The Hossenfeffer III Build

[Gilmourisgod]

So... after you watch all the videos, and read all the advice... you just have to suck it up and do it. It took me about 5 hours total, but I'm pretty happy with the result. It's not perfect, but it's as perfect as I can make it so...
First I scored around all the temporarily attached inlays, leaving a masking tape "negative" that was easy to see for rough hog-out with a 1/8" spiral downcut Dremel bit.

When I got really close to the final line, I re-traced the inlays with red pen, with my crappy eyestight, I have to make eveything high-contrast to see it. I switched to a 1/16" spiral downcut for the tight corners at 12th and 24th. I used @John_Nicholas suggestion for climb-cutting tight to the line, which worked really well, as it doesn't tend to "grab" the inlay cavity edge, so you can really sneak up in fine increments. Thanks for the tip John!

Got all the inlays cut, as predicted, the 24th gave me a little trouble. I had forgotten that inlay was slightly thinner than the rest, so I had to backfill it a little with Ebano dust and CA glue up to a shallower depth

I got a decent fit on all the inlays, no gaps more than about 1/128", close enough for Government Work.

I tried a couple test holes with the Starbond Black CA that looked good. It gets some tiny pits in it with accelerator, but doesn't whiten or fog up, so I glued them in and then gap-filled around them, may have to hit it again once it's all sanded flat, but i think that's going to leave nearly invisible gap fill, one advantage of a jet-black board.

 

[RichterScale]

Where's the money shot of it all sanded up?

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Where's the money shot of it all sanded up?

heh, the money shot will have to wait till next week. I didn't use accelerator on the glue under the inlays, so I doubt its cured yet. Have to let it sit until my next handful stolen hours, next weekend. Sigh..... S..L..O..W

 

[RichterScale]

Yer killin me smalls.
I mean what you posted is frikkin fantastic.
But that's not gonna hold me over for a whole week while I slack off on my project.
I guess it's back to YT.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

So... after you watch all the videos, and read all the advice... you just have to suck it up and do it. It took me about 5 hours total, but I'm pretty happy with the result. It's not perfect, but it's as perfect as I can make it so...
First I scored around all the temporarily attached inlays, leaving a masking tape "negative" that was easy to see for rough hog-out with a 1/8" spiral downcut Dremel bit.
View attachment 4255638

When I got really close to the final line, I re-traced the inlays with red pen, with my crappy eyestight, I have to make eveything high-contrast to see it. I switched to a 1/16" spiral downcut for the tight corners at 12th and 24th. I used @John_Nicholas suggestion for climb-cutting tight to the line, which worked really well, as it doesn't tend to "grab" the inlay cavity edge, so you can really sneak up in fine increments. Thanks for the tip John!
View attachment 4255639

Got all the inlays cut, as predicted, the 24th gave me a little trouble. I had forgotten that inlay was slightly thinner than the rest, so I had to backfill it a little with Ebano dust and CA glue up to a shallower depth
View attachment 4255640

I got a decent fit on all the inlays, no gaps more than about 1/128", close enough for Government Work.
View attachment 4255641

I tried a couple test holes with the Starbond Black CA that looked good. It gets some tiny pits in it with accelerator, but doesn't whiten or fog up, so I glued them in and then gap-filled around them, may have to hit it again once it's all sanded flat, but i think that's going to leave nearly invisible gap fill, one advantage of a jet-black board.
View attachment 4255642
View attachment 4255643

Good job, @Gilmourisgod. I knew you’d get it done and have it look good. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[ctmullins]

Sweet, good for you! Looking forward to the sanded version next weekend.

 

[John_Nicholas]

Fabulous job! This looks absolutely amazing!

So glad I was able to offer some tips that helped you. Even with the unsanded filler, it looks wonderful!!

Looking forward to the next update!!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Money Shots, as requested (you perverted b*stards)

This is sanded up to 12000 micromesh. I had a hard time getting the shimmer on the MOP to show in photos, but I expect the Stewmac Fingerboard Oil will pop it a little more, or I can buff it a little higher by hand once the frets are in. The Starbond black CA glue worked perfectly infilling gaps, but I put WAY too much of it on. That stuff dries HARD, had to sand away on it forever to get it flush. The only telltale is that it sands perfectly smooth and shiny, with no grain like the board, but my gaps were tiny. Again, not perfect, but I can't do any better, having never done anything like it before. I'll call that a win.

