Building a steel Resonator guitar | National Style | EP3 Bend the sides, learn to solder sheet metal

[@BadgerBishop]

That yellow can is MAPS gas, runs hotter than the blue one. You got there in the end.

[@Ninety2guits]

Yep, took me a bit to figure it all out but my skill set is improving rapidly. Picked up my laser cut tops and back today, excited about those.

[@davidgriffin8482]

Sorry to comment twice but I think Harbor Freight use to sell a Plasma cutter for about a hundred or two. Used they cant be more than $75. They cut that stuff great.

[@Ninety2guits]

Comment all you like, I'm taking in all the knowledge people are freely offering me. That HF plasma has been on my mind for a while, I have a buddy who has one so I could go do some testing. I think the laser cutting option is the best at this point, it's so accurate and consistent. I can't produce that result by hand. Thanks.

[@tramp.art.guitars]

Very good videos. Really interested in this project and it's looking great. You might like a 100 watt soldering iron like what is used for stained glass. They have large heavy copper tips which holds the heat better and is much more controllable.

[@Ninety2guits]

I was thinking a 100watt would be pretty good if using an iron. So far my results with the mini torch are really good so I'm carrying on with that for now. Thanks for the comment.

[@a6cjn]

Another enjoyable vid. Have you investigated the solder and flux you are using? I would suggest you try Plumbers solder (which is different to electrical multi cored) and an acid flux and it really helps to clean all the joints with steel wool before soldering. Look forward to the next vid Chris

[@Ninety2guits]

I had no idea plumbers solder and electrical solder were different. I've been using a stainless steel wire brush to clean the joints and then applying muriatic acid to the joint. With this new little flame the acid was doing the job of flux very well. I'll definitely try steel wool and plumbers solder. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

[@a6cjn]

@@Ninety2guits You need a solder which has a wide eutectic point which simply means that it doesn't go to a liquid right away but remains as a sort of 'paste' Traditionally, a mole skin mitten was used to wipe and shape this molten paste but I find a damp rag or paint brush works just as well.Hope this helps.

[@Ninety2guits]

@@a6cjn Heck yeah that helps. Anything helps at this point in my learning curve. Thank you.

[@kandykorn6136]

I agree that the Bernzomatic Pen Torch is excellent for all types of soldering. Personally, I also recommend only using Bernzomatic Butane for flawless performance in the field. I do a lot of electrical work and building cables and wires for mobile audio. I love the heat shrink capability as much as the soldering.

[@AdamKyler1987]

I own a Mule and Matt the owner is a great guy. He has a blog on building resonators. Reach out to him! I love you videos and want to build instruments of my own!!!! Keep at it!

[@Ninety2guits]

Matt at Mule does seem like a genuine nice guy. I really like his guitars, they are a thing of beauty. I'll look up his blog, I didn't know about that one. Thank you.

[@AZCobraman]

National R-P uses a very small oxy/act torch to do their soldering. Back in the day at National they used a large iron that heated and then applied to the joint.

[@duanejohnson4043]

That type of soldering is a dying form of work. my pot and irons sit in the garage today.

[@AZCobraman]

My uncle was an HVAC guy and did all his sheet metal work that way.

[@kandykorn6136]

I would absolutely love to build a Resonator guitar. I have never even played a Resonator. I should have been a Luthier.

[@Ninety2guits]

It's not too late Lol!

[@normbarrows]

The first torch should have worked just fine - you just had it up too high. We did the exact same thing in Jr high school metal shop back in 1976 - mild steel, spot weld, acid core solder, separate flux, big torch - all day long no problem. Guess you didn't take metal shop huh?

[@Ninety2guits]

Well that curved tri-tail is cool, nice work. I didn't take metal shop, took drafting instead and went to the engineering industry from there. I'm getting better with the propane (the MAP gas was too hot for sure). Still prefer my toddler torch at this point but I'm getting closer to a big boy torch.

[@normbarrows]

@@Ninety2guits 8th grade metal shop included one quarter of drafting. I later took engineering drawing in college. For the soldering, just use a standard size burnz-o-matic turned down low. As I recall you'd heat the joint gently, with the solder near the flame, but never put the flame on the solder. It was a bit touchy. All of a sudden it would reach the right temperature and everything would flow for a few seconds. Flux was your friend. Different solder (rosin core or silver solder) might behave better. We may have used rosin, not acid core. As I recall, the torch heated the seam, the heat of the seam melted the nearby solder which then flowed into the seam, following heat and gravity. But its been almost half a century since I soldered sheet metal boxes water tight. I haven't seen your full build yet. At the end it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the hassle to benefit ratio of metal vs wood. I recently completed a couple of carbon fiber and bubinga builds, and discovered that except for bling, its not really worth the hassle of working with very hard materials.

[@jonahguitarguy]

Good video my friend. Thanks for the shout out. I plan to return the favor. You're doing some really hard stuff here more people need to know about you.

[@Ninety2guits]

Thanks Dane. I try and delve into your archives every so often, you have some great stuff. It's a bummer I'm so late to the conversation in the comments tho.

[@duanejohnson4043]

Hey, would it be possible for you to send me your cad file on the guitar. I would like to build a steel guitar for myself.

[@Ninety2guits]

Sure. You want a PDF or the actual CAD file? Send an email to [e-mail]