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Pitch Seam

 
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JWH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 72

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:41 pm    Post subject: Pitch Seam Reply with quote

I unfortunately picked up a small, short pitch seam while carving out the top surface of the front. It's small but noticable yet doesn't take away from the integrity of the wood. Has anyone come across this, and what if any products may take away the darken color and shadow this into the surrounding wood? Thanks
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Chet Bishop
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 678
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some makers carefully excise the pitch seam, and glue in a grain-matched patch, then complete the carving. The really good ones are invisible-- and even the not-so-great ones are not bad.

On the first bass I made (only one so far), I accidentally drilled a hole all the way through the pegbox, where it was only supposed to go partway. I plugged it carefully, then after all the carving was complete, I patched over it, matching grain, by using a small gouge to remove a shallow channel across it, parallel with the grain of the box. Then I took the same gouge, and cut an identical piece out of a block of maple (left-over from the neck blank), and glued it in the gouge mark in the pegbox, clamping it securely. After that was dry, I planed it flat and began again, repeating the process until the whole plug was covered.

After careful scraping, and varnishing, no one has ever spotted the repair unless I pointed it out (I told the customer, obviously). It's not invisible, but certainly not obtrusive.
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JWH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 72

PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Chet. That's probably what I'll end up doing. If this had showed up under the fingerboard or under the rear of the tailpiece, I probably wouldn't worry much about it, but it doesn't. I don't know if in the tanning process, normal grain lines tend to darken faster than a pitch line, in which case, it most likely would disappear. Thanks.
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Chet Bishop
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Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 678
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon

PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well-- in my experience, pitch seams turn black under the varnish, but maybe that won't happen.

Chet
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Barry Dudley
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Joined: 01 Jan 2008
Posts: 64
Location: Monroe, GA

PostPosted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 11:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How large is the pitch seam? If it is small enough I don't know that I would do anything. Look at some photos of historical instruments and you will see that the wood selected is not always "perfect" in appearance.
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tonewoods
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Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Orcas Island, Washington

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Some makers carefully excise the pitch seam..."

Strad's Messiah is a good example....
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JWH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 72

PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi guys:

Sorry to get back late on this. Barry, you asked about the size of this seam. I'll post a couple pictures. I am down to the final top rough surfacing in that area. You can tell by the pictures that the seam does want to flare out a bit with discoloration. Again, I can't see where the integrity of the wood is compromised, although I haven't carved the underside yet.

http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=seam1aj1.jpg
http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=seam2ml1.jpg
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