A 3000 year old piece of timber, what an awesome responsibility to make something wonderful from it. Love the gold leaf, what a great idea. I have absolute faith that you will create something of great beauty Ben.
Ben once this guitar is finished it deserves to be hung in a museum. In fact they need to dedicate a section and call it the Hall of Awesomeness. Might have to have a Cool Beans section as well!
Ok, there are so many builders but very few with your imagination and innovation. Thank you for your inspiring builds and videos. I'd like to see what you would come up with building a Steampunk themed guitar. Keeping it functional without just bolting on a lot of junk. Bravo Ben & Crimson.
Hey Eric, thank you. I have been considering a steam punk build for years and that restriction, functional changes in the steam.punk ethic rather than bolting on useless crap, makes it much much more of a challenge. B
Me: Ok... I should really get to sleep. UA-cam: Crimson Custom Guitars uploaded a new video Me: Bog Oak, gold leaf, and resin? Damn you, Ben.... Well.... Sleep is over rated anyway.
@@tomahoks You will not eat that tablecloth or I will plow up that bloody tennis court and plant ball end trees there! ...now that's something you never heard before
Another build!!! brilliant! most of the rational thinking world "but it's an old lump of wood!?!" Ben "it's a beautiful guitar!" these builds just blow me away, long may they continue
Just when I think it's safe to roll over and go to sleep, here comes another build. LOL!. Love what you do, and you never cease to amaze me with the ideas. Cannot wait to see how this turns out.
you should invest in large pressure pots and/or vacuum chambers for your resin projects. it would definitely save you a lot of time when trying to fill in those craggy pieces of wood.
Honestly, I don't have a lot of personal knowledge about this kind of stuff, because I'm very income-challenged... but I've seen a lot of people use Smooth-On products. Looks like they make a Pressure Chamber that's about 31.75 cm diameter X 38.74 cm tall, and a Vacuum Chamber that's about 35.56 cm diameter x 38.1 cm tall. They could fit pretty large chunks of wood, but most likely not whole guitar bodies or necks (unless they're small guitars), and they aren't crazy expensive, and much more worth it if they're something you'll use often. I'm sure there are some sort industrial sized ones, but they're probably many thousands of dollars.
Or, actually, it looks like House of Resin sells pressure pots and stabilizing chambers. They're actually larger and less expensive than the Smooth On ones. Still probably not large enough for a whole body, but would work for two halves like this river guitar. I don't know if House of Resin is one of your sponsors or if you just bought their product yourself, but you might be able to source one from them?
Can you get hold of ancient mammoth tusk? Use it to craft the head stock and maybe some lamination stripes though the body of the guitar? Also for some inlay work? fill the pores in the mammoth tusk with epoxy?
Okay..you're gold leafing the live edges, then filling with resin. After you finish getting the guitar to final thickness, the the top and back of the guitar will be exposed wood with resin only in the "river" portions, correct? Doesn't this essentially make gold leaf the structural adhesive that's holding everything together?
I'm so used to stumbling on these kinds of videos several years late when the UA-cam algorithm randomly decides to recommend them to me. I genuinely don't know how to handle having to wait for the next part.
With the gold leaf on both edges, will the resin still hold both halves of wood together or will the gold leaf act as a barrier like masking tape and make it a weak join?
I wondered the same. I'm curious about resin in the longer term as it doesn't react to seasonal changes like wood does. It could look awful. This decade's pebbledash?
Same worries here. Gold leaf isn’t very strong or abrasion resistant. First layer might be glued well to the sticky (ish) live edge, but 2nd one? Maybe the surfaces weld to each other, then it could be ok. I think we’ll see in the process. (Spoiler alert) It looked promising in the last what’s on the bench episode...
We've really expanded over the past year.. about 10k square feet with the new student studio and machine room. I can't believe how far I have come in a less than a decade! B
As usual Ben, another fantastic piece of timber. Watching you gild took me back to the early to mid 90's when I was a picture framer. Really enjoyed this video, thanks for sharing!
