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Author Topic:  Linkon Restoration / Refinishing
David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 19 May 2018 3:54 am    
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Hi . I recently bought a D10 Linkon steel . From what I learned it's basically a sho-bud , Canadian made . Wayne Link is the builder . Does great work and is a real nice man . Ordered some parts from him and is great to deal with. I was looking for a second steel to leave set up at home for practice. Well it was in good shape , but the green had faded and was banged up . So I decided to sand it down and go with a dark blue . It was a two tone natural and stain . It has inlays on the natural part and I'm afraid to damage or loose some if I sanded it so I'm not touching the natural part . The necks are natural and I was thinking of putting them blue . What do you guys think ? Well anyway , wish me luck .





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Russ Tkac


Post  Posted 19 May 2018 4:13 am    
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I would do it all natural at this point but I would have left it original too. Smile

Last edited by Russ Tkac on 19 May 2018 6:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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Douglas Schuch


From:
Valencia, Philippines
Post  Posted 19 May 2018 4:51 am    
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I like when the necks match the aprons, and the top is contrasting for two-tones - just gives more contrast. I've found it hard to get all the color out of the wood grain, at least with the Sho-Bud's I refinished. So if you go over with blue, it might turn out kind of blue-green. You can do an opaque finish, but I like to see the grain through the stain. The pics look like you got most of the green out, though, so maybe it will work?
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Dave Campbell


From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
Post  Posted 19 May 2018 5:12 am    
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man david, you're brave! it looks great. the wood is so pretty on that guitar that i'd finish it natural, but i bet blue would look good, too.
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Barry Blackwood


Post  Posted 19 May 2018 7:50 am    
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Natural.


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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 19 May 2018 4:21 pm    
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Thanks for the kind reply's . I always enjoy the feedback from the forum . I think at this time I'll go with the blue . Since I'm leaving the natural part untouched , I think I would have a hard time matching the old varnish and the new . It's just the necks I'm not sure . I'm gonna post a pic of a sho-pro I'm aiming for . It has the necks blue .

I think it would look good like that . I'm halfway through the buffing of the aluminium parts .
Russ your right . It did look good the way it was . It's not that I didn't like the green , just my habit of not leaving well enough alone . Yes Douglas , I got most , if not all the green out . I hope it works also . Hi Dave . Yes the wood is pretty . You'll have to come jam on her when I'm finished. Hey Barry , looks like you stole my 2 necks . Lol Thanks again for the reply's .
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Dave Campbell


From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
Post  Posted 20 May 2018 1:54 am    
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if you do a search for "two tone sho bud" there's a picture of a sho bud professional with blonde body and necks with a light blue deck colour. it might not be the shade of blue you are going for, but it might give you some ideas.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 20 May 2018 8:11 am    
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Thanks Dave . I looked and found great examples of two tones . I think what I will do is stain the body first and see how I like it with the necks natural . Might stain the back side of one to see how I like it . While cleaning and buffing the fingers I noticed gouges were they rotate . Should I sand them down? I think so but not sure .

What do you guys think? Thanks
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Johnie King


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 20 May 2018 10:30 am    
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thanks

Last edited by Johnie King on 24 May 2018 10:09 am; edited 1 time in total
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Tony Glassman


From:
The Great Northwest
Post  Posted 20 May 2018 4:14 pm    
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I'd refinish it in the original color scheme. There's nothing wrong with green & blonde 2-tone.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 20 May 2018 6:53 pm    
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Nice job Johnie ! Love the color. Yeah , I thought about that Tony. Just I love blue. Never know. Thanks for the kind reply's.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 23 May 2018 2:01 pm    
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Well after searching the forum I found out I got the infamous pot metal sho-bud fingers. So I looked around town and found some bearings at our local war surplus store. $5 bucks for the last 8 they had. So I`m gonna attempt the upgrade suggested about installing a bearing were it rubs together. I also received a call that the paint store had my stain ready. Will pick it up tomorrow.
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Johnie King


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 24 May 2018 10:08 am    
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Yes Harry Jackson’s has been doing just what your wanting to do. He has some very happy customers out there. I under stand the prosess an have watched him make these but wouldn’t want to do do it myself. The milling of a arch slot has to be done with a special jig he made.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 25 May 2018 2:28 pm    
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I`m not sure if it will be a success or not. My back neck I only have 6 strings and tune it open G, so if I screw a couple up, I`ll just swap them but fingers crossed. I know it won`t be as precise as Harry . Thanks for the reply Johnie.
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Kevin Fix

 

From:
Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 25 May 2018 6:48 pm    
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David, J B Weld that changer finger with the grooves in it. file down smooth and sand. That's what Bud players do on their Super Pro fingers. The fingers with the grooves will hang up while playing. Will sound out of tune.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 26 May 2018 3:05 am    
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Hi Kevin . Yes , I had a problem with my B pedal. I did buy the J B weld and will do that . I just happen to acquire 8 bearings and might try one to see if I can. Thanks for the info.
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Jim Sliff


From:
Lawndale California, USA
Post  Posted 31 May 2018 6:42 pm    
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You may find yourself in a bit of a pickle as your guitar does not have the flamed maple grain pattern of the one you want to copy. It's also a lot of work to get any kind fo grain to "pop" when doing a refinish unless you plan on stripping. using 2-system wood bleach, and using back with dark- tinted paste wood filler.

