Cigar Box Guitar #3: Glue Steps Forward, Oil Steps Back

What in the Sam Hill...

In my last post I mentioned that it's time to put a finish on the neck and body.  But there is one last step that needs to come first.  I need to glue in the supports for the neck inside the body.  Normally a cigar box guitar is made with, well, a cigar box - which is pretty flimsy material to build a guitar with.  The body that came with this kit is made of wood - but it's still pretty flimsy.  The kit makers knew this - and helpfully included a couple of support pieces of wood that serve a few functions:  strength, rigidity, and stability.  The extra wood of the support pieces lock the neck in place and help keep the whole thing from folding up like a taco.  The kit makers give you two options for installing these supports - screws or glue.  I went with glue.  For those of you playing the home game - it's better to do your glueing before you put a finish on the guitar.  Glue don't stick to a finish too well.

Is it me or does the guitar body look frightened?

I'm using all of the hand clamps to keep the supports in place while the glue dries.  As we will see in subsequent images - the supports came pre-shaped and pre-drilled so that the neck will fit right into place - and get locked into place.  It's a pretty good design.

New Kid on the Block

In the past I have used a few different types of finishes on instruments I've built.  The ones I use most often are Shellac and Nitrocellulose lacquer.  Those two actually go well together.  But they both suffer from some shortcomings.  Shellac isn't very resilient to water (and melts in the presence of alcohol) and Nitrocellulose takes weeks to fully cure.  This isn't that kind of build.  This is a cheap and cheery instrument.  So, I wanted to go with a cheap and cheery finish that would actually protect the instrument. Please welcome Tru-Oil to the party.  It's a wipe-on finish that is reasonably resistent to water and dries in 2-4 hours.

"It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again..."

Just one coat of this stuff makes the wood look "purdy."  I put 5-6 coats on everything over three days.

I applied two coats a day (about 4 hours apart) and let dry overnight.  

Not gonna lie - that's a weird looking headstock

Just before applying coats 3 and 5 - I would lightly sand/scuff the finish with steel wool (extra fine grade).

This knocks down any high spots or any mistakes.  Truth be told - there are a few mistakes.

I got a little over zealous with the Tru-Oil on one pass and some drips formed on the side.

I tried to sand them flat but was only partially successful.

I'm serious - it looks like a face!  And now it's wearing a Luchador Mask...

Like I mentioned before, the wood supports that go inside the guitar really lock the neck in place.  The next few photos shows that in more detail.  

The back support

The back support (and the guitar body) came pre-drilled with a hole for the input jack.  It lines up perfectly with the body - the sign of a well made kit.  Which is nice.

Wait a minute...

The front support isn't quite as snug fitting as the back one.  This is by design.  It allows the neck to be easily put in place.  And as we will see - the kit maker planned for this.

Either it's a guitar in progress or a very funny looking paddle...

So, now that we have the supports glued up and a finish applied to the external parts of the guitar - it's time to start assembling this puppy.

"It's in the hole!"

In order to snug up the fit between the neck and the front support - the kit builder's provided a "wedge" to tighten up the neck joint.  It's just a block of wood with some pre-drilled holes but it fits perfectly under the support and locks the neck in place.  I could have glued this in as well - but I figured this might be better off screwed into place.  If I need to monkey around with the neck position/angle it will be easier if this block is removable.  In this photo I am marking where I'll drill some pilot holes.

Locked up tighter than a duck's...    Ahem, locked up tight!

Now that the screws are in place - that neck ain't going nowhere.

It's time to start filling this thing's guts!