The celluloid binding on an F4 is a bit less 'decorative' than a typical F5. The F4's are traditionally "single bound" meaning there is only one 'color' or 'layer' in the binding strip ... the good news for me is that means that in the miters of the joints in the bindings on the F4 it is a little easier to hide poor craftsmanship since there aren't multiple layers of colors to match up ... this is a good thing it turns out.
The headstock of an F style mandolin (whether F4 or F5 or basically F anything I guess) is traditionally kinda 'curvy' with some pretty tight bends and corners around the edges that makes cutting the binding channel somewhat tricky to cut. Add to that the fact that the headstock of these mandolins is actually cut on a 15 degree angle from perpendicular adds to the joy dictating that at least on the "end" the luthier needs to respect that 15 degree angle and incorporate it into the ledge being cut so that the binding lays 'flat' across the headstock edge. ... kinda reminds me of the line from Saturday Night Live ... "... it just goes to show there's always something! ..."
So first I had to fashion a 15 degree base for my dremmel tool so it would ride at the appropriate angle over the headstock ...
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It took longer than you might guess just to get that cut like it needed to be ... but this is how it rides over the headstock ...
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After that it was just a matter of using the pilot bit around the edge of the headstock and getting in the tight spots as far as I could go ...
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Then I cut the 7 pieces of celluloid binding and started dry fitting them trying to get the right lengths and the right angles cut on the ends for a tight fit ...
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Glued each piece one at a time mostly with Cyno ...
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Sooo ... I'm getting close to the point where I HAVE to finish up the body scroll work by hand ... not looking forward to that but I AM looking forward to hearing this things voice!! ...
looks totally beautiful, dad! How lucky am I to have such a talented dad :)
ReplyDeleteBade- I stumbled across your site this week while dreaming about starting a Siminoff F4 kit myself. Your site will be a wealth of information once I take the plunge- thanks for leading the way!
ReplyDeleteHi Mark! Glad you stopped by ... I'm happy to offer any insight I can but I encourage you to feel free to contact Roger on ANY question you may have ... he's very willing to share his incredible knowledge!
ReplyDeleteVery nice post!
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