12b345b67 Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 hello! im a new member but im not that new to this forum. ive been learning alot but now im doing this guitar rebuilding project and i need a little help so i thought id register. the guitar im rebuilding is a strat copy and im aming for something more like an ibanez rg style (everyones favorite right? ). here is the thing: ive stripped the body and sawn it to a shape somewhat like an ibanez rg. now im sanding up the finnish for the paint/lacquer(sp?) and now i reached the sides of the body. i find it very hard to make it a right angle and also totally plane. what technique/tools do you use?? i hope you understand what im trying to put across. and yes, this is my first attempt ever to build/rebuilt a guitar! any help would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted December 20, 2003 Report Share Posted December 20, 2003 Welcome to the board! If I understand correctly, you want to make the sides a perfect 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the top. You could make a couple sanding blocks, one w/ a concave surface and the other w/ a convex surface. Just make sure the radius of the concave one is larger than the largest curve on the guitar. Glue sandpaper to the surfaces of the sanding blocks. I usually start with 80 grit then work to 320. It depends on what stage the wood is at, 80 is for fairly rough wood, you can always begin with a finer grit. Make sure the sides (adjacent to the sanding surface) of your sanding blocks are perpendicular to the surface holding the paper. Lay the guitar down on a flat surface and use the convex block for the inside curves and the concave block for the outside curves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Welcome to the forum 12b345b67 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 You want the sides of the guitar to be 90 deg to the top, right? I use a drill press with sanding drums. If you don't have a drill press, I think you can do it with a belt sander also (mounted on it's side). I think Rhoads56 has a web site with a pic of that somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12b345b67 Posted December 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 ok, thanks alot everyone! yes youre both right, 90° angle. Southpa: a very good method. but what glue should i use? because i would want to easily switch the sandpaper. daveg: probably great for concave areas, but for convex? yes i found that picture and thanks for the tip, its a very informative site!! well i dont have drill press at home so i cant use that method. i have a belt sander so i think i will use the method described at the site. or maybe the one Southpa described. i have not yet descided. i will post many futher questions about this project so, beware! thanks alot again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted December 21, 2003 Report Share Posted December 21, 2003 Most autobody supply stores carry the glue you need. Just ask if they have any "disc cement", I use a glue manufactured by a company called Pro Form Products Ltd., based in Milton, Ontario, Canada. It remains tacky and is used specifically for bonding paper or cloth backed sandpaper or discs to sponge, rubber, wood, metal, whatever you want to carry your sandpaper. You just spread it evenly on the block, allow the solvent to evaporate (about 5 min.) then press your paper firmly on. Paper won't slide and when done just peel it off and slap on a fresh one. One application of glue is good for several sandings. There are also a few varieties of spray on adhesives that do the same job. 3M company makes a few and I've also used a product called Air-Tac II. I prefer to do this kind of sanding by hand. Its so easy to mess up those smooooth curves with power equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12b345b67 Posted December 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 I prefer to do this kind of sanding by hand. Its so easy to mess up those smooooth curves with power equipment. yes, i have the same feeling about using the sander. its probaly good with rough wood though. i think i will make myself some radiused sanding blocks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 For most of my sanding I use a semi-dense foam block. I wrap the paper around it and then can bend it to fit any contour. This works for me but I rarely go for a perfectly flat surface anywhere. I have lots of flexable material but what I use most is just one of those grit encrusted foam sanding blocks you can get in any hardware store. One of them I split off center so I have different thicknesses for different jobs. Just a little warning. You will want to use them a bit to get rid of any loose grit that might break off and contaminate any finer grit paper you're using. Otherwise they have been a great tool for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars Posted December 22, 2003 Report Share Posted December 22, 2003 For most of my sanding I use a semi-dense foam block. I wrap the paper around it and then can bend it to fit any contour. This works for me but I rarely go for a perfectly flat surface anywhere. I have lots of flexable material but what I use most is just one of those grit encrusted foam sanding blocks you can get in any hardware store. One of them I split off center so I have different thicknesses for different jobs. Just a little warning. You will want to use them a bit to get rid of any loose grit that might break off and contaminate any finer grit paper you're using. Otherwise they have been a great tool for me. mine's called a durablok. Got it for $6 from the college body shop. If you have $100, home depot has a very handy tabletop drum sander by ryobi. It'll do this project, and from there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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