Some more progress, although just a little. The next step was to fill the gaps between the plywood of the case's neck section and body section. I decided to go for something along the lines of what was discussed earlier. ie:
Only, I didn't think the filler in the middle (poylstyrene or whatever would really be neccessary as we're talking of only a 4mm gap at the most. Secondly, I decided to do away with the wood veneer as the pretty factor is irrelevant here. Seeing as the whole thing will be covered with vinyl and plush lining on the inside, I figured that just some plastic should do the trick.
But first I had to find some sort of 120 degrees inside and outside corner to use for shaping the join and clamping it while it sets. I eventually used these pieces of angle iron:
Which I put down flat on the ground and, using a protractor, a hammer and some gentle persuasion, managed to shape into this:
This would be used in the corners for keeping the sides in position like this:
So I cut some strips from transparency film and folded them down the middle:
The plan was to laminate these on either side of the plywood and clamp it together, using my 120 degree bent angles but I changed my mind and thought it'd be useful to have the template inside the whole shebang while I allow the epoxy to set. This meant that I'd have to do the outside of the join first and then the inside. So here's the outside of the joins having been glued and clamped. Sorry, I forgot to take intermediate pictures of this process, mostly because, once I've mixed the epoxy I tried getting it done fast and with the messy hands I didn't want to operate the camera ?
The wax paper that you see is simply there to prevent the templates from being glued to the plywood. Once the clamps came off, this is what I had:
It worked like a dream. Next came the insides of the joins. Here I took some pictures of the intermediate steps. First I gave the whole thing a proper smearing of mixed epoxy.
Then put the strip of transparency film into place.
And then clamp it all together.
Again, you will see some wax paper to prevent gluing all the templates and spacers to the case. You will also notice that I used wooden spacers between the L-template and the case. This is simply because the body section of the case is curved and would not allow the L-template to sit flush against it. I didn't know how I'd bend the metal template to conform to the curved shape of the plywood so I decided to do it this way.
And when the clamps came off the following day:
I couldn't be more pleased with the result. Not only does it fill the gap nicely and keep the two sections of plywood together but it also worked perfectly for keeping the plywood in the correct shape to match the guitar template. The only bit where the sides are still slightly off shape is in the sharp curve of the body:
I'm planning on still getting a strip of aluminium to bend along the shape of the body and fix it to the inside of the plywood.
This might help to pull the plywood closer to shape but it will also provide something sturdy onto which I can attach the hardware (hinges, clasps etc.). I doubt that it would provide enough strength to really pull the plywood sides exactly into shape for the lid to fit exactly so I think what I'll do is to cut a new lid that fit the sides exactly once the aluminium ring is in. This is less than ideal I guess and the purist in me dislikes the idea of having a lid that's ever so slightly different from the base but I guess the difference is small enough that no-one would see it and I'd be able to live with it.
Over the weekend I did quickly pop into Chamdor to look at textiles. They have vinyl that I think will work perfectly and they have some interesting plush furs and fleeces which I might be able to use for the inside as well. I'm getting very excited.
Here are two types of vinyl between which I'm trying to decide:
I'm gravitating towards the latter but what do you guys think?
And for the plush inside I'm still uncertain. They have a few different types of fur but they're all boring colours. The one in the bottom left seems to have the ideal texture though and I can imagine a case lined with that. The fur is rolled with the back of it on the outside but you can see the fur on the top end of the roll.
Alternatively, they have one called Fox Hair Fur of which the texture is less than ideal but I love the gaudy redness of it. I mean, if I get to build my own case and I get to choose the lining, I might as well go for something really pron.
Or another option would be to use a fleece of sorts. There they have a range of colours. The fleece is quite thin though but seeing as I'll have a thin foam layer between it and the case anyway, it might not be a problem.
As always, I'm interested in hearing your ideas.
But this is a bit of a premature step. Before I can start doing any fabric work, I'll have to get the aluminium ring in place and get the hardware. If any of you have more suggestions as to where I can find this hardware I'd be very greatful to hear about it. I haven't been able to get a hold of Atilla's contact yet but I'm worried that sorucing this hardware is going to cause a bit of a delay as I have no idea really where to look for it.
I'm talking of course of hinges
and the clasps (butterfly locks)
and studs
bearing in mind that this is small case and regular sized clasps might not work. Also, I'd be looking for some sort of a handle. If I can't find something like this
I might try to make my own using vinyl? or leather but I think I'd prefer if I could get something ready made. Maybe I'll try some luggage shops for the handle and studs.