled the tape off and scraped the binding/purfling flush with the top. I then used a flush-cut router bit to make the bindings flush with the sides. 
I wiped the top down with naptha to get an idea of what the final finish would look like. Purty.
And a shot with the rosewood bridge, also wet down with naptha.
And, with that, the body is basically done. Next job is to verify the alignment/fit of the neck, then mask off the location of the bridge on the top. Once that's done, it's time to start the finishing process. (woo hoo!) |
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Location: Katmandu | I didn't realize until now that it's going to be a nylon-string. :/ Can't wait for the finishing process. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | This is looking almost exactly like I pictured it in my mind. The bridge is just a little wider than I thought but with a bit of gloss it will really pop with that redwood behind it. I'm also glad to have picked the rosewood binding for the same reason. IT's looking GREAT Dan! I'm already worried about having to ship it across the country. |
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Location: SoCal | Dan, let me know when it's done. I'm down in south county a couple of times each week and I'd like to see it before it ships. |
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Location: Indiana | Beautiful Dan.
Seems like that would be a fairly easy bridge to resize if you chose to.
Thanks for keeping us in the loop. |
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Location: Pueblo West, CO | Leonard,
Thanks! Me, too! Won't be long now.
Patch,
Thanks. Yes, it's turning out nice. It'll be interesting to hear how it sounds.
Paul,
Will do.
Jonmark,
Thanks, and you're welcome. |
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Patch's Parlor Build...
