Cigar Box Nation2024-03-29T07:12:35ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Dianehttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/364401416?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/secretsofthecbgunderground/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=19jdf760lo1va&feed=yes&xn_auth=noPunchestag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2015-08-15:2592684:Topic:23711942015-08-15T15:13:08.600ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
<p>A good source for good vinyl is your local sign shop. I have a friend who owns one and can get scrap rolls in just about any color, thickness and selectivity. </p>
<p>I bought from fleabay some very cheap leather punches in the 7 - 8 mil size and honed them further so that a tap with a small hammer cuts thru the vinyl and not the backing. I mix'n and match'm up and even use them as side markers as well.…</p>
<p></p>
<p>A good source for good vinyl is your local sign shop. I have a friend who owns one and can get scrap rolls in just about any color, thickness and selectivity. </p>
<p>I bought from fleabay some very cheap leather punches in the 7 - 8 mil size and honed them further so that a tap with a small hammer cuts thru the vinyl and not the backing. I mix'n and match'm up and even use them as side markers as well.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1079721300?profile=original"><img width="200" class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1079721300?profile=RESIZE_320x320" height="198" width="264"/></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1079720849?profile=original"><img width="200" class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1079720849?profile=RESIZE_320x320" height="194" width="258"/></a></p> Milk Paint & Natural Pigmentstag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2015-06-28:2592684:Topic:23425962015-06-28T19:50:12.072ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
I am going to try making milk paint with natural pigments for adding some color to the Dulcimer I'm working on.<br />
It has survived since ancient Egypt, and was also used by the pioneers on Colonial furniture.<br />
It has the effect of adding soft color while remaining translucent, so you can see the grain of the wood through it.<br />
Here is a link for a milk paint recipe, followed by a link to a site that has an extensive list of natural pigments you can forage, grouped by color.<br />
I have dried some grass so…
I am going to try making milk paint with natural pigments for adding some color to the Dulcimer I'm working on.<br />
It has survived since ancient Egypt, and was also used by the pioneers on Colonial furniture.<br />
It has the effect of adding soft color while remaining translucent, so you can see the grain of the wood through it.<br />
Here is a link for a milk paint recipe, followed by a link to a site that has an extensive list of natural pigments you can forage, grouped by color.<br />
I have dried some grass so far as well as dandelion flowers.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/272306/milk-paint-recipe">http://www.marthastewart.com/272306/milk-paint-recipe</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://pioneerthinking.com/crafts/natural-dyes">http://pioneerthinking.com/crafts/natural-dyes</a> Easy way to glue down a fret board without it slidingtag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2014-03-06:2592684:Topic:19189702014-03-06T02:43:08.793ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
<p>On the neck near where the top of the fret board is going to be....on the right hand side near the edge ....drive in one of those tiny skinny nails or brads or whatever they call them ...but only about 1/2 way....down at the bottom of where the fret board is going to be on the left hand side ...near the edge drive in another one...only 1/2 way in.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Now take wire cutters and on a angle (so the tops of the little nails end up sharp) cut the little nails.</p>
<p>Now apply the glue…</p>
<p>On the neck near where the top of the fret board is going to be....on the right hand side near the edge ....drive in one of those tiny skinny nails or brads or whatever they call them ...but only about 1/2 way....down at the bottom of where the fret board is going to be on the left hand side ...near the edge drive in another one...only 1/2 way in.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Now take wire cutters and on a angle (so the tops of the little nails end up sharp) cut the little nails.</p>
<p>Now apply the glue to the neck and fret board in whatever manner pleases you.</p>
<p>Now take the fret board and place it over the neck in the position you want it to be.</p>
<p>Now press down so the sharp end of the little brads goes into the fret board</p>
<p></p>