I really like this Rocklite Ebano, it still has enough "grain" in it to look like wood, not the plastic-y Ebanol. If you told me this was just old stock jet-black ebony, I'd believe you. Unless you want the browner or grey-streaked ebony, I can't see much reason not to switch to this stuff for any future "ebony" boards.

Got my 1/4" thick brass plate in, should last for as many brass nuts as I'll ever make. I started by sanding/filing one edge square and then sanding two faces to 320 grit. I'll rough cut an oversize nut and use that to set my cocobolo headstock cap, gotta decide on the geometry of how the binding and cap meet the nut.

 

[StereoPlayer]

Beautiful!

 

[John_Nicholas]

WOW!! You did a fantastic job on those inlays!! They are amazing!!

The brass looks like you can make quite a few nuts.

 

[ctmullins]

Yep, you smashed it. Again.

 

[RichterScale]

I wasn't too long ago, I was reading a thread and fingerboard material came up. I think it was Bruce that was describing the materials and manufacturing process for the different boards.
Was it the Richlite or the Rocklite that used actual wood material with resin?
I wish I could remember which thread that was buried in.

 

[Beej]

That fretboard is uh-may-zing.

 

[RichterScale]

Yep. It looks awesome.
I found that thread and it was the Rocklite I was thinking off.
Definitely going that route on future boards.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Good work. It looks beeeeeyouteeful! This is going to be a great bass.

 

[MPU]

According to the pics I'd say those inlays look pretty darn close to perfect.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Absolutely gorgeous inlays and stunning binding work.
I never had any doubts you were gonna kill it.
Cheers!!

But... that Rocklite?....

it still has enough "grain" in it to look like wood,

Yeah,... wow. Maybe almost too much grain?
Not trying to be a buzzkill .
It's gorgeous!!... don't get me wrong.
I looks like a beautiful natural black wood species.
But Does it really look like ebony?
Also It seems a bit open grained to perform like ebony, like...in an uncoated fretless application?
At least... from zooming in on these pics.
Yeah...naw.
I'm not sold. And shall continue to bleed dry the gaboonlands for everything they're worth.
(Like my little operation is really making a huge impact)...lol.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Here's a link to that thread Bruce started comparing the various synthetic ebony substitutes. Like it or not, jet black ebony is getting to be unobtanium, companies like Gibson dye the streaked material they get black to make it look like the "violin" ebony thats so hard to get now. Thats a surface dye, so I suppose in theory it can come off, or wear through, but this stuff is jet black right down to super-fine powder, which does make it like working with coal dust. I dont have much experience with real ebony. I inherited a 1/4 log around 12" long my Grandad used to make cane handles out of, lovely stuff, but too short for a bass board. I like how it looks, probably use it again.
Rocklite: The Latest Synthetic Ebony For Fingerboards

 

[RichterScale]

When I was searching for that thread, I found a different thread. Someone mentioned another product and quoted the product description from their website. Here's a few key snippets from that quote,

"What is Blackwood Tek?
Blackwood Tek is a technologically modified wood that exhibits the properties and appearance of African Ebony or Indian Rosewood. It is obtained by taking Pinus radiata through a technological process that uses natural products, without plastics or other petroleum derivatives.

Where does Blackwood Tek come from?
Blackwood Tek is obtained from Pinus radiata wood, through a patented technological process using natural products.

All the wood used in Blackwood Tek is FSC® 100% Pinus radiata grown in short rotation plantations in New Zealand. This is the only suitable wood for obtaining Blackwood Tek, due to its ideal characteristics for the technological process.

The final product, Blackwood Tek, is a technological material with very different properties from the original Pinus radiata, while still maintaining its nature as wood, a natural product with its ideal appearance, quality and feel.

The fusion of wood and cutting edge technology allows us to obtain a natural product with a high density and stability, resistant to changes in temperature and humidity and with a solid dark colour."

Well, I'm sold. It must be good with all that technology in it.

 

[ardgedee]

"Natural products" is sufficiently handwavy that I wonder why they bother mentioning it at all. It could be coal tar, strychnine, or the laughs of young children.

In case you were wondering (I was, anyway) Pinus radiata is Montery pine, according to Wikipedia. It's not native to New Zealand but it's been cultivated there continuously since the mid-19th century, and is treated as an invasive species in some parts of the country.