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Sorry it's taking so long... I needed a new mill and some tooling, plus school was taking up most of my time, and work took up the rest (I wouldn't be able to do any of this without the work).

So here's the aluminum block squared up. I realize it's still oversize but I'll fix that in a bit...





here is the bridge compared to the aluminum block. I will then need to cut it to size.

The reason I got 3 vise on the block is because it's a bit too long, and so the piece would flex as the fly cutter passes through it, making the finish quality bad... The vise just keeps it from flexing.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Interesting, whats the purpose of it?

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

No purpose... just to see if I can do it.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

OK, it makes sense then. Keep us posted.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Glad to hear you are back in school Tai!
Best wishes,
Dan

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

How would you attach it to the top? Epoxy?

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I don't... I don't intend to put this bridge into service. I don't think there's any sure fire way to attach aluminum to wood at all. Maybe small bolts backed with steel bridge plates...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I See. Just a practice project then.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Boeing has this figured out. FPL etch is a good first step. Phosphoric acid anodizing provides a reliable bond for epoxy on aluminum, and epoxies bond well to wood. Doing this in a small shop would be difficult, and then you're left with a bridge that weighs 3 times as much as cocobolo. As a machining exercise, it's excellent (or at least, very difficult).

Why not try something like Burtons circle cutter or parts for the really cool kerfing machine or some other jig? When I experiment with making things I like it to have purpose.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Sure there is....a phosphoric or boric acid anodize followed quickly by a BMS-1011 primer (baked on) would give the bond strength, using epoxy, about 3000 psi peel strength.

Lol....any shear failure would take the wood with it.

You could also treat the aluminum with gold alodine and then bond directly to that...and, although it wouldn't be nearly as strong as the BMS primer...it would STILL be stronger than the wood....and you could do that in your shop.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Hysol 0151 has a temperature range of -65° to 160°. So, the bridge could be pulled off without damaging the underlying wood.

On etched aluminum it has a sheer strength of 3000 psi, when post-cured at 180°. When cured at room temperature for the full 72 hours, the sheer strength is 1850 psi, which is still plenty strong for luthery.

Another benefit is it's optically clear.

Rivets

Sent from my HTC Desire 626s using Tapatalk

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Another day, another dollar.

As someone who likes tinkering with my Taig mini lathe experimentation like this can really come in handy in the future especially for repair jobs. It can give you the skills you need for a practical future project.

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Another day, another dollar.