Sami Ghouri Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Heya! so i am almost done routing and beveling my first build. however, since i went cheap on this one (pine.... *gets the flame shield) since it's my first and because i live in the desert where timbers are pretty rare to start with..... i got many scratches and dents to fill.... (as well as SOME grain filling, that's how cheap that piece was in quality, but it still cost me $23!!) can i use titebond? i think it's pretty hard to sand though.... but i noticed that it makes the surface pretty indestructible... but i am not sure the paint will bond well with it...... so? if not, can i just use the usual paste wood fillers? but for a large space, wouldn't that be a bit hard? i couldn't find any grain fillers here... one last question, i screwed up the easiest part of routing, the pickup cavities.... mainly because i don't have a template bit nor a template guide NOR a template to begin with, i almost had to free hand it and i FAILED.... so now the neck pickup has an eaten corner where the screw will bite into the air..... titebond and sawdust? or a mixture of titebond and wood filler? i know i'm being a pain and a total n00b... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Quality wood = quality guitar. If its pine then I wouldn't even bother trying to "dress up mutton to look like lamb". Believe it or knot (pun intended ) pine can look pretty cool when left in its rustic state. Leave the dents, scratches etc, actually put some dark stain in them to highlight and then go with an amber clearcoat to give the aged look. I know some folks might (huh, make that WILL) see things differently than I do. The finish on a guitar is secondary for me. I've seen so much eye candy in the store. Most of the price is wrapped up in the finish and not the materials and structure. I'm not impressed by the nice paint job on the car if the car doesn't even work and I can't rely on it. Same thing with guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Titebond as grainfiller? Can you get epoxy? You know, the stuff that comes in a double syringe? Much better, will "protect" the wood and you can paint over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted October 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 well i did start my post by a gentle apology regarding hte choice (or should i say, the lack of) of wood =D...... the thing is i NEED it to look shiny and all eye candy material and stuff. i'm giving it to my gf as a bday gift and her bday si on the 26th of october..... i'm in the final stages already, just need a day or two more and i'll be able to start the finishing..... i read the titebond thing on THIS forum somewhere.... dunno which thread thoguh.... and no i can't get epoxy =( it seems that i can't get anything useful for guitars here!!!!!! no wood, no epoxy, not even the right routing bits..... it's a tragedy and i need to spend a fortune ordering this crap from stewmac and other sites that feel sorry for ppl who live in the 100% commercial world and ship them parts rather than full guitars..... not to deviate from the topic, but it seriously pisses me off how ppl here would rather throw a guitar in the waste bin and buy a brand new one just because the paint got chipped or because the bridge lost its luster!!!! it's driving the prices of equipment INSANE here!!!! bearing in mind there are BARELY any taxes!!!!! gah..../rant any more helpful ideas? the guitar iwll be finished in solid white..... with black bevels (it's an RR copy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 If the guitar is pine and covered in faults...just fill it with wood putty as you would furniture. The pickup cavity thing...you probably need to glue some wood in there for the screw to screw into... I suspect you don't ant to post a pic...but obviously it would help... One of the reasons not to use pine is that it will 'move' over time and your putty will tend not to...any knots and dark grain will likely show through in a short while...especially if the environment over there has extremes of heat and moisture (or lack thereof)... not to deviate from the topic, but it seriously pisses me off how ppl here would rather throw a guitar in the waste bin and buy a brand new one just because the paint got chipped or because the bridge lost its luster!!!! it's driving the prices of equipment INSANE here!!!! bearing in mind there are BARELY any taxes!!!!! Well...I'd be rescuing these and working on them if that is the case...or send them down here. A lot of people feel the need to jump into the deep end and attach a neck to a DIY body before acquiring the skills or with limited means (wood supply, etc) and virtually ignore some perfectly good fix-er-uppers just crying out for a little TLC and a new finish... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted October 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 (edited) i do this rescuing thing a lot.... that's what got me into building in the first place. been servicing and repairing for quite sometime now.... but i thoguht i'd up the level a bit and make bodies for some of those necks i have. yesterday when i was using a belt sander, and allow me to say i STILL HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA how that happened, the belt slipped and caught the face of the guitar and burned through the long horn! i swear i have no clue how that was even possible! i filled it with wood putty yesterday and i'll see how it'll look like after sanding today..... i HAVE to find real woods and i'm planning on making/ordering templates..... the template bit is a must though, looked up the whole country and couldn't find one.... and hardware store ppl give me the weirdest look ever when i ask for the bit with the bearing above the cutting edge and they think i'm retarded....... will the grain still show after a while even if i CAKE the thing in paint and lacquer? i'm planning on using white enamel paint sanded flat and then minwax polycryllic clear.... would've used polyu but it has this horrible brownish tint that doesn't work with white paint at all... i'm hoping polycryllic will be better! as i said, i care more about the looks of this one than the sound..... as it's my first and my girl is still a beginner (and already has a good ibanez and doesn't exactly "need" a good guitar).... so any cosmetic advice would be HIGHLY appreciated..... thanks a mil! Edited October 6, 2008 by Sami Ghouri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted October 6, 2008 Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 Well...I would be using ordinary hardware fillers and paints for this kind of thing... Regardless...pine is rarely stable and the grain can be quite strong and no matter how much you fill it and such...the wood underneath will be shrinking and moving. That doesn't mean you couldn't make a guitar out of it... Quality wood = quality guitar. If its pine then I wouldn't even bother trying to "dress up mutton to look like lamb". Believe it or knot (pun intended lol.gif ) pine can look pretty cool when left in its rustic state. Pine can look ok if it is allowed or even encouraged to relic up...but it is a lot to ask of it to make it appear to be something it is not. One common way of course is to put a face of ply on the front and back...like a typical cheap import thing. If you must go cheap...next time I would be exploring some of these alternative options... For now...fill and sand the thing as smooth as possible (belt sanders are rarely a good idea unless removing a big body carve or something), use a primer and a undercoat...maybe two. White is tricky and always the preparation is key to the success...if the undercoat is not completely white...the top coat will rarely cover it! Good luck... pete (don't suppose you want to post a pic or anything?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted October 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 i would've posted a pic but i'm pretty much avoiding the flames i messed up badly on the easiest parts of routing (i.e. pickup cavities) and i'd like to spare myself the feeling of ppl rolling their eyes everytime they see it hehe..... it looks pretty ugly with the dark putty on it now (had a lot of mahogany colored putty and no time to actually go and get a light colored one) but the burn is semi fixed, needs another application and sanding. i'm only left with the control cavity and i have to take down the neck pocket by 3 more mm's coz i was following the diagram on martin kock's book which said 1.6cm but the neck sits way too high over the body..... yes i was quite impatient it seems and didn't check exactly how thick my neck will be (even though the neck he was using seemed to have the same strat heel and thickness).... what do you advise me to do with the neck pocket? i was thinking place two blocks on each side of the pocket (since it's an RR so there's no way to balance the router on the neck pocket) and fix both the blocks and the body to a table and then -this is the part where most of you will shout BLASPHEMY- somehow cover the cutting edge of my routing bit (again, i don't have a template router bit) and then make sure that shield around it is enoguh to make it almost cut around the inside of the neck pocket and then i'll patch the difference by my files/needle files (which i've been able to do before due to a routing mistake which lead to the inside corners needing some filing and stuff............ i just hope the covering is solid enoguh and won't expose the edge and ruin my pocket *crosses fingers* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 Yes well...lucky the wood is cheap! Yes...blocks of wood and secure everything down (a big reason for things running away and for saftys sake)... Since you are going to be filling and paintng this thing anyway...I would be nailing both the blocks and hte guitar to the bench...seriously...it wont move and you will be safe and you can fill the holes later! Honestly though...and I knew you didn't want to show the thing...but you are asking for it and you do know it... Bad wood, bad tools, bad workmanship = ... Now of course...you will be learning a lot from your mistakes...so there is an up side...the downside is that your GF may not appreciate the gift of these errors! You are not the first nor the last to make these errors (when I was a kid I made all kinds of monstrosities...no routers in those days at all!)...it is good of you to allow others perhaps to learn from them! good luck with the deadline! Maybe the GF would prefer you made her a hard case for her real guitar or something...just a thought! pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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