Love the father-son content. Defintitely potential for a series there. Bring him along to learn new skills and techniques, while you teach him about guitar building as well.
Concept thought: If you had taken a casting of the elm texture before carving the apertures, could you then cast backplates where the body grain texture continues across the plates. Might look cool if a knot hole or grain tear-out defect is deliberately positioned to highlight this feature.
With the father/ son content, now I can picture what Ben would look like with hair and no beard. This backplate video reminds me that I still need to paint a guitar with the plastic bag technique - I've done it on a test piece but need to do a full body plus headstock. (not sure if it'd work on the back of the neck without a lot of layers of clear over the top - plus I like satin necks where I can feel the wood)
An interesting method and a great result! Also, many refinements/additional techniques could be added to the process- I can't wait to see further experiments.
The posable things you can do even give them a leaf look or making a leaf look with a bronze colour so the appearance of autumn leaves set in to the body
I did a number of tests on cold cast metals in resin and found out a lot including using vinegar and other organic acids to produce a patina, and that lead retards the resin hardening by a significant time.
You’ve reminded me that I wanted to try this for a long time. I actually learned it from Crafsman Steadycraftin. I was watching some videos about it last night before falling asleep and then I wake up this morning and you have more for me! Pretty cool!
Of course, he used a silicone mold, which seems like the way to go. I’m planning on making some fretted viola fingerboards. I figure I can do as you and skip the mold “casing” step by using a baking dish as well. I can make use of the large area by making multiple molds at once with various scale lengths.
The ability to create your own custom guitar parts that are plastic yet look like metal could definitely be useful. On my experimental builds, depth pickguards and control cavity covers are the only plastic left these days. Covers have to be thin (1mm), and there's no room to recess them (they actually need a hump for the back end of the jack), but it could work for a depth pickguard.
Exactly.. It's a very very interesting addition to our tool chest of ingredients, to mix skill sets 😂 I am wondering about using carbon fibre or cloth backing on a cold cast plate to get the metal look while making very thin parts.. That could work for you perhaps?
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars A better approach might be to develop a method for cold casting sheet material, then cutting parts out from it. Perhaps a variation on paper making - dip a plate in cold cast and peel off the "film" that results. Resin saturated cloth is yet another direction to go - nothing says you have to limit it to metal. Wood shavings might be interesting as well - a mix of different color woods. A "depth pickguard" is my name for an elevated pickguard under the strings between the pickups - similar to the Floyd Rose "speed guide". Since it's elevated on blocks to the height of the bobbins, a thick pickguard can be used - so cold cast is an option there. In fact, I used to make then out of solid blocks of wood. Here's the real challenge - cold cast a neck with a truss rod and perhaps carbon fiber stiffening rods. Would it work? Too flexible? Too heavy? Too soft (deformable)? No good attachment method?
Well done guys. Adds a nice touch to the guitar. Have you thought of using titanium, bronze or brass plate and acid etching or using a dremel to carve designs in the metal.
I'd be interested to see what the finished material feels like, and what it's real strength properties are. Will it 'Pass" for real metal to the touch? Does it feel like the right weight for what it looks like? Is it conductive? If you painted on a thin layer, would it work as 'Shielding Paint'?
Should be able to take the dust and mix back in another batch. Or make like bronze and while it’s still soft take it to a cheese grater and then mix the shavings in a batch to get multiple colors and effects in them
The aluminium powder certainly gives it considerable shielding power, probably measurably less than a solid aluminium plate, but that difference would not hurt in this application. If you were trying to shield military electronics from EMP then the difference would matter, but not on a guitar as the interference noise levels aren't going to be high enough.
Using silicone would be the "More correct way" of doing it. Not quite sure why hes mixing up two different types of casting here. Silicone molding is the better way of cold casting and produces much more consistent results not to mention better work flow if casting multiple items for sale, Use of cling film would be the same if required.
I've been thinking how to make a Jack plate and switch tip out of Damascus steel... If you have any ideas you'd like to Share, it would be much appreciated. Love the new format
Hi Ben, just a quick concern, is this resin safe for you guys to be working with it without wearing any masks / respirators? i've heard resin releases some bad fumes... i watch Katelyn and Evans and they use some serious gear when doing anything with resin...
