2023
AL#149 p.68
Steve Dickerson
▪ When you see a big horrible blister form on a thick commercial finish, it means two things. Firstly, the finish is ruined. Secondly, it will come off nice and clean with a spatula and heat gun.
2021
AL#143 p.2
Gila Eban
▪ Gila replies to Howard Stephens writing in AL#142. Mentions Tom Higgins, Alan Carruth, and Tom Knatt.
2019
AL#136 p.12
Kerry Char
▪ A cool old Gibson-era Epiphone guitar got well and truly smashed in an incident involving large and excited dogs. Better call Char! Kerry Char, that is. He jumps right in to remove the top, take off the braces, and then put the whole thing back together and polish it up nice before you can say “Kalamazoo!” From his 2017 GAL Convention slide show.
2015
AL#124 p.69
Jeff Jewitt
▪ Working with commercially-branded tung oil can be complicated. It may have unnamed additives, or may contain no actual tung oil at all. But yes, it is possible to produce a gloss finish by wiping tung oil.
2014
AL#117 p.68
Stephen Marchione
▪ Applying finish by padding rather than brushing, as taught to Stephen Marchione by Guy Rabut.
2010
AL#101 p.68
Jeff Jewitt
▪ Suggestions for spraying lacquer in a small one-car garage.
2008
AL#96 p.50
Bob Gleason
▪ A low key (not to mention fun) description of how uke making varies from guitar making. Gleason also describes some of the varieties Hawaiian wood he likes to work with, a slick method for removing lacquer from the bridge foot print, and some of the construction tricks he has come up with. Owning a shop in Hawaii must surely take the lutherie life to another level. With 15 photos.
2004
AL#79 p.34 BRB7 p.416
Peggy Stuart Don MacRostie
▪ The author attended a mandolin making class taught by Don MacRostie at the American School of Lutherie. The first four parts of her report appeared in the four previous issues of AL. Part Five concerns the application of a sunburst using stains, both by spraying and rubbing, as well as the application of lacquer and French polish finishes. With 37 photos.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
2004
AL#78 p.67 BRB7 p.357
John McCarthy
▪ Finish for cocobolo.
2003
AL#76 p.46 BRB7 p.138
John Calkin
▪ One man’s journey through the world of lacquer paint that includes safety equipment, varieties of paint both old and new, application equipment, and some preferences. With 7 photos.
2002
AL#72 p.60 BRB6 p.486
R.M. Mottola
▪ The reviewer examines the Asturmes ES/RV spray gun and finds that it’s the answer to the finish problems he’s found, and at a reasonable price. With one photo.
2002
AL#69 p.48 BRB6 p.500 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The author discovers that this kit provides a harp fit for a professional musician. The finished harp is a powerful instrument with a wide range, and though the kit is pricey it is easy to build. The process of lace finishing is described in detail. With 17 photos.
2001
AL#65 p.39 BRB6 p.170
Fred Campbell
▪ A large part of the secret to getting a fine gloss finish of any sort is the preparation of the wood before anything is even applied. Campbell has specialized in finish work for years and isn’t shy about sharing what he knows.
2000
AL#63 p.61 BRB6 p.533 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer admires this video as a look at the real world of guitar finishing, where standards are high and problems are bound to arise.
2000
AL#61 p.62 BRB6 p.530 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer recommends this book to anyone who wishes to spray lacquer, but especially to those who wish to recreate many of the electric guitar finishes the factories have put out.
2000
AL#61 p.63 BRB6 p.531 read this article
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer likes this video for its good advice to luthiers who have no access to professional equipment. Those who already have a booth and good spray gear will also benefit from the instruction. The 2 jobs involved are both electric guitars finished in colors.
1999
AL#59 p.6 BRB5 p.374
Frank Ford
▪ A top repairman tackles the sticky subject of what repair and restoration work should be tackled in this age of vintage instrument mania, especially in the area of elective surgery. Even today’s utilitarian instruments may be tomorrow’s hot collectibles, so every instrument that passes over our bench has to be considered in this light. What work should we refuse, and what are our liabilities for the work we do? Includes 41 photos, mostly of vintage guitars and mandolins.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1998
AL#54 p.56 BRB5 p.476
John Calkin
▪ The reviewer finds this set of 5 videos to be useful and complete for those who wish to build an archtop guitar, but that those who lack previous lutherie experience should also have the book by Benedetto.