<p>Waaalaaa now it is going nowhere....clamp it and no worries about slipping. </p> Sharpie safe varnish for saving signatures on CBGstag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2013-01-01:2592684:Topic:13736252013-01-01T19:34:51.114ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
<p>I have a bunch of signatures on my CBG. Johnny Winter, Jimmy Vaughn, Mac Arnold, George Thorogood, pAt mAcdonald, Bob Margolin,etc and all of them are written in Sharpie marker. Sharpies are great in that they are thick enough and can be applied to almost anything. Bad thing is that they are highly susceptible to solvents such as nitrocellulose solvents and alcohols. So when you try to cover these with some sort of varnish, they tend to fade, dissolve, or outright disappear.</p>
<p></p>
<p>A…</p>
<p>I have a bunch of signatures on my CBG. Johnny Winter, Jimmy Vaughn, Mac Arnold, George Thorogood, pAt mAcdonald, Bob Margolin,etc and all of them are written in Sharpie marker. Sharpies are great in that they are thick enough and can be applied to almost anything. Bad thing is that they are highly susceptible to solvents such as nitrocellulose solvents and alcohols. So when you try to cover these with some sort of varnish, they tend to fade, dissolve, or outright disappear.</p>
<p></p>
<p>A while back I bought some Tru-Oil Gunstock oil which is a great varnish/finish for CBGs. It dries fast (couple of hours) and is VERY resilient. On a whim, I tested it with a sharpie on an old cigar box and to my delight, it did not fade or disturb the signature! I applied a light coat to my prized signatured CBG and no sigs were taken off. Not even the older, faded ones!</p>
<p></p>
<p>So my suggestion to all that want to save/keep the sigs you have on your CBG, get some <a href="http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2003979/9201/truoil-gun-stock-finish-8oz.aspx" target="_blank">Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil Gunstock Finish</a>. You will be glad you did.</p>
<p></p>
<p>-WY</p> Fretboard radius sander on the cheaptag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-10-09:2592684:Topic:3260652010-10-09T21:29:47.823ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
So making a radius is not easy for the... tool challenged. That is, if you don't have the right tools and we all don't at one time or another. So I devised a clever tool to sand down a fretboard to the radius I wanted. <br></br><br></br>I picked this idea up from watching some luthiers sand down the fretboards on a Youtube video. They had a long block with an interior radius and sand paper in and ran the fretboard over it. Ok, I don't have that tool, but I do have a sanding block. Well, a length of 1x2…
So making a radius is not easy for the... tool challenged. That is, if you don't have the right tools and we all don't at one time or another. So I devised a clever tool to sand down a fretboard to the radius I wanted. <br/><br/>I picked this idea up from watching some luthiers sand down the fretboards on a Youtube video. They had a long block with an interior radius and sand paper in and ran the fretboard over it. Ok, I don't have that tool, but I do have a sanding block. Well, a length of 1x2 poplar.<br/><br/>I thought about it and then came up with and idea that uses tape layered in a fashion so that there was more tape on the ends than in the middle. The block is flat but the tape creates the 'radius' Since the sandpaper smooths out the ridges, the final fretboard looks REALLY great (pic to come).<br/><br/><ul>
<li><p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078184258?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img width="721" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078184206?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt=""/></p>
</li>
</ul>
-WY<br/> 35mm metal slide storage boxtag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-07-06:2592684:Topic:2575962010-07-06T08:28:09.864ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
Hi guys.<br/>I have just found a metal 35mm slide storage box(it was in a skip) so i am now wondering if its possible to turn it into a three string?<br/><br/>If so , what would you all recomend pick up(piezo) or no pick up.<br/><br/>Would also be greatful for any other advice for this build as it will only be my second build<br/><br/>Thanks foor any help you can give me with this.<br/>Nick<br/>
Hi guys.<br/>I have just found a metal 35mm slide storage box(it was in a skip) so i am now wondering if its possible to turn it into a three string?<br/><br/>If so , what would you all recomend pick up(piezo) or no pick up.<br/><br/>Would also be greatful for any other advice for this build as it will only be my second build<br/><br/>Thanks foor any help you can give me with this.<br/>Nick<br/> questions about installing a pickuptag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-05-26:2592684:Topic:2345512010-05-26T03:33:01.329ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
