Vacuum bag for set necks possible?

[Jessy Shay]

Hi Everyone,

I am a recent member to Sawmill.

I need some help on this one. I was talking with Joe at VeneerSupplies.com and he had informed that you guys are the doctors and that if anyone you folks might be able to help.

Project:

Double neck guitar with set necks what is the best way to add a quilted maple veneer. If a Vacuum bag is possible I need suggestions and help on how this can work. Would I need a big enough bag to fit the whole guitar in it?

Any suggestions would be immensely appreciated!

Jessy

[John Coloccia]

Are you trying to veneer the body or the neck? You would normally do this before cutting any cavities in the body. Also, is the top dead flat? If not, that makes it many times more difficult still.

[Mark Crenshaw]

Can you post pics of the guitar you're asking about? It would really help folks offer advice.

Peace,
Mark

[Jessy Shay]

Hi,

I will try and post some pics tonight. I bought the guitar and it had veneer on the top but was finished an awefull yellow so when refinishing it I ended up sanding thru the existing venneer in spots (it must have been one of those days I guess) and yes to make things a whole lot worse it is an arch top, it is just like the guitar in this pic. I cannot remove the necks and really don't want to remove the fretboards.

262817

Hope this helps.



Jess

[Mark Crenshaw]

262817

Hope this helps.



Jess

Some of those cool gels and foams that the Mythbusters use a lot spring to mind. Something liquid that gels up firm and has the slightest of give when it's set, a release of some sort and lay the guitar face down in the goo until it sets. Then use the result as a caul for vacuum bagging. I'm not sure what type of veneer would work in that carve and then you'd still have to deal with the edges. A few experiments would be in order.

Could always go opaque. It would be awesome gloss black! :)

Peace,
Mark

[John Coloccia]

IMHO, I would spray it a solid color, or if you didn't touch the veneer in the middle you could do a burst (or just remove the rest of the veneer and do a burst). I think your chances of ruining the guitar vs improving it are very high. If that happened in my shop, I would cut my losses and make the best of what I had.

[Roderick Gentry]

Ok so you want to add veneer to the top of the body to cover over a previous bad veneer job. This will be difficult. I would pursue some alternative to this plan for instance if there were electronics, a logo, a pickguard that could be added to cover the problem.

Can you vc bag. Sorta. One problem with vac bagging is that 1) reasonably easy, most people have at least some minor screw up on the first go around. 2) It is expensive for a one off 3) while it will work on the surface you are after, it tends not to give consistent results out towards edges or other interruptions. This effect is reduced if a system with greater efficiency is used, but that somewhat raises the bar. 4) You will need to get a good surface to press the veneer down on, both for banding, and getting a good fit. Hard bodies often have a thick veneer on them so that the .curves can be cut into them without breaking through. Apparently not on yours, but it will be difficult to form to this surface. 5) you need very clean cutting to get good fits around all the parts and elements.


An option you might consider is distressing the surface. A friend does this as a minor side business. He make his guitars look like they are 40 years old. Doubtless there are some online tutorials. He buys a cheapp, distresses the finish so it looked like it surfed bar stages for decades, then turns a tidy profit on it. This will allow the basic look of the guitar to remain the same, while providing a basis for the guitar's sanded through areas.