Super ambitious First Build, no woodworking experience..!! - Page 10

HaMMerHeD · #**181** 11-26-2012, 12:56 PM

Looks like EAB holes. Emerald Ash Borer. For your sake, I hope they aren't still in that wood.

suraj · #**182** 11-26-2012, 01:04 PM

ok now thats scary..!! because I remember long ago there was only one such hole. But recently when I looked at the body properly again, it has quite a few..!! what can I do..!!??

HaMMerHeD · #**183** 11-26-2012, 01:09 PM

Honestly, I don't know. I think it's the larval form that makes the tiny holes. That may mean they are more vulnerable. I think I would probably try to squirt acetone in the holes. Might be worth a shot if acetone is available and cheap for you. I have no idea if it will work or not, though.

suraj · #**184** 11-26-2012, 01:11 PM

I have acetone and I will try and pour it in the holes. Also I thought that when I patch the holes with CA, they should die as CA is pretty nasty stuff..If not die from the chemical, CA should freeze them in place

Edit : But I haven't seen any bugs crawling out of my bass..I could see the bottom on one of the holes and there was nothing in there..

HaMMerHeD · #**185** 11-26-2012, 01:13 PM

A glue syringe would make it easier to get acetone in there, if you have any.

pilotjones · #**186** 11-26-2012, 02:17 PM

IIRC, Bruce Johnson said he had trouble where the EAB beetles emerged a long time after the wood was purchased and stored - maybe even after finishing? They are not good animals. I'd do some research on treatment of infected wood. You might have to cook it to sterilize it or something. If you've got a few that emerged, you likely have more that haven't surfaced yet, and which you can't throw acetone at.

Keep any ash-bodied Fenders far away. Or any furniture.

Meatrus · #**187** 11-26-2012, 06:02 PM

I'm not sure why people are so quick to suggest EAB, when its much more likely just common woodworm. Which is extremely common, especially if you have been keeping the bass in your garage or similar. Hammerhed is on the right track to kill woodworm, Acetone should do it, but you can buy special woodworm killer, but its probably very similar to Acetone. This
happened to a neck blank of mine once, in fact the marks where the little buggers got in are still there in the neck pocket!

HaMMerHeD · #**188** 11-26-2012, 06:07 PM

Just the first thing that came to mind, as it's ash, and the EAB is a big problem for us here.

Meatrus · #**189** 11-26-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaMMerHeD

Just the first thing that came to mind, as it's ash, and the EAB is a big problem for us here.

I understand, sorry if I sounded arrogant

. I don't think he's got anything to worry about.

HaMMerHeD · #**190** 11-26-2012, 06:20 PM

No worries. Either way, I think pumping ash through the burrows will ruin whatever-it-is's day.

suraj · #**191** 11-26-2012, 07:36 PM

I've actually been bringing my bass home from the garage everyday..i never leave it there..ill try the acetone in the holes and research a bit, but at this stage i dont really want to cook the wood

suraj · #**192** 11-28-2012, 09:56 AM

Not really an update, but yesterday when I checked the holes in the ash, I realized that there are actually 11 holes!! I don't know if acetone is harsh enough to kill any parasite eating my bass, but I tried it anyway.

Any other chemical I can inject into my bass ??

pilotjones · #**193** 11-28-2012, 10:41 AM

I don't know of you have them available to you, but if you do I'd consider putting the whole bass in a bag or box with some moth balls for a few days. After trying it on a test board with a glue joint in it, to be sure the fumes don't damage anything.

Also I'd either take some clear reference photos of the whole bass, currently unaffected areas included, or put pencil circles around the holes you've spotted -- so that you have any ongoing deterioration.

Hopkins · #**194** 11-28-2012, 11:19 AM

I hope you can get your bug problem sorted out.

suraj · #**195** 11-29-2012, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotjones

I don't know of you have them available to you, but if you do I'd consider putting the whole bass in a bag or box with some moth balls for a few days. After trying it on a test board with a glue joint in it, to be sure the fumes don't damage anything.

Also I'd either take some clear reference photos of the whole bass, currently unaffected areas included, or put pencil circles around the holes you've spotted -- so that you have any ongoing deterioration.