OK, I got a wild hair and wound my first pickup last night. It works...not real loud, since the smallest wire I had on hand was 34 gauge, but still not bad. It is a short fat little guy and I like the tone...it tames the highs quite well in comparison to a piezo. A little 2 transistor preamp, and it will be fine.<br></br><br></br>Anyway, I have obtained a black Cohiba box I want to do my first 4 stringer with, and I want to use the pickup in it. (I built the pickup with 4 poles just for this…
OK, I got a wild hair and wound my first pickup last night. It works...not real loud, since the smallest wire I had on hand was 34 gauge, but still not bad. It is a short fat little guy and I like the tone...it tames the highs quite well in comparison to a piezo. A little 2 transistor preamp, and it will be fine.<br/><br/>Anyway, I have obtained a black Cohiba box I want to do my first 4 stringer with, and I want to use the pickup in it. (I built the pickup with 4 poles just for this guitar)<br/><br/>I know that there will be a little more neck stress with 4 strings, and I am wondering about neck strength. This will be a neck thru build, but what will I need to do to brace the neck to make up for where I will need to relieve it for the pickup? Will adding a "doubler" brace under the neck be enough, or will I need to add "wings" as well?<br/><br/>The neck will be red oak, fretted (no separate fretboard, unless that is the best way to retain strength), and I would like to shape the neck a little as well, to make it easier to play.<br/><br/>I don't want to bow the neck with the added tension of the 4th string and the relief cut for the pickup. As far as the pickup position, I am thinking I want it at the base of the neck or relatively close to there, for a more mellow sound. I also would like to relieve the neck under the lid, like I have done my prior builds for a decent unplugged sound, unless that is asking to much as far as strength goes.<br/><br/>Thanks in advance, guys!!<br/><br/><br/><br/> Dent removaltag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-05-19:2592684:Topic:2313602010-05-19T13:14:29.659ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
Bangin' around can make your day go really bad. Take today for instance. I'm putting a good coat of oil on the fretboard/neck which happens to be in my wood vise when the whole thing slips out! SH17! Frig!<br></br><br></br>I had put some small but very noticeable dents in the neck. With the clear coat on, it was easy to see. What to do? I can't sell this one!!!<br></br><br></br>Solution: I took a piece of parchment paper (for cooking), folded it up and layed it over the dents. Then I took a ink pen (shaft or…
Bangin' around can make your day go really bad. Take today for instance. I'm putting a good coat of oil on the fretboard/neck which happens to be in my wood vise when the whole thing slips out! SH17! Frig!<br/><br/>I had put some small but very noticeable dents in the neck. With the clear coat on, it was easy to see. What to do? I can't sell this one!!!<br/><br/>Solution: I took a piece of parchment paper (for cooking), folded it up and layed it over the dents. Then I took a ink pen (shaft or other round object) and rubbed over the dent areas. This acted as a burnisher to lessen the effect of the dents. Sorta making one large, unnoticeable dent from a few smaller ones. <br/><br/>Now you can't even tell. This <span style="font-weight: bold;">ONLY works on small, shallow dents</span>. Larger dents (> 1/4" and not shallow) are not going to work the same.<br/><br/>-WY Side markers on the REAL cheap!tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-05-16:2592684:Topic:2305022010-05-16T17:03:52.999ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
Damn, I love this group. And the greatest thing is when we solve common problems with everyday solutions. Mind you, there are better [read: more costly commercial] solutions out there but if you really want to make your instrument in the hand made fashion, try this...<br></br><br></br>So I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get side markers that were worth a darn. I've tried paint dots. Ok, not too bad. I've tried plastic rods. Better but too large. I've tried filling the holes with…
