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Andyjr1515

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Posts posted by Andyjr1515

  1. 13 hours ago, ShatnersBassoon said:

    So…I seem to be getting a gloss now. But I think I might need to get some higher grits than 2500. Maybe I should get something like this? https://www.axminstertools.com/micro-mesh-soft-touch-pad-abrasives-211364?queryID=797b7e222982afa92a144bedc48ebc65
     

    There’s some tiny scratches in there. Will try some machine buffing instead of just doing it by hand like I have been doing, and see how that goes, maybe that might get rid of the micro scratches. Failing that I will try getting the higher grit papers. 

    The micro-mesh cloth is probably more useable than the pads - you can get mixed grade packs on ebay/amazon.  I usually go for the 3600 to 12000 packs.  I wouldn't be without them - one of the best abrasive developments I've ever come across.  The cloth versions (I use the 6" x 3" but other sizes are available) means you can used them with sanding blocks, cork blocks, radius blocks or just with your fingers.  They are fully washable, can be used wet or dry, last an absolute age and are the tops!

     

     

    • Like 2
  2. On 3/9/2024 at 8:52 PM, RVA said:

    I am starting to think that a neck does not have enough surface area to provide a true sense of a quilt grain pattern.

    Still very attractive, though.  Some of our builds are a bit like a Hollywood set - you look round the back and it's a bit dull :)  That's not going to be the case with this one!

     

    • Like 1
  3. Hi, well done and welcome  :)

    Yes - I spotted your build diary a while ago on, was it a Telecaster forum?  If I remember correctly, this is the second version?  Worth posting some of that here?

     

    Anyway, there are some really nice aesthetics in the design and the spray job of the finished job is excellent. 

  4. I'm a bit late to the party on this one but yes - I also use a relatively narrow straight beam (1"/25mm).  It makes it easier to keep straight and, as I move progressively across the width of the fretboard,  I can keep tangential to the curve of the frets better.  The metal filings you can see as you are sanding also give a good gauge to any lines missed and the general progress towards flatness.

    What I do do, however, is finish off with a standard radius block with some emery to smooth out any facets I may have left across the width of the frets.

    Finally, I use the same radius block pushed across the frets (so doing 3-4 at a time) to get the starting sanded 'grain' direction on the frets the same as that of the subsequent re-crowning/polishing.

      

    • Like 1
  5. So, in summary:

    - With finishes such as nitro, each coating layer that is applied 'melts' into the previous coats.  As such, you end up with a single, thick coating layer which can be sanded and buffed to a shine.

    - The types of polyurethane products available to the DIY-er don't work the same.  Here, each coat remains as an individual whisper-thin layer on top of the previous ones.

    - Once you have built up enough layers of thickness to start flattening, then you will be sanding through multiple layers as you remove the dints, dips and dust buggies.  Where you cut through to a previously flattened layer, that will show as matt.  Where you cut through into a layer that wasn't previously flattened, it will show as gloss.

    - exactly the same will happen if you use a buffing wheel.  Here, the heat will tend to melt the varnish layers but you will still get the same contour line effect

     

    So, with DIY polyurethane varnishes, I have found (but others may have other ways of doing it) that the trick is to:

    1. Understand that the finished gloss is the final two or three coats you apply, unflattened and unbuffed (initially - see step 8 for more info)

    2.  Flatten the 'final' multi-layered coating, exactly as you have done, until it is perfectly smooth, dint and dust-bug free.  I do this final stage with c 3000 grit emery, or something like 8000 micro-web, used wet.

    3.  Wipe clean of all sanding residue and let fully dry

    4.  Apply your 'final coat' of gloss

    5.  Let it dry fully.  Any flattening matt marks showing through?  If yes, then apply another gloss coat over the first one.  It might need a third.

    6. If there are other aberrations you are not happy with, no worry - just treat these two or three as extra pre-gloss coats.  Simply repeat steps 2-5

    7.  Once you are happy with the dried gloss finish, STOP.  Then leave it for at least 2 weeks to fully harden. 

    8.  Once it's fully hardened you can use a good quality auto polish (I use Meguiar's Ultimate Compound) to hand buff it up using a clean non-lint cloth.  You can repeat that hand buffing from time-to-time throughout the instrument's life - it may be a very thin final gloss coat, but it IS tough. 

    Don't use an auto powered buffer - this will generate too much heat and will soften that top gloss layer.  If this happens, then you would need to to start again at step 2! 

    These are a couple of examples done this way:

    _MG_0899.thumb.JPG.71a961c029516cfa1c65c6ebc704b28d.JPG

    IMG_7226.thumb.JPG.f59706e158953f7f7cf3e7b0ccc5c77d.JPG

    _MG_3136.thumb.JPG.dbd936d4e53893f9860d5a428ebe57ba.JPG 

    • Like 2
  6. Is the actual surface lumpy...or is it that you have a pretty flat surface but that you have areas that are matt finish, other areas that are glossy and contour lines between them?