Since you have a wooden pattern, why not just get a piece of aluminum and cut it close on the band saw and use the pattern on a router table. I just made a 1/8” control plate that way. Wasn’t hard at all.
wouldn't it be easier to cut backplates out of sheet metal and hammer and etch the texture into them than messing around casting them from fake metal resin?
Not at all, I would still need to add some sort of resin inside a shaped back plate to reach the thickness required.. but the major thing right now is that I have carpal tunnel and I'm exploring methods that don't use my hands too much, and also things that I've not done before in guitar building
Love the father-son content. Defintitely potential for a series there. Bring him along to learn new skills and techniques, while you teach him about guitar building as well.
Concept thought: If you had taken a casting of the elm texture before carving the apertures, could you then cast backplates where the body grain texture continues across the plates. Might look cool if a knot hole or grain tear-out defect is deliberately positioned to highlight this feature.
Love the idea of pouring a contrasting resin to fill in the valleys - a copper or brass would look amazing on top of the aluminium.
I happen to be wearing the same t shirt as Orson today! Awesome.
Hi Orson I'm glad that you are working with your Dad !
great Work Orson and Ben!!!!
Thank you so much for showing this!! I'm going to try this technique on knife fittings 😄
Ha, Delft clay! Where would the world be without the Dutch?
Greetings form The Netherlands.
Greetings!
With the father/ son content, now I can picture what Ben would look like with hair and no beard.
This backplate video reminds me that I still need to paint a guitar with the plastic bag technique - I've done it on a test piece but need to do a full body plus headstock. (not sure if it'd work on the back of the neck without a lot of layers of clear over the top - plus I like satin necks where I can feel the wood)
Wow, Orson has turned into a young man since I last saw him. I know they do that, but it's been a while since we saw him.
The dude seems to have grown two feet in the last 6 months, I am feeling very old right now! 😀
Great. You could try and spray the cling film with ceramic auto wax as a better release agent.
Ben will never retire. He will be buried with a feet leveling file in his hand. From Crimson of course.
An interesting method and a great result! Also, many refinements/additional techniques could be added to the process- I can't wait to see further experiments.
Great that you're passing on your approach to the next generation 👁👍
The posable things you can do even give them a leaf look or making a leaf look with a bronze colour so the appearance of autumn leaves set in to the body
I did a number of tests on cold cast metals in resin and found out a lot including using vinegar and other organic acids to produce a patina, and that lead retards the resin hardening by a significant time.
great idea!! i wonder what that would look like with Bubble wrap for texture
You could use the ceruse method filling the texture with a contrasting colour, so many possibilities.
I suggested this to Orson comma adding a second thin layer of resin but with bronze powder for example would look awesome!
What i would have preferred would be a leaf design with the veins picked out in a different colour, (as they look like leaves anyway).
I’m loving this new content! Are there any plans to invest in a furnace and kiln to do some all out metal castings?
You’ve reminded me that I wanted to try this for a long time. I actually learned it from Crafsman Steadycraftin. I was watching some videos about it last night before falling asleep and then I wake up this morning and you have more for me! Pretty cool!
Of course, he used a silicone mold, which seems like the way to go. I’m planning on making some fretted viola fingerboards. I figure I can do as you and skip the mold “casing” step by using a baking dish as well. I can make use of the large area by making multiple molds at once with various scale lengths.
The ability to create your own custom guitar parts that are plastic yet look like metal could definitely be useful. On my experimental builds, depth pickguards and control cavity covers are the only plastic left these days. Covers have to be thin (1mm), and there's no room to recess them (they actually need a hump for the back end of the jack), but it could work for a depth pickguard.
Exactly.. It's a very very interesting addition to our tool chest of ingredients, to mix skill sets 😂
I am wondering about using carbon fibre or cloth backing on a cold cast plate to get the metal look while making very thin parts.. That could work for you perhaps?