As the gold leaf is pressed onto the wood it doesn't quite cover every single spot of the uneven surface of the wood, it splits and cracks leaving gaps, this is why you double the leaf layer, to ensure every spot is covered. Of course there is a small amount of waste but that is to ensure full coverage. The epoxy will directly bond to the leaf rather than go through it, the strength will come from the fact that it isn;t a completely flat surface. While I am not an epoxy expert I do have plenty of experience with gilding. Maybe someone who knows more about epoxy can confirm or deny my comment.
@@natsterjam I see so there should be enough mechanical grip for this to work. I've build a few RC DLG gliders using carbon fiber and epoxy and most epoxy won't stick to its self very well unless it's got a good keyed surface so this would make sense on this guitar body.
These videos inspired me to start building my own guitars. Thank you so much! I'm making a hollow body with padauk, ebony, curly oak, and sapele currently
Always enjoy the Crimson vids, especially the builds! HOWEVER, once, just once, I'd like you to use copper rather than gold leaf for effect. IMO, copper would make a beautiful contrast to a 3,000 year old hunk of oak.
i was curious to know if you can be interested by wood and resin river art, it seems now that the answer is yes, now, do you plan to use some stems to reinforce the attachment of the wood, the gold leafs and the resin river ? the resin will well stick together with the gold leaf surface, but what about the "attachment" behind the gold leaf and the wood ? will the whole of it be enough solid without reinforcement pieces ?
I wood (pun intended) think so. Most pieces I've seen don't have any reinforcement bars or rods. I guess just don't drop it!! (Not like one would drop it anyway).
@@grantharrower2476 yeah, not false... but a guitar can live a hard life, especially on tour, living behind the window of a display cabinet is too bad for a guitar ;) i've seen videos of tables made as it, but the resin is in direct contact in the cracks of the wood, and are more of the time enough thick... here's i guess that the gold leaf surface can be a fragile connection surface, unless maybe to ad a thick resin shell all around the body to reinforce, but it's possible i'm totally wrong, after all, i'm not a guitar maker, and less of it, not Ben ;)
When picking up a sheet of gold leaf, use a clean feather rubbed on you hair to cause static and you'll find it easier to manipulate. In your case Ben, use nylon shirt since hair is non existant.
This guy is like the American Chopper of guitars, only he doesn't have his dad yelling at him all the time, because he just gets on with the job and doesn't argue back.
When I started watching this video, I thought the Gold wouldn't be a good idea... I'm glad you chose to do it rather than Leaf it on the shelf of possibilities... I know, I know, I REALLY should resist but everyone that knows me know it isn't gonna happen... 3:)
Hi Ben Phill from Australia probably too late to answer this question but what gold curing did u use between the enhancing filler which I ended up buying and the gold leaf. Making a coffee table using your process.
Hi Ben another good vid, how are you going to burnish the gold? and will it have structural issues holding the two halves together? or are you going to brace them with rods or something?
Hey. I'm not burnishing it, this is a different technique to the old egg white and agate burnisher method.. I was worried about the strength but the resin appears to penetrate the gold leaf, or.. the roughness of the bark has enough texture to hold it all together.. so far at least. B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Hmm, sounds like it may work, I look forward to the next videos. Is there any chance of you doing a build series using only 100 (ish) year old tools?
Looking forward to seeing the finished product. One question for you though, where do you get Bog Oak lumber that size? I can only find pen blanks normally (in the states) and I would LOVE to get my hands on some actual lumber.
True.. this is one of those stupid psychological things, I got it for free with a tool collection through my other business www.vintagetoolshop.com and in the back of my mind it has little value.. I will work on that next time! B
Love the vids, but from resin vids I've seen they tend to strip the bark and clean edge as even a thin layer of wood bark\dirt can make the structure week and separate easily, also told leaving can cause the resin to break away, would a layer of strong glue then leafing help the structure??? I so do want this guitar to work out, love the idea of bog oak and gold leafing, very celtic
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Awesome. I'm stoked to see how it turns out my man :D I'm currently working on a california redwood burl strat style right now and am having to use epoxy to fill some of the cracks and seal it up so it's a little harder
Well when he was putting it on the table you could clearly hear the tonal quality of it 👍👌 Tone timbre test (knock test) If you want to test the tone of wood knock it in diffrent spots and listen to the "tone"
I love how often we're getting build videos right now!