    I'll post at more length when I get a moment to explain why and how, but with standard polyurethane finishes, you cannot sand or buff down to a gloss finish as you would with, say, nitro.

    I think this issue is covered in my Topic on wipe-on poly finishes in the 'Tutorial' section but no-matter - I'll explain fully in any case when I get a moment :)

    Oh - and don't worry...you won't have done ANY harm doing what you have already done...

     

     

    • Like 1
  7. Ah - we maybe at crossed purposes.  

    When you say 'white mahogany stain', do you mean this?   

    IMG_8234.thumb.JPG.6eb7f3fac845a55e754b2706e26e4737.JPG

    If so, then no - that was the 'before'.  It was a finish that Gibson produced for a while - a bit like chalk-paint in the way it looked and behaved but, as far as I know, was actually a nitro finish.  Happily, the owner hated the above (the photo is, actually, flattering.  In real life, I had to agree with him..it was a bit naff) which is why he asked me to strip it all off.

    This is the tru-oil slurry and buffed chestnut stain mix on top of the light mahogany neck that was under the chalk paint:

    _MG_8481.thumb.JPG.aae612329b3a0de52fcd6aafa485009c.JPG

     

     

    So, is the change an Andyjr1515 triumph or an Andyjr1515 act of vandalism, we're all wondering :hyper

    :) 

     

     

    • Haha 1
  8. 49 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

    @Andyjr1515 that white mahogany stain job is lovely, what was the stain you used to achieve that? 

    Thanks, Ash  :)

    The whole job was a bit of a mix of stains and thinners.  I'm pretty sure that all of the stains I used were from the Chestnut Spirit Stains 'sampler pack' - things like light mahogany/light oak/teak/etc, with, I think I remember, a teeny bit of yellow from their poster-colour sampler pack.   The only problem with doing it this way is that if you run out of the mixed quantity mid-application...

    That said, I'm actually not a huge fan of those particular stains - they seem to leave a glossy skin in some applications.  But their sampler sets have such a variety of colours that, in this kind of application, they are very useful.

    For non-wood colours, I still favour pen inks - although admittedly you have to either stick to 'permanent' and calligraphy inks, or do a bit of research to choose the colours and brands that are less prone to fade.  Luckily, there are loads of 'fountain pen enthusiast' forums around with just that kind of info.  This below is all fountain pen ink:

     _MG_4101.thumb.JPG.fdad82279d9a293067aa3b0fbc0dcd04.JPG 

    This was recently retired after around 10 years faithful service - and it still looked the same colour  :D

     

  9. I'm a bit late to the party on this one.

    Although I can't remember ever staining and oiling a fretboard, the answer ref the neck is yes.

    This is a mahogany LPJ that I did a few years ago in red calligraphy ink and finished in Tru-oil.  The body was brought to a light gloss but the neck was done in a modified version of the Tru-oil 'slurry and buff method'.  It was an experiment on one of my own guitars as I'd always been told that 'slurry and buff' with a stained finish was no good as it would just sand/slurry the stain off.  And, just done the normal way, yes that is right.  

    But to my surprise, done in a modified way, there was no sign of the stain wearing off or 'red left thumb' in sight!  And I was left with a silky-smooth, very organic-feeling stained neck.

    LPJRedStain.thumb.jpg.1cf3cb15075a3ec412434f9aa7efcfde.jpg

    That said, at the time I wasn't an exceptionally regular gigger. 

    However, the following year - with due warnings and disclaimers - I refinished a Gibson LP Studio in stains and inks for a VERY regular and heavy gigger.  He was happy for me to give his Gibson the same treatment and so that's what I did.  It went from this:

    IMG_8228.thumb.JPG.874b687cd3ecae794783542ed3d7e7d4.JPG

    IMG_8234.thumb.JPG.6eb7f3fac845a55e754b2706e26e4737.JPG

     

    ...to this...

     

    _MG_8474smaller.thumb.jpg.3d3daaa51a39bbad4287e7e78a38343c.jpg

    _MG_8481.thumb.JPG.aae612329b3a0de52fcd6aafa485009c.JPG

    As you can see, pretty heavy staining!

    And - and I specifically asked him for feedback - no wear or staining of his fretting thumb either!!

    The modified method is simple, but there are some important steps that need to be incorporated.  Shout if you want any more detail.

     

     

     

    • Like 3
  10. On 1/27/2024 at 3:04 AM, ADFinlayson said:

    Something else I found interesting, the Mirka abranet pads are barely touching it

    Quite agree.  I love my Mirka and the abranet pad system, but serious removal (wood or hard finish) isn't, in my experience, one of their strengths

    • Like 1
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