Damn, I love this group. And the greatest thing is when we solve common problems with everyday solutions. Mind you, there are better [read: more costly commercial] solutions out there but if you really want to make your instrument in the hand made fashion, try this...<br/><br/>So I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get side markers that were worth a darn. I've tried paint dots. Ok, not too bad. I've tried plastic rods. Better but too large. I've tried filling the holes with some sort of glue/paint/black substance. Too messy and sometimes bleeds. Eeeeek.<br/><br/>So I'm with my 9 yr old doing a project and I stumbled on this. Remember back when you were a kid? You would take a small piece of paper -- a gum wrapper or note pad piece -- and roll it up as tight as you can get it. Gum wrappers were great for that. Little tubes kinka like a lollipop stick. I was doing that with a small piece of construction paper as I was waiting for the girl to glue stuff down. <br/><br/>What I made was a ~1/16' <span style="font-weight: bold;">rod</span> of paper. Blue paper, but a perfectly formed rod. What is paper but wood anyhow? Hmmmm what if I rolled this black piece up. <br/><br/>VOILA! I had the beginnings of a great idea. So I set into my shop with black construction paper (could be ANY color tho) and made some little rods of paper.<br/><br/>Here is how I did it:<br/><br/>1) Using a 2" strip of black construction paper, I started the process. To keep the paper from fraying as I did this, I coated it with clear spray.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078151844?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>2) I started rolling it as I did before. Try this in the technique like rolling a strip of dough or molding clay (you used to do that as a kid right?) I make it more consistently round and tighter moving my hands, or in the case below a piece of wood, over the rolled paper. Tighter and tighter it was forming. Getting it started is a pain but be patient. You'll get it.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078149044?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>3) Once I had the rod to about the thickness I wanted (~1/16"), I cut it off. This took I would say about 1/2" of paper. Not too much. I sprayed some clear coat onto a newspaper and rolled the rod into it. That should keep it from coming lose. <br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078149160?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>4) While still damp, I used the block to roll it into a tight shape just in case. You will see that there is some sawdust on the rod. That's I found is good as it keeps the rod from sticking to the wood or the table. Plus later it might provide some glue tooth.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078149183?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>5) Two rods complete. I did remove some of the sawdust.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078150645?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>6) I drilled holes into a test piece of fretboard and inserted the rod into the holes. Cut them flush.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078150722?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>7) Once in and cut flush, I put on a little CA glue just to seal the top and provide a good surface to sand on. Don't worry about overage. You'll sand that off AND it helps to seal any gaps!<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078150772?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/>8) All sanded down (120/220/400 grits) and clear coated. Cant even guess that its construction paper.<br/><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1078150689?profile=original" alt=""/></p>
<br/><br/>Perfectly round little marks. And you can make them in any size or color you want. You can even color them with a marker if you need!<br/><br/>So happy building Ya'll<br/><br/>-Wes<br/> Stains for woodtag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2010-04-13:2592684:Topic:2175272010-04-13T12:53:10.828ZDiane in Chicagohttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane
I have used the stain called Aquafortis on maple and walnut before. What it is is (degreased) steel wool dissolved in Nitric acid. You paint it on and let it dry completely. The acid dissolves the iron out of the steel wool and carries it down deep into the wood. After drying you go over it with a heat gun and watch the clors turn from red / green to brown to completely black. Don't overheat any area too much or it will scorch the wood but don't quit heating too early either or you will have an…
I have used the stain called Aquafortis on maple and walnut before. What it is is (degreased) steel wool dissolved in Nitric acid. You paint it on and let it dry completely. The acid dissolves the iron out of the steel wool and carries it down deep into the wood. After drying you go over it with a heat gun and watch the clors turn from red / green to brown to completely black. Don't overheat any area too much or it will scorch the wood but don't quit heating too early either or you will have an incomplete color change. After cooling you go over it with fresh (Degreased) steel wool and that will make the figure show up better. I degrease the steel wool by soaking it in Acetone, then letting it dry out.