Joe Oliver makes saturdays fun!
A piece of wood like that has magic in it.
I hope so, I certainly breathed enough of it in.. can I be a unicorn? B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Ok, you deserve it.
Ben has literally made me want to change my career path. I’m gonna do one of his guitar building courses one day. One of life’s ambitions.
This man is a master at finding and adding unnecessary steps to anything he touches.
Yep, the gold is not necessary but I also don't want to build yet another version. If a standard resin guitar, I like taking risks. B
A 3000 year old piece of timber, what an awesome responsibility to make something wonderful from it. Love the gold leaf, what a great idea. I have absolute faith that you will create something of great beauty Ben.
Ben once this guitar is finished it deserves to be hung in a museum. In fact they need to dedicate a section and call it the Hall of Awesomeness. Might have to have a Cool Beans section as well!
You make me very very happy, ,thanks! B
I gotta say, there is no substitute for gold, except gold. The leaf was a good call, and it looks amazing.
Thank you , and thank you! B
Always pushing limits of creativity while others are stagnant, Crimsons calling card!
I just get bored so easily and love a challenge too much but as long as you watch I will build them! B
Ben, little tip- when you are leading, pick it up with a brush, finger grease stops it sticking to the piece and. Brush gives you more control.
Thank you, I will from now on! B
Ok, there are so many builders but very few with your imagination and innovation. Thank you for your inspiring builds and videos. I'd like to see what you would come up with building a Steampunk themed guitar. Keeping it functional without just bolting on a lot of junk. Bravo Ben & Crimson.
Hey Eric, thank you. I have been considering a steam punk build for years and that restriction, functional changes in the steam.punk ethic rather than bolting on useless crap, makes it much much more of a challenge. B
The gold leaf process its compelling! I couldn't stop watching that part.
This guitar is going to be incredible I can’t wait to hear it The detail and artistry that you put it in each guitar blows my mind
This shall henceforth be known as "the gold period" of Ben's creative journey!
Following after "the Fire Period".
@@Walking_Death And the copper period
Me: Ok... I should really get to sleep.
UA-cam: Crimson Custom Guitars
uploaded a new video
Me: Bog Oak, gold leaf, and resin? Damn you, Ben.... Well.... Sleep is over rated anyway.
Old, so old. Every fukin video gets this old, comment. So boring
@@tomahoks You will not eat that tablecloth or I will plow up that bloody tennis court and plant ball end trees there! ...now that's something you never heard before
Willard Potter
Yea man same thing here it’s 12am in California
Another build!!! brilliant!
most of the rational thinking world "but it's an old lump of wood!?!"
Ben "it's a beautiful guitar!"
these builds just blow me away, long may they continue
Hey Mark, I'm not stopping any time soon that is for sure! Thanks for commenting! B
I ďid not expect the wood be that Dark. Beautiful.
Superb wood. Carving the entire flat surface with a single Celtic knot would look great.
Just when I think it's safe to roll over and go to sleep, here comes another build. LOL!. Love what you do, and you never cease to amaze me with the ideas. Cannot wait to see how this turns out.
Yer darn tootin' I'm gonna watch! The production value of your content gets better and better. Better than TV.
you should invest in large pressure pots and/or vacuum chambers for your resin projects. it would definitely save you a lot of time when trying to fill in those craggy pieces of wood.
Any idea where to find one big enough? B
Honestly, I don't have a lot of personal knowledge about this kind of stuff, because I'm very income-challenged... but I've seen a lot of people use Smooth-On products. Looks like they make a Pressure Chamber that's about 31.75 cm diameter X 38.74 cm tall, and a Vacuum Chamber that's about 35.56 cm diameter x 38.1 cm tall. They could fit pretty large chunks of wood, but most likely not whole guitar bodies or necks (unless they're small guitars), and they aren't crazy expensive, and much more worth it if they're something you'll use often. I'm sure there are some sort industrial sized ones, but they're probably many thousands of dollars.