And that will only work if the grain ends up fairly open after stripping and bleaching.

It's possible of you have have good experience working with bulk lacquers, but it's an awful lot of tedious, precision work.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 1 Jun 2018 7:08 pm    
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I hear ya Jim. Once I had the top part sanded I knew I was not going to have the same color as the picture.I left the natural untouched, but when I finished, the blue I chose clashed with the natural. So I then decided to go all blue. My concern was the thin inlays falling of or sanding through ,but I managed to get it right.It was quite the job to stain the body but not the inlays. Had to mask and varnish them first. I took the long way around Lol. I`m not 100% satisfied with the store I got the stain from. I went 3 times and still it turned out lighter and a hint of green.I had to stain it black first, then sanded it almost all out, leaving a little more on the edges. It didn`t turn out like the pictures, but all in all I like it. I`m now sanding the necks. I`ll post pictures soon. Thanks for the comments .I always appreciate advice and feedback. Thanks guys.
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 2 Jun 2018 3:39 am    
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Here are a few pictures of the work in progress!

Had to stain it black to make my stain darker .


This is a partial finished steel . I wasn't in love with the contrast of th blue and natural so I sanded the natural an decided on a full one color . More pics to come . Dave
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 4 Jun 2018 1:02 am    
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I`d like to ask all you Sho-BUD GUYS OUT THERE. With all my search for a finger fix, I saw a lot of talk about a "finger guide plate assembly", witch I don`t have. And "adjustable springs". Is it somethings I should have, instal on mine? Thanks for the replys, Dave
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 14 Jun 2018 7:21 am    
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Well I got 7 fingers fixed with sealed bearings. Hope it does the trick .

Now to put her undercarriage back together. Wish me luck . More pics to come .
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Brian Hollands


From:
Geneva, FL USA
Post  Posted 14 Jun 2018 9:31 am    
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David LeBlanc wrote:
I`d like to ask all you Sho-BUD GUYS OUT THERE. With all my search for a finger fix, I saw a lot of talk about a "finger guide plate assembly", witch I don`t have. And "adjustable springs". Is it somethings I should have, instal on mine? Thanks for the replys, Dave


You need springs but they don't need to be adjustable. I was able to get some from Jim Flynn at Lone Star Steel Guitars. If he's out, pm me and I'll take measurements.

Here's a finger guide plate. There are multiple versions and are not necessarily interchangable, at least not without some modification. It took me 2 months of continuous searching to find one. It's not a part anyone seems to be reproducing.



I'm not sure you need the comb part but you do need a positive stop for the fingers at the very bottom part of both the raise and lower finger. If you don't have any of this part, it can be fabricated if you can't find one. They seem to be scarce. Worst case I could at least get rough dimensions

Edit: I'd love to see a picture of the back side of that finger with the bearing installed. I worry about how much force the screw/axle is handling in such a thin single shear application
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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 14 Jun 2018 3:21 pm    
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Hi Brian. It seems they (comb) are rare. Some bud players say if I rod it straight and they align right I don`t need the comb. Same thing for the springs. They say I don`t need the adjustable ones. My old ones should be fine. I just read previous post and thought I did. I`ll put her together and see. I never thought about the stress of the bearing being pushed. Hope it works.I will post more pics. Thanks for the reply & insight.
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Brian Hollands


From:
Geneva, FL USA
Post  Posted 15 Jun 2018 7:58 am    
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David, Looking again at the third picture in your first post, you don't need the finger guide plate assembly like I'd pictured. There are plates screwed into the end-plate of the guitar to which the springs attach and that plate serves as the positive stop for the fingers. Sho-Bud just used those aluminum mounting legs attached to the body rather than screwing that spring attachment plate to the aluminum end plate (which seems like a simpler solution). If you can still get hold of Wayne Link I'm sure he could confirm that the guitar didn't use any sort of "comb" guide either.
Looking good...
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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's
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David LeBlanc


From:
New Brunswick, Canada
Post  Posted 16 Jun 2018 5:58 pm    
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Hey Brian. Yeah I think your right. I know it played good. Just the B pedal was catching or as I learned after was the fingers that were worn. I`ll have to wait and see. I`ve been to busy at work to really do much on the rebuild. Thanks for the info.
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