F5 Mandolin

I've finished re-fretting the mandolin now.  Here are some photos of the job.

Another french polishing session adding a final glazing coat...

Items left to do:
1. Buff the finish
2. Make the nut and fit it on the mandolin
3. File and fit the bridge
4. Install all the hardware
5. String it up

F5 Mandolin

I'm trying to get back to working on the F5 Mandolin.  I spent some time this past weekend leveling the finish so I could put on several glazing coats.  In that process, I decided that I would go ahead and re-fret it myself.  I purchased the fret wire quite a while ago so I basically have everything I need to do the job.

Here are some photos of the job...

Heating up and removing the old frets

All the frets are removed

I leveled the fret board using successive grades of sand paper.  This removed all of the fingernail divots and scratches from years of playing.

Cut new frets for installation

You can see the nice new smooth surface of the fretboard in this picture.  There are several chips in the fret board that need filling.  I'll post pictures of the repair shortly.

Fitting the first fret

Once the new frets are in place, I'll do one more glazing session and then time to make the new nut and bridge.

Ultra Shuffle Alley V

I've moved the machine in to the basement now.  At this point, I have the legs, coinbox and button cover plate over to my friend for sand blasting.  Interestingly, while giving him the parts, we discovered that the legs were originally chrome plated.  Somewhere along the line, the legs had been painted.  It's unlikely that I will be able to get them re-chromed.

A discussion with my brother brought out the proper paint for all the metal parts.  I'll be painting them with a hammer tone paint and it should come out looking vintage.

The following are some photos of it in its current state:

Pin hood with the pin plate removed

Another with the pin plate removed

The return bumper with the cover removed

On the left side you can see that the bumper has slipped out of the metal tie down strap.  This is why the puck bounces up when thrown down the right side of the lane.  I have since disassembled, cleaned and reassembled the bumper system correctly.

Here's the fixed up bumper

A look down the lane from the back of the machine near the bumper

A look down on the trigger levers from the left side.

The lane markers all cleaned up

A closeup of the cleaned marker lights

Gotta love the graphics!