Or, actually, it looks like House of Resin sells pressure pots and stabilizing chambers. They're actually larger and less expensive than the Smooth On ones. Still probably not large enough for a whole body, but would work for two halves like this river guitar. I don't know if House of Resin is one of your sponsors or if you just bought their product yourself, but you might be able to source one from them?
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Surely the chamber could be built as part of the project? Build it once use it many times. Speaking from ignorance here tho.
Can you get hold of ancient mammoth tusk? Use it to craft the head stock and maybe some lamination stripes though the body of the guitar? Also for some inlay work? fill the pores in the mammoth tusk with epoxy?
NeedsNurfing and narwhal horn for the inlays? Or go full bore and use unicorn horn...
Now I think a nice long leg bone from some dinosaur would make a great neck wouldn't it?
The color of that wood amazes me
This channel should have waaay more subs.
Get on it, people!
I can already tell I’m going to want this guitar more than any other guitar Ben has ever made
Gold leaf is one of those things that should never have been imagined.
Okay..you're gold leafing the live edges, then filling with resin. After you finish getting the guitar to final thickness, the the top and back of the guitar will be exposed wood with resin only in the "river" portions, correct?
Doesn't this essentially make gold leaf the structural adhesive that's holding everything together?
lol hadn't thought of that. Maybe that's why we only get the first part here.
Shhhh if the guitar doesn't hear you it might not break
Vacuum...
im sure the master builder thought of that lol
@@josemason7082 The head tat screams "I think everything through".: )
I'm so used to stumbling on these kinds of videos several years late when the UA-cam algorithm randomly decides to recommend them to me. I genuinely don't know how to handle having to wait for the next part.
I feel your pain! Sorry dude B
With the gold leaf on both edges, will the resin still hold both halves of wood together or will the gold leaf act as a barrier like masking tape and make it a weak join?
I wondered the same. I'm curious about resin in the longer term as it doesn't react to seasonal changes like wood does. It could look awful. This decade's pebbledash?
Same worries here. Gold leaf isn’t very strong or abrasion resistant. First layer might be glued well to the sticky (ish) live edge, but 2nd one? Maybe the surfaces weld to each other, then it could be ok. I think we’ll see in the process. (Spoiler alert) It looked promising in the last what’s on the bench episode...
This makes me want to learn to use resin and build my own guitar, Thanks for the inspiration Ben.
I would suggest investing in a static brush if you're going to be using gold leaf a lot.
Another beauty in the making 😎👌🏻
Here's hoping! B
That bog oak grain is gorgeous. Damn..
You're a mad genius. Love it. Nice to see the rest of the shop. Dam, it's big.
We've really expanded over the past year.. about 10k square feet with the new student studio and machine room. I can't believe how far I have come in a less than a decade! B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars thank you for the reply, I really enjoy your channel.
When you gilded the second piece it showed just how much it popped. Fantastic choice of materials!
Black and gold, I almost can't go wrong. Fingers crossed it all comes together in the end! B
I have literally been waiting for you specifically to do this guitar!!! Epic
Ben: welcome for another build.
Me: week end will be great.
Thx Ben, amazing ideas as always 🤘
My pleasure, I love that people enjoy and are inspired by my stuff.. B
3000 year old bog oak. That is bold thinking.
As usual Ben, another fantastic piece of timber. Watching you gild took me back to the early to mid 90's when I was a picture framer.
Really enjoyed this video, thanks for sharing!
How well will the epoxy bond where you have doubled up the gold leaf ? Will the epoxy go through the gold leaf.
Anyway cant wait to see this finished
As the gold leaf is pressed onto the wood it doesn't quite cover every single spot of the uneven surface of the wood, it splits and cracks leaving gaps, this is why you double the leaf layer, to ensure every spot is covered. Of course there is a small amount of waste but that is to ensure full coverage. The epoxy will directly bond to the leaf rather than go through it, the strength will come from the fact that it isn;t a completely flat surface. While I am not an epoxy expert I do have plenty of experience with gilding. Maybe someone who knows more about epoxy can confirm or deny my comment.
@@natsterjam I see so there should be enough mechanical grip for this to work. I've build a few RC DLG gliders using carbon fiber and epoxy and most epoxy won't stick to its self very well unless it's got a good keyed surface so this would make sense on this guitar body.