I have marked the holes with a pencil, but I was thinking, the holes probably occurred during the times when I used to leave my woods in the garage, and probably did not notice them until recently. My garage is a very dusty place with quite a bit of scrap wood. It could have been any wood parasite/s. But the holes I have are hardly 2mm deep, and after poking the needle and or looking into all the holes, I found no bug... Yet I flooded each hole with acetone, which also bled into the surrounding wood. But I think since I started bringing the bass home everyday after working on it, the bug problem may have stopped.

The moth ball idea is doable, but is it really necessary ? Anyway the holes have been marked, if there is progress, I guess I'll give the moth balls a go. I don't know what they are, but they look like the insect(cockroach) repellants I get locally..

Nomad98 · #**196** 11-29-2012, 02:00 PM

If you use mothball, won't the bass smell like mothballs well after you are done treating it? I would use them as a last resort, unless you want to sell the bass to an old lady.

Meatrus · #**197** 11-29-2012, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suraj

I have marked the holes with a pencil, but I was thinking, the holes probably occurred during the times when I used to leave my woods in the garage, and probably did not notice them until recently. My garage is a very dusty place with quite a bit of scrap wood. It could have been any wood parasite/s. But the holes I have are hardly 2mm deep, and after poking the needle and or looking into all the holes, I found no bug... Yet I flooded each hole with acetone, which also bled into the surrounding wood. But I think since I started bringing the bass home everyday after working on it, the bug problem may have stopped.

The moth ball idea is doable, but is it really necessary ? Anyway the holes have been marked, if there is progress, I guess I'll give the moth balls a go. I don't know what they are, but they look like the insect(cockroach) repellants I get locally..

I doubt it is necessary, but I dont think it will hurt. I think your squirting will have already killed the grubs if any were present. Its the grubs which will be doing the damage, which the adults lay on the surface or in the pores of the wood as eggs. So, I wouldnt expect to see bugs, the grubs could have easily already died inside and got stuck in the holes. Or simply changed location. Or of course they could have died long ago when you brought it into different conditions. I wouldnt worry.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomad98

If you use mothball, won't the bass smell like mothballs well after you are done treating it? I would use them as a last resort, unless you want to sell the bass to an old lady.

Fortunately they lose their smell after a while, which is why they become inaffective after a few months. So the bass should too, though, still it would be a good target audience

.....I'm sounding like a bug guy all of a sudden!

suraj · #**198** 11-30-2012, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meatrus

I doubt it is necessary, but I dont think it will hurt. I think your squirting will have already killed the grubs if any were present.

Or of course they could have died long ago when you brought it into different conditions. I wouldnt worry.

When I injected the acetone, it really penetrated into the wood and travelled through any internal tunnels it must have made and just wet the surrounding area pretty..!! so if acetone can kill bugs, it definitely killed them, if they were presently present..

I guess I'll continue with the work and watch out for any new holes.. Thanks guys

suraj · #**199** 12-02-2012, 01:00 PM

Update time..

Today I carved the neck heel. Not very happy with the result, but my first time

So I carved facets with files and blended them in. I used a very small chisel, and started taking thin shavings off to smoothen the geometry of the heel.

One side rough shaped -

And done.. (well almost)

While using the small chisel, I made little cuts in the neck surface without realizing, and soon I had created a 1.5mm deep chip. So I tried filling it with CA glue and maple dust, but it looks terrible.. Filling little chips in wenge using this method works wonderfully.. but maple being a light wood, the defects really show..

^^ looks pretty ugly

I don't think I'm skilled enough to shape all these carvings to turn out nice and perfect. I'm sure the day I start finishing, all the sloppy work will pop out..!!

suraj · #**200** 12-03-2012, 02:11 PM

Still working on the carvings.

Today I refined the neck heel region -

Also I started carving the area where the body wings meet the neck, near the last fret access region..

Ok now that seriously looks ugly. I didn't want to carve it like this actually, but wanted to carve the chamfer till it meets the neck. Right now the chamfer tapers to a point where it touches the neck. So thats gotta go when I work on it next, although I'll have to be careful not to make any marks on the neck with the files.

Any hints on carving will be appreciated..!! I seem to be ruining this bass with the kind of nooby work i'm doing..

EDIT : This is how I had actually planned to carve it, but now i'm debating whether I should do it this way or not - (A photoshop edited picture)