1998
AL#53 p.59 BRB5 p.147
Fred Campbell Douglas Somervell
▪ Differing clarifications on using epoxy as filler on rosewood under nitrocellulose lacquer.
1997
AL#51 p.54
Cyndy Burton
▪ Burton lists 2 pages of suppliers and manufacturers of finish and glue, and offers more than a page of useful tips gleaned from many luthiers.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#50 p.44 BRB5 p.41
Michael Hornick
▪ Good lacquer work isn’t mysterious, just a pain in the neck. Hornick has it down to an art and a science, and he offers up his recipe to the last detail.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1997
AL#50 p.60 BRB5 p.129
Dave Hajicek
▪ A reliable method to correct extensive lacquer finish crazing. He sprays pure MEK.
1997
AL#50 p.61 BRB5 p.137
Mike Longworth
▪ What finish Martin used before nitrocellulose and when they switched.
1997
AL#49 p.59 BRB5 p.489
Peter Schaefer
▪ The German company Auro makes readymade shellac and amber varnish (lacquer).
1996
AL#48 p.57 BRB4 p.502
John Calkin
▪ Touching up dings in polyesters or polyurethanes with lacquer.
1996
AL#47 p.57 BRB4 p.150
Peter Schaefer
▪ European sources of lacquer are given.
1996
AL#45 p.44 BRB4 p.474
John Calkin
▪ Some videos are worth the money, and some aren’t. It depends more on the depth of your experience and interest than on the quality of these videos, which is generally good. Take a look at a batch of tapes (and one book) from Stewart-MacDonald about building or repairing stringed instruments.
1995
AL#44 p.38 BRB4 p.248
Fred Campbell
▪ Campbell finishes the guitars that other luthiers build. He has become an expert spray meister with the confidence to give away the tricks he has learned the hard way. This is perhaps the best piece on lacquering AL has ever printed. With 7 photos and a finishing schedule.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1995
AL#41 p.58 BRB4 p.486
Tom Ribbecke
▪ Achieving brush free results for lacquer in the rain and cold.
1994
AL#40 p.50 BRB4 p.82
John Calkin
▪ Calkin’s pair of articles first takes a look at Vreeble, a form of lacquer-based crackle paint, and then at refinishing an electric bass with curly maple veneer.
1994
AL#38 p.56 BRB4 p.485
Gene Simpson
▪ A trick to transfer lacquer thinner from a 5 gallon container to a 1 gallon can.
1993
AL#36 p.52 BRB3 p.422
Jonathon Peterson
▪ Four repairmen offer a variety of tips about altering mechanical archtop bridges, adding more “pop” to fretless bass necks, soldering and shielding electrics, carbide bandsaw blades, abrasive cord, superglue, cutting saddle slots, double-stick tape, bending plastic binding, beveling pickguard stock, replacing bar frets with T-frets, and restoring headstocks to look old.
1992
AL#30 p.49 BRB3 p.485
Tom Ribbecke
▪ Eliminating bubbles that form in the finish when spraying lacquer on rosewood.
1991
AL#26 p.52 BRB3 p.446
Michael Darnton
▪ Darnton discusses wolf tones, the life span of new fiddles, and why lacquer is never used on a violin.
1990
AL#24 p.56 BRB2 p.469
John Calkin
▪ Calkin encourages the use of alternative tonewoods. He offers advice about choosing cherry boards and methods of finishing cherry instruments that he has found attractive.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1989
AL#17 p.43 BRB2 p.199
Dana Bourgeois
▪ Bourgeois discovers a simple trick to keep his spray work uncontaminated—spray it upside down and hold it there until the lacquer flashes off.
1988
AL#16 p.6 BRB2 p.112
Steve Andersen
▪ A well-known maker of archtop instruments offers an in-depth examination of his building style and his business. With 13 photos.