@@OzoneFlyer I believe so my friend!
I like the way you never let sanity get in the way of a good idea! Lol
These videos inspired me to start building my own guitars. Thank you so much! I'm making a hollow body with padauk, ebony, curly oak, and sapele currently
Sounds awesome, you should send us some pics of the finished guitar for Guitar of the Week on WOTB.. B
I have the feeling that this guitar will be very beautiful
Wow, can’t wait for part 2!!
Coming on Saturday morning all being well. Lots of footage to work with. The series will be quite short though, about 5 videos tops I think. B
What a beautiful peice of wood, and a great idea. Thanks for sharing your skills.
Looks like obsidian, awesome.
You are a genius, when I grow up I wana be like you 👍👍
Amazing stuff. Wicked cool project, brother.
What a great set of ideas are going in to this project. Looks amazing so far
Thank you. I'm very happy with this one! B
Always enjoy the Crimson vids, especially the builds! HOWEVER, once, just once, I'd like you to use copper rather than gold leaf for effect. IMO, copper would make a beautiful contrast to a 3,000 year old hunk of oak.
copper leaf raw edge build from a couple of years back... ua-cam.com/video/f3FUuLkU-mI/v-deo.html enjoy
Full copper leafing ... ua-cam.com/video/NZGAnWvMnrY/v-deo.html
You already knew, didn't you? B
Kinda new to Crimson. Love what I've seen and thanks for the input. Thanks Bob.
The mad professor is at it again. Bring it on :)
I like you! B
i was curious to know if you can be interested by wood and resin river art, it seems now that the answer is yes, now, do you plan to use some stems to reinforce the attachment of the wood, the gold leafs and the resin river ? the resin will well stick together with the gold leaf surface, but what about the "attachment" behind the gold leaf and the wood ? will the whole of it be enough solid without reinforcement pieces ?
I wood (pun intended) think so. Most pieces I've seen don't have any reinforcement bars or rods. I guess just don't drop it!! (Not like one would drop it anyway).
@@grantharrower2476 yeah, not false...
but a guitar can live a hard life, especially on tour, living behind the window of a display cabinet is too bad for a guitar ;)
i've seen videos of tables made as it, but the resin is in direct contact in the cracks of the wood, and are more of the time enough thick... here's i guess that the gold leaf surface can be a fragile connection surface, unless maybe to ad a thick resin shell all around the body to reinforce, but it's possible i'm totally wrong, after all, i'm not a guitar maker, and less of it, not Ben ;)
Seeing you drop all that gold I half expected to see Todd Hoffman show up in your studio.
When picking up a sheet of gold leaf, use a clean feather rubbed on you hair to cause static and you'll find it easier to manipulate. In your case Ben, use nylon shirt since hair is non existant.
David Paterson what’s wrong with beard hair?
@@thatellipsisguy8984 it scratches on the pussy.
LMAO
Would the gold leaf cause an issue with the resin in not giving a good bond to the wood live edge ?. not if i know anything mind.
Exactly
Same, i think so
I love goooooolllllld! The look of it, the feel of it, the taste of it, the shmell of it.
Schmell
@@IrisGalaxis then there is no pleasing you.
Whoo, your editor is getting fancier. I like it.
Still lots of doggy jump cuts,
Have you done a resin ‘pour’ finish yet ?
Epic. Keep it up good Sir!
Cheers Some Guy.. I certainly will! Just got done with gluing the neck on this afternoon.. the end us nigh! B
My cat loved watching the gold leaf falling near the end of the video
Your cat has fantastic taste! Thanks for commenting! B
I'm so excited for this build!!
I’ve always liked river guitars. It would be kind of interesting to see a similar guitar but with silver leading instead.
Can't wait for the next video in the series! 🙏🏻
Love the special effects.
This guy is like the American Chopper of guitars, only he doesn't have his dad yelling at him all the time, because he just gets on with the job and doesn't argue back.
I have always wanted to film an American Chopper style series.. maybe one day! B
That will end up a stunning looking guitar.
I don't know which is more calming, this or a Bob Ross session.
