Welcome back to another entry on this mandolin build. This time we are going to work on the last parts of the finish of the instrument. It will get polished and then ready for the installation of the tail piece, tuners and strings. But that will come in the next entry with the end of the project.
Let's get to it!
Sealer
We are adding the other coats of sealer. This is the less documented process of the work. The reason here is that the whole work is dirty. The sanding of the sealer coats goes over and over and it leaves a lot of dust behind. This dust is dangerous for health and it also gets everywhere. So the phone gets put far away from the working area.
For the process, we use mixes of sealer and thinner plus a bit of cotton to apply the coats. We go over the application of the product. It dries. We rinse and repeat this part. Then we let it cure until we can sand it over. Then we repeat again. The process tends to be extended for several days. that is the way we can let the sealer dry properly until we have covered all the pores of the wood.
We just need to check it out. This also serves the purpose of having the outer coats of finish stick properly to the rest of the surface.
Finish
There are no photos of the application of the acrylic. It was the first time trying to apply such a product. This kind of acrylic is the one used after a car is painted. It is the clear coat to protect the paint. It is also useful for this kind of project. It is good to tryout something different. Besides, it is the kind of product you can buy on demand. So you only get what you need to apply and it is cheaper. Also, the clear acrylic is harder than lacquer. This is also a nice way to know how much to apply. The coats can be thinner and still protect a lot of the surface.
The process of having it in place is making the mix. This acrylic needs a catalyzer to dry up. We need to measure the whole thing to use enough of this substance to have it cure properly. Then we application goes as usual with the compressor and paint gun. Then we let all the instrument dry until the coats of acrylic have dried.
The other part is polishing this coat. We use water and sandpaper to remove all the dust that might have gotten stuck on the top layer of the acrylic. Then we use the polishing wax. And thus we have completed the finish of the instrument.
Nut and Bridge
The last pieces we are going to work on this entry are the nut and bridge. This instrument has a saddle but it goes on top of the bridge. Here bridge and saddle are the same piece. Some builders use other materials, but that depends on the construction.
The nut on mandolins just work as a part to guide the strings and keep them separate from each other. We start with a blank. Then cut it to pieces. The next step is to mark the placement of the strings. This measurements are taken with a lot of calculations to have the right amount of space between the courses of strings. Remember, strings go in pairs. These pairs have a separation between them. Then the courses need separation from each course. Lots to consider. We then can make the slots. And last we use a like to open the slots further. We finish the nut by sanding and polishing. We can also use some oil to keep the piece protected.
We do a similar process on the bridge. We need to make a projection on how the strings need to get to the bridge. In this bridge, we need to also make some slots to keep the strings in their specific course. This fanning out of the strings is measured with the width of the fretboard and how it opens more on the lower parts. Once we have measured the outer parts of the strings, we are going to start dividing the bridge in section. Finally, we start making the slots and use a file to open them further. We finish with sandpaper and some oil.
Once we have done all this work, the rest of the things wee need to install on the mandolin just require screws. For now, we have finished most of the project. Thanks a lot for reading. Be sure to check out the next entry to finish this project.
Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
Thumbnail 🖼️: Canva.
Editing 🎬:Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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