Hello there, my fellow artisans and handcrafts enthusiasts!
Welcome back to another entry of this series about the maintenance of an instrument. It's been a long journey, but we are almost done. You're about to see part of the overhaul of this one. Yes, today, we're finally applying the final layers of finish. That means adding mahogany ink. Along that, we're also placing the bridge and doing everything we need to make that happen.
Let's get right to it!
Clear Coat
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Before applying the ink, we're adding one extra layer of sealer without any color. This to make possible the change of color on this instrument if there's ever any other repairs needed in the future. It is also a way to test how much trouble it will be using this paint gun. As mentioned before, it isn't the best tool for this kind of small tasks.
After applying some layers of sealer, we can see the improvement on the looks of this instrument. To think it looked really bad when it came to the workshop and now, little by little, it's looking as if were new.
We hang it to dry and then proceed to the next step.
Bridge
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It is not highlighted in the photos but we need to sand the previous coat to make a smooth surface for the newer one. The one that comes with color. Also, here's where creativity comes into play. We're masking the whole sound board to avoid coloring it. This is to have a contrast between the rest of the instrument and the top. It will look fine in the end. To do the masking, we're using some masking tape and a piece of a plastic bag we need to cut to shape and then fit on top of the sound board while having the tape hold and cover the borders. Yes, it sound like a lot of work! It is! But totally worth it!
Once the masking is done, we can proceed to spray with the sealer and added ink. The first coats might not give any clear signs of the change in color. However, the more we apply, the more it will show. This darker color is nice to cover some of the imperfections of the instrument. We keep applying this ink and sealer until there's no more left in the paint gun. And also keeping an eye we're spreading it evenly in all the areas of the instrument.
We let this dry for the rest of the day. Come next day, we are sanding this with water to remove any dust gathered by the instrument during the process. Now, we are ready to move ahead and place the bridge.
Color
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We take some time to appreciate the contrast and the good job at applying the finish on the instrument. And the planning ahead will payoff now. We don't need to scrape anything from the bridge area as this was covered with masking tape. The seat for the piece is already done!
We just need to remove the tape. Create the anchors with a toothpick. Do some work by making the anchors fit our needs. Then, we proceed to dry fit the bridge to see if it doesn't move once in place. When this is done, we are ready to apply glue.
With the glue on the back of the bridge, we just need place it. Then, we clamp it. Any excess of glue that comes from the sides is cleaned off before it dries. Finally, we let it rest until the glue has done its magic.
On the last entry, we'll see the new tuners for this instrument, create the new saddle and put strings on it.
Thanks a lot for reading! See you next time!
| Part | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Repair Job |
| 2 | Out with the Old |
| 3 | Fixing a Crack |
| 4 | A New Bridge |
| 5 | Bring on the Finish! |
| 6 | First Coat |
Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
Thumbnail 🖼️: Canva.
Editing 🎬:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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