Yes
Yay new build can't wait to see how it turns out. Sounds like it's going to be epic
Your guitars are absolutely gorgeous. I would sell my kids for 1. Fantastic.
I cant wait... nice project...
Lovely idea, can't wait to see the rest of the build.
Amazing piece of wood
I have a really good feeling about this one!!!
Another exciting build. :)
Eres un genio luthier mil felicitaciones
When I started watching this video, I thought the Gold wouldn't be a good idea...
I'm glad you chose to do it rather than Leaf it on the shelf of possibilities...
I know, I know, I REALLY should resist but everyone that knows me know it isn't gonna happen... 3:)
Awesome!!!!!! I've been looking forward to this
it´s a pleasure for the eys right away!
Fun fun fun.
This is flipping exciting 🙏
Just bloody awesome :)
outstanding!!!
this is a messy gold job but stunning
My first ever attempt at gold leaf.. I maybe should have said.. looking forward to improving though! B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars you did a great job in this masterpiece Sir!
Bog oak? It must be heavy as hell. Will be good for playing the heaviest heavy metal ever.
Yes! B
Cant wait to see the finished product.
Cactus Juice....Thats the stuff
thats a great looking piece of wood, cant wait to see how it turns out!
I love this soundtrack..are you making it?
What backsound in this pretty nice melody, i wont hear again, please share link of all the back sound😁
Dis gon b gud
Hi Ben
Phill from Australia probably too late to answer this question but what gold curing did u use between the enhancing filler which I ended up buying and the gold leaf. Making a coffee table using your process.
I love this. I would have preferred silver leaf, but this is still absolutely beautiful
Silver leaf would be fun.. I've never properly tried it yet. B
Oh no! I’ve watched all your videos and caught up and now I must wait for content. Also, when I win the lottery I will be buying one of your guitars.
When I win the lottery, I'll be doing two three month courses and BUILDING a half dozen of my own.
Hi Ben another good vid, how are you going to burnish the gold? and will it have structural issues holding the two halves together? or are you going to brace them with rods or something?
Hey. I'm not burnishing it, this is a different technique to the old egg white and agate burnisher method.. I was worried about the strength but the resin appears to penetrate the gold leaf, or.. the roughness of the bark has enough texture to hold it all together.. so far at least. B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Hmm, sounds like it may work, I look forward to the next videos. Is there any chance of you doing a build series using only 100 (ish) year old tools?
Looking forward to seeing the finished product. One question for you though, where do you get Bog Oak lumber that size? I can only find pen blanks normally (in the states) and I would LOVE to get my hands on some actual lumber.
Check out Ebay UK. I'm sure.soemone will ship to you, it seems it is quite easy to get over here. B
Gold Leaf is still Gold. You should be wanting to keep every single piece of that stuff.
True.. this is one of those stupid psychological things, I got it for free with a tool collection through my other business www.vintagetoolshop.com and in the back of my mind it has little value.. I will work on that next time! B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars It may be what they call Dutch Metal, Imitation Gold, not the Real Deal $6. a pack.
Love the vids, but from resin vids I've seen they tend to strip the bark and clean edge as even a thin layer of wood bark\dirt can make the structure week and separate easily, also told leaving can cause the resin to break away, would a layer of strong glue then leafing help the structure??? I so do want this guitar to work out, love the idea of bog oak and gold leafing, very celtic
Your concern is absolutely valid but we did a few tests and it worked well.. B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars cool looking forward to the progress on this guitar 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Amazing wood,,
I'm privileged to have fans who would share such a stunning bit of wood with me. B
so you're making the gold leaf the only thing holding the resin to the guitar? Wont it break?
tests were ok so fingers crossed not. The leaf is a little porous and the surface very rough so all being well it will hold together forever. B
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Awesome. I'm stoked to see how it turns out my man :D I'm currently working on a california redwood burl strat style right now and am having to use epoxy to fill some of the cracks and seal it up so it's a little harder
Has the UK banned vacuum bags?, just wondering
Well when he was putting it on the table you could clearly hear the tonal quality of it 👍👌
Tone timbre test (knock test)
If you want to test the tone of wood knock it in diffrent spots and listen to the "tone"