Red Special Build - PT06 - Applying Veneers

[@nickdryad]

I love the music. I often forget to focus on your work listening to the lyrics.i love the way the guitar solo starts just as the router gets going.

[@Lukeyourself]

Ah! Thank you! Was happy to put the old songs to work again.

[@thelovacluka]

This is a very good video because it shows some details that are important. Helped me a bit with my veneering.

[@Lukeyourself]

Excellent! I'm glad it helped. Good luck with your build.

[@Lackancottage]

Came for the video but this track is amazing. Love it.

[@Lukeyourself]

Thanks very much! One of my favorites, too.

[@Lackancottage]

@@Lukeyourself my 10yo daughter said it's the weirdest music video she's ever seen, lol.

[@Lackancottage]

@@Lukeyourself you guys also remind me of Ride. (or Ride remind me of you guys)... Is any of your music online anywhere?

[@Lukeyourself]

@@Lackancottage Pretty excellent comment from your daughter! She's not wrong. :) Ride was around well before us, but we always liked the Oxford music scene. Our website, while horribly out of date, still exists, and our music is up there. smokescreen.tv/music.htm

[@olliegibbs7336]

What did you use to cover the knife edge?

[@rubencristiangomez8357]

Hello! I am speaking from Argentina, I ask you a question, after applying black plaster (gesso Nero), how do you remove it? So that the mahogany can be seen again?, Great job!, Congratulations!

[@crimson-64]

estoy en la misma no se cómo se hace jaja

[@rubencristiangomez8357]

@@crimson-64no nos va a quedar otra que hacerlo en una madera de prueba y ver cómo retirarlo

[@VanFaux]

Love this series so much! Cannot wait for the next installment. I'm in the middle of my build now, and this is such an inspiration. Anyway, I was wondering what size binding did you use since it is spot on!

[@Lukeyourself]

Thanks! I ended up with the StewMac white binding, .090" x .250", after experimenting with a different size.

[@carlosbarbosa9790]

Hey, great job! I am also building one and thinking about grain filling. How was it with the black gesso? Which stain and finishing did you use afterwards (Lacquer / Rustins?)? Thanks!

[@Lukeyourself]

I did use the gesso on the body quite a bit, but in some cases, I used Rockler's black Wonderfil as well. The gesso worked almost as good as grain fill but is a bit messier, and I had to be more careful when removing the excess, but I thought it was worth the nod to Bob Ross. Gonna test using it on the fingerboard next. I used General Finishes dye stain (85:15 Empire Red/Medium Brown) and Behlen Stringed Instrument lacquer for the finish.

[@Leonka78]

@@Lukeyourself Hi there, could you be a little more precise when you say that Ross' Gesso is a bit messier and you had to be more careful when removing the excess? thank you very much

[@donatochirianni5882]

Hi, how did you remove the excess black? Sandpaper or damp cloth?

[@mhdz10]

Fantastic job!

[@bisashwid1199]

awesome build shame you aren't getting the views you deserve. what line of work are you in with those tools may i ask

[@Lukeyourself]

Photography. And thanks!

[@brianmaysguitar7252]

What is the thickness of the veneer?

[@ralphb09]

Hi, what does the black gesso do?

[@defunctuserchannel]

great song.

[@vin.25]

If someone could tell me what the tool at 4:51 is called that would be super helpful! Been working on a project and been looking for something like this!

[@Lukeyourself]

The one I used is called a gramil, made by LMII.com. You can probably search binding / purfling cutters also.

[@brunorodriguezb.957]

great song!

[@Lukeyourself]

Thanks very much!

[@Dreams_Of_Lavender]

I dunno how much you check comments but I'd love to know where I could find whatever album y'all made where these songs came from, they're super good and I'd love to hear more.

[@Lukeyourself]

Hey Annika, I appreciate it! Our old website is pretty out of date, but the files should still be good, if you'd like them. We also have CDs, but not a store per se. Thank you! smokescreen.tv/music.htm

[@redspecialist9072]

Simply Awesome Sir.

[@MrRackenstein]

You overlap the veneer for seamless joint?

[@Lukeyourself]

All joins are just edge to edge. I stack both pieces and cut both with a razor blade at the same time so they mate exactly. (as briefly seen at the 0:25 mark) Is that what you meant?

[@marciomartinelli69]

Hello, if you break one of the strings, do you tune the other strings like a Floyd Rose?

[@Lukeyourself]

I haven't broken a string, or used a Floyd Rose, but in theory, yes. When I tuned it to drop D, all the strings needed attention.

[@flmoto2381]

What’s the half moon thing?

[@Lukeyourself]

On the back? It was apparently a repair job Brian did when the guitar was involved in a car accident.

[@Barrygee]

Can you please tell me where you get the edge veneer? I can’t seem to find any strips with vertical grain orientation

[@Lukeyourself]

I just cut strips with a scalpel from the same sheet I used for the top and bottom.

[@Barrygee]

Thank you, yes this is what I’ve decided to do, I’ve managed to find some very wide veneer so I shouldn’t have to have too many join lines hopefully

[@Lukeyourself]

@@Barrygee If you're just careful with how you cut them, the joins mostly disappear. This was my first guitar, but with a few practice runs, I got them pretty nice. After I cut the slices, I would slightly overlap them on a flat surface, then use a straight edge to cut through both layers, and this gave a very similar edge to butt up against. Just make sure you label which end matches up to which. You can see the same rough process around 0:12 in this video. Also, not shown, is to take multiple, precise cuts... don't try to cut all the way through at once.

