Good advice about the pencil squiggle technique! I enjoyed rounding my fingerboard with my cabinet scraper after an initial planing.
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Having trouble finding a radius sanding block for my bass
- Thread starter SC Bassboy
- Start date
While I'm resurfacing the fingerboard I had thought about adding some location dots along the treble side. Would just drill very small holes in the fingerboard, 2mm or so and fill before I do the sanding. Any suggestions on a paint-like filler to use?
Probably easier to do the classic approach and use a plastic rod to make dots in slightly deeper holes. Trying to fill holes with paint sounds like a lot of work to me!
Plastic Side Dot Material | stewmac.com
Plastic Side Dot Material | stewmac.com
Yes, for dots, the easiest material is white styrene plastic rod stock. You can get it at Stew-Mac or at your local hobby shop. Whatever size you want. Drill a hole, glue in a little piece sticking up above the surface, file it down flush. After you wipe some protective sealer/finish on your fingerboard (which you should do), lightly scrape the surface of the dots with a knife tip to make them bright white again.
And don't put the dots on the string paths. Put them between the strings.
And don't put the dots on the string paths. Put them between the strings.
May not need, per much advice already given, but:
If you have access to 3D CNC production of some sort I made a radius block file in SCAD years ago at a request from @Rôckhewer though I don't think it ever got used.
I happened to be doing a lot of 3D printing work with SCAD and a model of a particular radius (12" evidently) was requested, so I whipped that up, then thunk a minute, and parameterized it so it could be any radius you wanted - produce the 3D model and get your CNC to make it.
SCAD is a cross-platform 3D modeling program that's programmable...
Short enough to paste in, but I'll bet code will be mangled (or perhaps not? The layout is mangled slightly but it will probably work.):
If you have access to 3D CNC production of some sort I made a radius block file in SCAD years ago at a request from @Rôckhewer though I don't think it ever got used.
I happened to be doing a lot of 3D printing work with SCAD and a model of a particular radius (12" evidently) was requested, so I whipped that up, then thunk a minute, and parameterized it so it could be any radius you wanted - produce the 3D model and get your CNC to make it.
SCAD is a cross-platform 3D modeling program that's programmable...
Short enough to paste in, but I'll bet code will be mangled (or perhaps not? The layout is mangled slightly but it will probably work.):
Block_Radius = 12*25.4 ; //in mm, or leave the *25.4 for inches
Block_width = 5*25.4 ;
block_length = 11*25.4 ;
block_middle_thick = 2*25.4; //in mm
/* Parametric Radius Block
by T_Bone_TL 2017
*/
difference(){
linear_extrude(height = block_middle_thick+80)
square([block_length, Block_width], center = true);
translate([-(block_length / 2 + 5),0,Block_Radius + block_middle_thick]){
rotate([90,90,90]){
linear_extrude(height = block_length + 10)
circle(r=Block_Radius, $fn=350);
}
}
}
Edit to add: Might want to tweak some of the non-parameterized figures if doing a very large radius - particularly the $fn=350, which is "fineness" or "facets" (Don't recall, not looking up right now) on the circle, which would want to be larger (making the render slower) since you'd only have a very small section of the circle in the block.Block_width = 5*25.4 ;
block_length = 11*25.4 ;
block_middle_thick = 2*25.4; //in mm
/* Parametric Radius Block
by T_Bone_TL 2017
*/
difference(){
linear_extrude(height = block_middle_thick+80)
square([block_length, Block_width], center = true);
translate([-(block_length / 2 + 5),0,Block_Radius + block_middle_thick]){
rotate([90,90,90]){
linear_extrude(height = block_length + 10)
circle(r=Block_Radius, $fn=350);
}
}
}
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I second that. The important thing is the precision of the placement of the holes for the dots.
I've never found any "liquid" fill material that didn't end up looking amateurish; I tried a few different things and then decided that a million luthiers can't all be wrong...
For me, the fastest, easiest, best looking side dots end up being drilling 1/16" and inserting the side dot rod material from StewMac. I place a small drop of CA in the hole and tap the rod in place, flex it to the side slightly and cut a little proud of the surface with a #11 blade in an Exacto knife. Sand them flush after the glue is completely dry.
The same technique can be used for markers on the front surface, although I like to use slightly larger surface markers. I use 1/8" plastic rod but small abalone or pearl dots (approximately 5/32") look better.
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Uggghhh. Just ran out of the 1/16" black side dot rod, paying Stewmac $10 shipping to get a $1.50 rod not high on my list of joy, got to find another source. I just watched a Stewmac video by Erlewine where he uses a red color pencil for red side dots, pretty ingenious and cheap.
Ingenious indeed! And if you make a mistake in placing the dots, you can just erase it!
That got me thinking, So I grabbed a piece of 10 ga copper wire. It's 0.1" (2.5mm).
Not sure how it would behave when the wood expands/contracts or how hard it would be to sand, with the difference in hardness to the surrounding wood,... But people seem to use aluminum and brass without issue. So, could be something to consider.
I might stick a few pieces in a little scrap of wenge and see how it looks.
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Different after it corrodes. Should be slower to corrode under finish (see varnished magnet wire in pickups), but exposed bare copper does not tend to stay looking good.
Looks okay. But like you said, not if it oxidizes.
I think white plastic or aluminum rod might be a better way to go if it's not seal coated.
I think white plastic or aluminum rod might be a better way to go if it's not seal coated.
Yes. Paint sealer completely prevents copper corrosion. But for the record, copper corrodes when exposed to the elements at a rate of 0.4mm every 200 years so I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't leave it outside
.
I've used several other materials, including copper, and found that you really need the contrast between materials so the side dots can be easily seen. It's not that they are of much importance when actually playing, but there's something that the eye picks out almost subconsciously that does help if you use a fretboard much beyond cowboy chord area.
Even using abalone dots, which have a higher reflectivity than solid materials, end up being not very effective in their intended purpose.
The contrast issue and ease of use are why so many folks settle on the white and black rod stock from StewMac and other vendors.
Knife scale inlay, small brass tubing filled with geometric shapes and contrasting fill, is sometimes used for side and front marking material, but the metal part of those inlays end up being not as easy to see as the contrasting fill material.
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Is there anything I need to worry about with attempting this on a fingerboard that has already been installed on the neck? My background is in manufacturing and I've seen studs push themselves out of a hole due to hydraulic pressure when using Loctite or glue. Kinda curious if the holes I drill will present this issue
When installing side dots I find the best way is to push the rod into the hole as far as it will go- dry- and then put a drop of thin CA on it, which will wick in and make a good bond. Then cut the rod off after it is glued in, and repeat for all the dots. It goes quite quickly.
P.S. this was in response to the concern about hydraulic pressure above; my quote attempt didn't work for some reason.
P.S. this was in response to the concern about hydraulic pressure above; my quote attempt didn't work for some reason.
I drill a tight fitting hole and tap it in place with a soft mallet.
