komodo Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 21 hours ago, ScottR said: that jumped off my bench right after I finished polishing it and landed faced down on my concrete garage floor. Damn! Put a leash on that thing. This is really good info. Maybe after it cures more, I'll do a rough level to help see better and then address any areas with nitro drop fills. I can do some overall flow coats after that and they should be even smoother. One thing I've always wondered is, can I reshoot coats over this for an indefinite time period? Let's say next spring, can I shoot a couple more coats and it will melt into the top layer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) 16 hours ago, a2k said: Nice bass! Thanks! Edited December 1, 2015 by komodo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 On 11/30/2015, 9:40:19, ScottR said: I dunno... I had a ziricote topped strat-ish build that jumped off my bench right after I finished polishing it and landed faced down on my concrete garage floor. I had the same plan as you and at first it looked good, invisible even. But the nitro kept shrinking and the CA didn't. It was visible again in a few days . I ended up sanding the finish past the damage and re-shooting it. I've got a spot to fill as well and I plan to put a heavy drop of nitro on it, then mostly level it and then spray it with blush remover. All this before the leveling sand. In a couple of weeks I'll clean whatever is left during the leveling sand. SR Yeah, recent nitro can be pretty forgiving since it reflows. I wish I had more experience with the stuff, but the only can I managed to snag here in Finland was a random "last can on the shelf" which I used to do my RD bass a couple of years back. I wonder if there's any left.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 3 hours ago, komodo said: Damn! Put a leash on that thing. This is really good info. Maybe after it cures more, I'll do a rough level to help see better and then address any areas with nitro drop fills. I can do some overall flow coats after that and they should be even smoother. One thing I've always wondered is, can I reshoot coats over this for an indefinite time period? Let's say next spring, can I shoot a couple more coats and it will melt into the top layer? Yes, it will remelt pretty much indefinitely. However all the various cans I've read do recommend lightly scuffing before spraying over any coat over 24 hours old. That's probably the lawyers talking there. I've done repairs on finishes that are several years old and the spot fills burned in fine and cleaned up with no witness lines.. One think I've learned with drop fills is if the pin holes you are trying to fill are too small they are nearly impossible to fill without an air bubble, which leave a pin hole when leveled. It's tough to force yourself to do, but you're better off enlarging the hole a bit so the lacquer will fill it without bubbles. I fill them with a big drop so it is still proud of the hole after it shrinks. It's pretty simple to level and polish out after that. Oh, and I duct taped that thing to the bench whilst polishing out the respray. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 20 hours ago, komodo said: Oh man, that gives me way too much GAS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) Wet sanding, wet sanding, wet sanding. No pics now, I'll add some later. I've come to the conclusion that if you spend $4k on a custom guitar, your basically paying someone $4k to intimately sand it one million times - the rest of the build is easy. My right arm is larger than my left. Every time I think I should switch arms to even them out, I find out how crappy my left arm sands and I go back to giving myself cramps in my right again. I block sanded starting at 1200, and even though the nitro was pretty level already, it was not efficient at all. So, I switched to 600 and a very light touch and things went way better. Then straight to 1200 and it looks excellent. One technique I've forced myself to use is to sand all the way through a grit, and then leave it for the night. Come back the next day with the same grit and you look with a more critical eye, more patience, and finish that last 10% you may have understandably missed. One last thing, as the surface is sanded you can actually see the depth of the finish - from wood to surface. In my finishing book Erlewine said spraying something like 4 heavy coats in one day was about max. I most certainly blew past that as I seem to have laid down a LOT of nitro in a very short time. My first several coats were flashing off very fast and were pretty thin as I got used to the gun. As the day progressed, my hand got steadier, the coats got thicker, and I probably got the most you could realistically shoot in one day. After three weeks in a heated shop it seems quite hard and is leveling nicely. My plan is to finish it up, then check it come spring to see just how much more shrinkage there may have been. I won't hesitate to strip off the hardware and give her a couple flow coats to touch it up. Edited December 18, 2015 by komodo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 37 minutes ago, komodo said: My plan is to finish it up, then check it come spring to see just how much more shrinkage there may have been. I won't hesitate to strip off the hardware and give her a couple flow coats to touch it up. I'm familiar with that plan. And on a few of my builds I see some shrinkage into the pores in just the right light at just the right angle. And I look at it thinking I might want to strip the hardware off and level it and re-polish it again. But then I blink and the light or angle changed and I don't see anything but a really shiny finish....... So far I have not stripped any hardware off and redone anything. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Ha! I'm not fooling myself. The only reason I say this is since I sprayed SO much lacquer on there, it's hard to say if I may get some extra shrinkage. But hell, my Charvel from 1984 that had a polyester finish shrank over time and I could see the glue line. Didn't stop me from playing it. I found some liquid polish I had from LMI that I may try today and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 19, 2015 Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 Now that is some of the fieriest art I've seen in a long time. Intentional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2015 What? Buffing til my arms bleed? No one will tell me when to stop, so I'll just go til I can read books in the reflection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Next stop some fretwork and electronics. Pitstop with my triple six tripel. Lots of little flaws (characters) all over this thing. It's definitely a handmade guitar, but I learned tons and am happy with where she is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 You may think there are lots of little flaws, but keep in mind that when 99.9% of people see that thing they're going to think it's freaky beautiful. We're our own worst critics... Looking amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Needs a bug. Preferably a small gnat... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 14 hours ago, mattharris75 said: You may think there are lots of little flaws, but keep in mind that when 99.9% of people see that thing they're going to think it's freaky beautiful. We're our own worst critics... Looking amazing! Thanks Matt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 My shop screw soap. Anytime I'm going into oak or maple, esp. with small screws, the threads get rubbed on the screw soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 If all goes well, she should be wired and I can finally hear her voice tomorrow! wOOt! I planned that Gotoh 510 bridge early on, but I'm not a huge fan of wraparounds. I considered what this might be like with a ToM, but after I had drilled the bushings, which are wider that ToM. BUT, Ibanez just happened to make a Gibralter III bridge that is a nice ToM variant that uses the wider bushing spacing. I've managed to secure a new gold one just in case though I doubt I will. But who knows, I love changing my mind a lot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 This has been quite the journey, @komodo.... I've heard a lot of people state that beeswax is infinitely preferable (I may be exaggerating the infinite bit, which might not actually be possible) since soaps can contain oils (as moisturisers) and tend to attract water. I think it's nitpicking myself, since we're not exactly loading up a trem cavity with the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 4 hours ago, Prostheta said: This has been quite the journey, @komodo.... I've heard a lot of people state that beeswax is infinitely preferable (I may be exaggerating the infinite bit, which might not actually be possible) since soaps can contain oils (as moisturisers) and tend to attract water. I think it's nitpicking myself, since we're not exactly loading up a trem cavity with the stuff. Hmm yeah, that is certainly a consideration. I also have several bars of beeswax and some Procut (lube for pearl saw blades) that would work. One semi-related thing that bummed me out - I used a polish I got from LMII for the final buff which was supposed to be "body shop OK". Mirror Glaze from Miguires that is supposed to be free of silicones and waxes. Well, I found out that it ISN'T, so any future touchups or coats will be problematic unless I put it in the dishwasher first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Ack, somebody dropped the ball! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Pretty much done. Still setting it up, but I did pound on it for 1/2 hour and it's awesome. Lots of usable sounds, the SD jazz neck pup is a stunner. The Sprague orange drop .022 makes an excellent tone cap, just right. The neck profile is in the baseball bat range, I'll take that down later when I have some energy after the holidays. The neck was specifically finished with shellac only for a super thin and satiny feel with the rosewood., so it'll be easy to finish up. I'll try to get some better pics in the next couple days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Man, that's a really sweet product of great work and perseverance. How are you feeling about the colour of the top? What you imagined it to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdshirtman Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 20 hours ago, komodo said: Ya gotta be happy with that finish. Its beautiful. Any possibility on reposting how you cut the matched cavity cover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted December 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 5 hours ago, sdshirtman said: Ya gotta be happy with that finish. Its beautiful. Any possibility on reposting how you cut the matched cavity cover? Thanks! Well, basically I did a bunch of small slices with an Xacto blade until I pierced one spot. Then, I slide one of my smallest pearl cutting blades which is normally used with a frame saw, through the slot. Holding both ends taught, I slowly made my way around the line, making the smallest kerf possible. In the end, after all the sanding and finishing it still ended up being a little wider than I thought but the figure match is so good I don't care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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