[@Barrygee]

Lukeyourself unrelated question but what fret wire did you use for the regular frets and the Zero fret?

[@KroMagnum4]

Black Gesso for grain fill? Being an artist also I have tons of the stuff how did it work out for you?

[@Lukeyourself]

It worked almost as good as grain fill. A bit messier, and I had to be more careful when removing the excess, but I thought it was worth the nod to Bob Ross. Gonna test using it on the fingerboard next.

[@KroMagnum4]

@@Lukeyourself Many thanks you are a great inspiration.

[@kkmc8722]

What router size you used for the binding canal?

[@Lukeyourself]

This all comes down to the bearing, not the bit size. I used a 3/4" flush trim bit with a StewMac bearing Item # 1298-180.

[@kkmc8722]

@@Lukeyourself Thanks man

[@joaomarcelomacuco6192]

Hi! Could you please tell me the thickness of this veneer?

[@Lukeyourself]

0.6mm. More info in the description.

[@joaomarcelomacuco6192]

@@Lukeyourself Thanks. I've seen some schematics/blueprints where veneers are 1.5 mm. Did you do something to compensate the 0.6 mm veneers' width?

[@Lukeyourself]

@@joaomarcelomacuco6192 I think you can do whatever feels right to you. As far as we know, the original used "marquetry" veneers, which are typically 0.6mm. For the width, I glued a couple together. I got lucky with my joins and you can barely see the seams.

[@Barrygee]

Disaster....my veneer has wrinkled....any thoughts on how to remedy this....I don’t want to have to start again ideally

[@Barrygee]

I’ve re veneered the whole body and it’s wrinkled yet again, I’ve even tried different adhesives and it still doesn’t stick properly. I’m at a loss now, I don’t know how to remedy it without starting again and making a whole new body and finding a different veneer supplier

[@Lukeyourself]

@@Barrygee Hey man, I typed up a response to your first comment, but it seems it disappeared. If you're having this much trouble, it's hard for me to comment. What materials are you using? (wood, veneer, glue) How are you clamping it? I'd suggest stopping and running tests on small pieces to work out the exact amount of glue you need, because it sounds like it's all getting too wet. Also, in my original comment, I suggested taking a clothing iron to it (with a thin towel between the iron and the wood) and see if you can use a roller to smooth out the veneer. You can always keep stripping the veneer and starting over. I had multiple issues myself. Just keep going, but practice before you redo the entire guitar again. And do one piece at a time.

[@Barrygee]

Lukeyourself I have been running tests on the same material with the same glue and they’ve all been fine. I’m using blockboard, and mahogany veneer with Titebond cold press veneer glue and clamping it exactly as you did. I have now discovered that it’s not the glue or the veneer that’s the issue...it’s atmospheric humidity...it’s simply too wet in my workshop so I’ve started using a dehumidifier and that seems to be helping draw the moisture out and remove the wrinkles in a less harsh way than using the iron. The issue I now have is that the router has torn some of the veneer off the sides of the guitar while cutting the binding channel so I’m having to patch those areas. The rest of the build has been going smoothly but this veneering just doesn’t seem to want to happen. Thanks for your response, I have tried all of your ideas but nothing was working except the dehumidifier so I can only assume this has what’s been tripping me up.

[@ewoutketelaar8708]

Great video! Love all your vids! But a question. I'm also building a red special and we had bubbels on our veneer after glueing it the same way as you did it. Do you've got an idea what we are doing wrong and what we can do about it? I'm also planning to sand it back to the blockboard, unfortunately... Maybe you can help me.

[@Lukeyourself]

Well, speaking from experience, sanding back to the blockboard isn't the end of the world, but it is a hassle. Hard to comment exactly, but could be down to how much glue is being used, whether or not you're clamping it evenly... I also found placing the wood onto the veneer and shifting it back and forth helped it grab the glue more evenly, and using a small, wooden paint roller helped to ensure a good bond before even clamping. (you can see this around the 1min mark in this video) The wood I used to clamp around it was also very flat. Either birch plywood or mdf.

[@Lukeyourself]

Another thing to consider. Put the glue on the body first, then the veneer. If the veneer sits too long with the wet glue on it, it could ripple. Hope this helps.

[@ewoutketelaar8708]

Thanx for your reaction. I think we used to much glue on the veneer itself. We will give it another try. And your red special is very, very nice! And your video's are really beautiful and helpful! I'm going to Queen and Adam Lambert May 30 in Amsterdam with my 8 year old son! 😀

[@Lukeyourself]

@@ewoutketelaar8708 Thank you! I tried to illustrate how much glue I used, but it's really quick in the video. I basically brushed it on until it JUST covered the veneer. Same for the wood. Too much, and it can get soggy. Good luck, and have fun at the show!

[@ewoutketelaar8708]

@@Lukeyourself thank you! We will do. And maybe I'll post a little video when my red special is ready. Thanks for your reaction!

[@brianhm1966]

Hi sir do you have the guitar plans that you can share?

[@Lukeyourself]

If you go to the Red Special Forum or Red Special Library, there are plans you can download.