1987
AL#11 p.55 BRB1 p.430
Michael Parsons
▪ With this stand-alone jig you can spray or brush an instrument without having to touch it.
1987
AL#11 p.12 BRB1 p.420
Gila Eban
▪ Eban builds Kasha-style classical guitars. She comments at length about how her aesthetic concept for the guitar evolved, and offers many details of her construction procedures. Her descriptions of her work are so entrancing that you will long for more photos than the five that are offered. With rosette drawings.
1987
AL#9 p.34 BRB1 p.332
Dave Schneider
▪ A ’68 paisley Tele is reborn, complete with Parsons B and E benders and a complete refinishing from the foil on up.
1985
AL#3 p.47
Tim Earls
▪ Earls describes his ordeal of completing a guitar painted by an auto body shop.He finds that even the best auto painter may not understand the intricacies of the guitar.
1985
AL#2 p.49 BRB1 p.72
Ted Kellison
▪ Kellison presents a safe method for preheating lacquer before spraying, and recommends an anti-static gun.
1984
DS#280 LW p.86 read this article
Michael Dresdner
▪ There are several ways to lay out an inlay pattern before routing, but this one might be the most accurate.
1983
DS#259 BRB1 p.122
Ervin Somogyi
▪ Somogyi wrote this scary little article in 1983, but if you think that the chemicals luthiers encounter have gotten friendlier you better think again. The compounds that have been making people sick for decades are still out there, and regulation doesn’t seem to have made much of an impact. You’ll have to be your own safety cop, and this article is a good place to begin.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.
1983
DS#262 BRB1 p.37 read this article
Ron Lira
▪ How to deal with lacquer in less than one page. Heavy on Sherwin-Williams products and short on details, it is nevertheless interesting for his use of heated lacquer.
1983
GALQ Vol.11#1 p.8 BRB1p.372
Nicholas Von Robison
▪ Robison offers a convincing, multi-pronged philosophical stance for using natural dyestuffs that should lodge firmly among the luthiers that build ancient instruments or see them on their repair bench. Or anyone else who admires subtlety more than bright pizzazz.
1983
DS#236 BRB1 p.210 read this article
Nicholas Von Robison
▪ The dyestuffs are from bugs, flowers, and tree parts. Mordants are chemicals that set the colors and may shift the hue. Dyers’ hip talk is a lot of fun, and the bits of dye history Robison includes add sparkle to a colorful article. Working with these materials could add mountains of snob appeal to a guitar. Rather than describe a three-color ‘burst as yellow/red/brown it might be described as fustic/madder/walnut hull. Be the first on your block to give it a go.
This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s fifty best articles published before 2010.
1982
DS#220 BRB1 p.178
Glenn Markel
▪ These are finishing tips picked up while Markel worked at Guild. The best of them involve heating the lacquer and building a stationary buffing wheel.
1982
DS#229 BRB1 p.265 read this article
Lawrence D. Brown
▪ Historically, lute soundboards were left unfinished in order to produce the best sound. However, the raw wood collected dirt at a rate that is unacceptable to contemporary musicians. Brown has found a compromise using lacquer that doesn’t affect the sound production of the instrument.
1982
DS#231
Dick Boak
▪ The C.F. Martin guitar with its 149 year history has had plenty of time and experience to evolve a system of finishing that works.
1978
DS#85 BRB1 p.41
Rolfe Gerhardt
▪ That is, setting up the actual spray system from compressor to gun, with additional information about spray room accessories. It’s worth noting that in his update the author (a maker of top quality mandolins) mentions that he has abandoned lacquer in favor of waterborne products.
1978
DS#97 BRB1 p.352 read this article
Jimmie Van
▪ Discusses the advantages of cleaning instruments with lemon oil and resealing the finish with carnauba wax.
1978
DS#64 BRB1 p.373
Harry Coleman
▪ If you’re hurting for space or can’t yet afford a compressor, you may find that spraying with a tank of nitrogen makes sense. You may find that it makes sense no matter what, depending on the volume of your finish work.
1976
DS#24
Tim Olsen
▪ Utilizing 12 gauge plastic coated copper wire to hang an object for spraying with lacquer and other finishes.