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars A better approach might be to develop a method for cold casting sheet material, then cutting parts out from it. Perhaps a variation on paper making - dip a plate in cold cast and peel off the "film" that results. Resin saturated cloth is yet another direction to go - nothing says you have to limit it to metal. Wood shavings might be interesting as well - a mix of different color woods. A "depth pickguard" is my name for an elevated pickguard under the strings between the pickups - similar to the Floyd Rose "speed guide". Since it's elevated on blocks to the height of the bobbins, a thick pickguard can be used - so cold cast is an option there. In fact, I used to make then out of solid blocks of wood.
Here's the real challenge - cold cast a neck with a truss rod and perhaps carbon fiber stiffening rods. Would it work? Too flexible? Too heavy? Too soft (deformable)? No good attachment method?
That looks so cool!!!
Well done guys. Adds a nice touch to the guitar. Have you thought of using titanium, bronze or brass plate and acid etching or using a dremel to carve designs in the metal.
I'm 100% planning on getting back into acid etching, I haven't played with that in years!
They look fantastic. Cold cast big bolts to fit in the holes?
I'd be interested to see what the finished material feels like, and what it's real strength properties are. Will it 'Pass" for real metal to the touch? Does it feel like the right weight for what it looks like? Is it conductive? If you painted on a thin layer, would it work as 'Shielding Paint'?
Should be able to take the dust and mix back in another batch. Or make like bronze and while it’s still soft take it to a cheese grater and then mix the shavings in a batch to get multiple colors and effects in them
Would it be possible to do this with copper and then give a bit of a verdigris patina? 🤔
Does it will works for nuts/bridges ? Is it hard enough ?
How about a whole guitar body made with this look. Or at least a top? LIke the idea of the bronze filler in the surface cracks, too.
Side question, do you still need shielding if it's cast aluminum? Just a thought, I'll go back to the gallery & see.
LONG TIME PROJECT #2!!!! Welcome Orson! is this his first on screen appearance outside of the Ukraine livestreams?
Thats wicked! Is it conductive? does it act as a sheild also? x
The aluminium powder certainly gives it considerable shielding power, probably measurably less than a solid aluminium plate, but that difference would not hurt in this application. If you were trying to shield military electronics from EMP then the difference would matter, but not on a guitar as the interference noise levels aren't going to be high enough.
i’m definitely gonna try this. but i think im gonna make silicone molds.
Using silicone would be the "More correct way" of doing it. Not quite sure why hes mixing up two different types of casting here. Silicone molding is the better way of cold casting and produces much more consistent results not to mention better work flow if casting multiple items for sale, Use of cling film would be the same if required.
When did Orson get huge? Wow, he's almost a bloke :)
I've been thinking how to make a Jack plate and switch tip out of Damascus steel... If you have any ideas you'd like to Share, it would be much appreciated. Love the new format
I think you could probably produce a really nice faux Damascus steel using different tints of resin lightly mixed together.
What is the box with all the knobs on over Ben's right shoulder?
Left shoulder as we're looking? Kemper Profiler.
@@PaulCooksStuff Brilliant, thanks a lot!
Sprinkling the casting with talcum powder would act as a release between metal and mould
Hi Ben, just a quick concern, is this resin safe for you guys to be working with it without wearing any masks / respirators? i've heard resin releases some bad fumes... i watch Katelyn and Evans and they use some serious gear when doing anything with resin...
Since you have a wooden pattern, why not just get a piece of aluminum and cut it close on the band saw and use the pattern on a router table.
I just made a 1/8” control plate that way. Wasn’t hard at all.
It would've been cool if my dad was a luthier but instead were all truckers lol
wouldn't it be easier to cut backplates out of sheet metal and hammer and etch the texture into them than messing around casting them from fake metal resin?
Not at all, I would still need to add some sort of resin inside a shaped back plate to reach the thickness required.. but the major thing right now is that I have carpal tunnel and I'm exploring methods that don't use my hands too much, and also things that I've not done before in guitar building
ORSON lad how are ya?
“or you won’t see the video” lmao
God they look awful.
Ah I see the ray of sunshine has arrived. Why are you even here if you hate everything Ben does?
@@Forest_Fifer What the Dickens are you talking about?
I don't hate ANYTHING Ben does!