Ah yes Brian. Unfortunately my concert guitar was Cedar fronted and Rosewood backed, or else I would have gone for my namesake :)
Thanks for the help so far everyone :)
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Ah yes Brian. Unfortunately my concert guitar was Cedar fronted and Rosewood backed, or else I would have gone for my namesake :)
Thanks for the help so far everyone :)
I agree with those that suggest wood plugs instead of putty, if nothing else they'll be stronger. I stripped a beater Crown and immediately gave up on the idea of trying to make patches match the mahogany (even though I did use solid mahogany to do the patching), the holes are just too large. I also used a bit of filler (two-part, with a hardener to make a very solid patch) to fill small holes. Then I bought some mahogany veneer and veneered the sides and top of the case. Because the veneer matched the edges of the existing wood it was easy to blend it out to the point that it looks like the case is built up from solid wood. The only hitch is that you lose the finger joints so a purest would know immediately that it's veneer. Looks good to me though, and it was easy to finish with some dark mahogany stain and polyurethane. The poly isn't the best-looking finish around but it's very durable.
Hi Ash
There may be another option, in regards to dealing with the voids left by removal of the focal-plane shutter: incorporate them (and/or create more voids) in a pleasing-to-the-eye fashion. This would also further-lessen the weight, which is one of your goals.
The remaining body-wood would, of course, be finished normally.
This comes to mind due to a Camera Builder's idea I saw. Tho he builds rather than modifies, one of his designs looks very much like a Graphic-style body, as if carved-out to create a body with open areas. It seems similar might be possible as part of a Speed Graphic modification.
I find his approach quite lovely! Go here and see his Green Camera:
http://users.libero.it/qua.fabio/
I have yet to see anything that beats a true blue French Polish job! I have even seen some Lacquar jobs that came close, But of course the time involved is great:
As for Ash its great when properly machined as molding around windows and door frames, But the Human ash does not machine that well:
New URL: http://jongrepstad.com/building-a-la...raphic-camera/
Jon Grepstad
http://jongrepstad.com/