Restoration of a 1931 Martin 00-17

[Barry Daniels]

Here is an addition to my spray booth that I should have thought of years ago. A cheap bathroom exhaust fan. I turn it on after running the big fan and it keeps off-gassing from seeping into my house.

[Barry Daniels]

Now it's time to play in the mud. LMII oil-based silex filler.

[Barry Daniels]

Will need to dry for 48 hours. The finish won't need much stain to match the color of the original neck.

[Chuck Tweedy]

looking great Barry!
i like that big sanding "block" for the waist. that must make it a lot easier - nothing more fun than sanding the waist!

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

Barry,

Are the top and back cut from the same flitch (if that's the right term)? I'm looking at the "eyes" below the bridge area and the corresponding area on the back. How cool is that?

I'm getting very jealous of the owner of this thing.

[Barry Daniels]

Joshua, yes it's cut from the same board. I almost hate to say this, but this was from a bed frame that a friend of mine brought from Panama. The sides are from the same board but a little down the board from the back and top plates. You should see it in person. The grain is beautiful and has a lot of shimmer.

[Barry Daniels]

Chuck, the round sanding caul is a PVC pipe and it does the waist. The remainder of the sides is sanded with that piece of a 2x4. Does a good job of removing any bumps or flat spots.

[Chuck Tweedy]

i don't know why you would be shy about saying the wood is from a Panamanian bed frame. it is well aged, it is certainly genuine mahogany, and best of all it is re-used. Nothing would be a bigger shame than if that wood were pitched in the dump or burned - which of course happen ALL THE TIME. ok ok ok ... off the soapbox.
i'm stealing the waist sanding caul "design" BTW

[Barry Daniels]

You are absolutely correct, Chuck.

[Clay Schaeffer]

Someone gave me an old non working pump organ. It is not a terribly fancy one and has been cluttering up the shop for years. The case looked like mahogany but when I started dismantling it I found it was solid walnut. I was surprised it was solid rather than veneered casework , but that might have been a cheaper option when it was made. I will repurpose the wood for some sort of musical instrument so it will live on in it's musical mission.

[Barry Daniels]

I would call it up-cycling.

[Joshua Levin-Epstein]

You know, after all the discussion about "Is it still a Martin" etc, I might re-frame (no pun intended) it as:

A customer brought in an old Martin guitar and the only part worth saving is the neck. This is a perfect opportunity for me to use that old Panamanian mahogany bed frame.

What could be better?

Oddly enough, I'm in the middle of re-purposing my wife's grandmother's bed frame into a workstation for her. I started this about 100 years ago. It is not great wood and it has none of the craftsmanship of Barry's project. You should interpret that to mean there will be no pictures (but it will get out of my shop).

[Barry Daniels]

Very well said, Joshua.

One more thing I would like to show. I have been using a Walcom STM spray gun for over 10 years that was recommended to my by Jeff Jewitt as ideal for nitro lacquer on guitars. It was very difficult to get a full wet coat without thinning the lacquer highly (like 30% thinner). And I would have to make multiple, overlapping passes. I finally figured out that the 1.0 needle was the problem, but by then they no longer supported this model and replacement sets were not available. Based on the many recommendations for Harbor Freight jamb guns I decided to go take a look. The jamb gun is really inexpensive, and next to it for a few bucks more was their pro gun (full size) that had a 1.4 needle. I thought it would be worth a try. The result is really good. Adequate atomization and a great spray pattern that lays down a wet coat with only maybe 10% thinned lacquer.

I have the spray gun fitted out with 3M PPS Spray Cup System and Milton high flow air fittings, both of which I highly recommend. Milton

[Steven Smith]

Yep, I use and really like the 3M PPS cup system. I use it on my Walcom Evo HVLP gun.

[Barry Daniels]

The reduction of solvent used to clean your gun with the PPS is worth the cost, alone.

Steven, what sized tip do you have on the Evo, and does it work well for lacquer?

[Brian Evans]

I use the DeVillblis DeKup's system of disposable cups. The way the cup systems are completely sealed eliminates drips and you can even spray upside down for a few seconds. You can have a couple of cups loaded with different tints and swap between them. I spray a water based lacquer so cleaning the gun is basically dunking it in a bucket of water and swishing around, then blowing it out.

[Dennis Duross]

Hey! Where’s the end of the story? I’ve read nine pages worth of posts only to find that this story has no ending? Bump!

[Barry Daniels]

Timely request. I am putting the final touches on it. Photos to come.

[Dennis Duross]

Glad to hear it Barry. Thanks

[Steven Smith]

The reduction of solvent used to clean your gun with the PPS is worth the cost, alone.

Steven, what sized tip do you have on the Evo, and does it work well for lacquer?

Barry, sorry I missed the question the first time around but just saw it going back through the thread. The tip I'm using is a 1.2mm and it works well with lacquer for me.