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Build 2 - Dan's LP JR Double Cut


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There's nothing quite like the feel of properly smooth wood. It takes on an almost waxy feel, when you can no longer tell which way the grain goes. It almost clings to your hand like the Van der Waals force. Most satisfying :D

Anyway, this is the slurry and buff coat, plus another coat to give something to cut into, knocked back with 400 grit aluminium oxide paper 

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You can just make out a white speck in the foreground - the last few microns of the gloss coat

That wasn't actually the main object of tonight's class. That was to finish off deburring the fret ends with the instructor's lovely little diamond file. The sanding was a bonus to fill the rest of the time

I got the front and back flatted off, but still need to do the sides and neck before any more oil. It's getting to the point where the guitar will have to stay at home drying rather than carting it back and forth, so a few future classes might be spent on the next project (I wonder if anyone can remember what that is...)

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I've found that thinning Tru-Oil with maybe 25% napthalene for initial flood coats, straight for build and perhaps half that (10%?) for late stage gloss wiping coats works well. Slurry fills can be a little less predictable than "proper" fillers, but hey, nobody wants a set-in-plastic look when working with oils. That slight sinking is the first sign of beauty aging. One of the few example where sagging bits here and there are valued?

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Oh, one tip for anyone considering an oil slurry fill. My first attempt with conventional wet and dry paper wasn't brilliant. On my second attempt I used Silverline-brand sterated aluminium oxide paper in 240 grit for flat areas and 400 grit everywhere else. The paper held up fine in the Tru-Oil, with no grit shedding and I got much better results than with the wet and dry paper. Maybe it's because the al-ox paper is a bit more compliant and flexible

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Thanks for the tip!

I've experienced the same with wet'n'dry, even if it doesn't disintegrate the grey colour comes off.

I've used 1500 grit Mirka Mirlon Total abrasive pads similar to the green Scotch dish washing ones. Even that seems to either disintegrate or bleed colour but not as much as wet'n'dry. Part of the disintegration of such pads may be that the construction allows the material sand itself. Maybe I've been using too much pressure?

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On 2/26/2020 at 2:36 AM, Bizman62 said:

Maybe I've been using too much pressure?

Over the last year or two, my overall sanding pressure (at any stage) has eased up resulting in better results. It's not unlike relaxing your hands when playing for better smoothness and speed. I'm not sure if the sanding process then takes longer, but I don't think so. Actually maybe less as you don't have to get out too many deep scratches from the last grit.

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I'm well aware of not using too much pressure when sanding and I'm trying to avoid that. My concern was about the abrasive pad wearing out when using it with oil. The combination of plastic, chemicals and mechanical stress seems to be too much for it.

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I find that it's a combination of surface area contact plus pressure. I prefer a larger contact patch and wider pressure distribution. This helps with even edges, avoiding flat spots and general consistency. Wet and dry papers don't seem to like being folded and any creases soon start disintegration. The problem is with the surface tension of water making wet papers stick more readily....a bit of dish soap or other surfectant helps break that.

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I'm not sure if it was a stray hair or a little scratch, but it was slap bang in the middle of the body and wasn't covered by another coat of oil. So out came the 400 grit to get it out, followed by a 1200 grit micromesh pad all over. A fresh coat of Tru Oil and it's looking much better. One or two more coats should see it done 

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Then I've just got the rest of it to finish :D

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1 hour ago, mistermikev said:

400 grit on tru oil?  that would be a direct route to burn thru for me!  looks amazing.  nice work!

Always with a sanding block, light pressure, tap the dust out of the paper on a microfibre cloth every few strokes to stop the paper clogging. I did have to go down a bit to remove the blemish, and now that the solvent has gassed off a bit there are a couple of areas that will definitely need another coat or two. On the whole though it's looking pretty good to me. We're on the final bend and fast approaching the home straight 

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1 hour ago, Norris said:

Always with a sanding block, light pressure, tap the dust out of the paper on a microfibre cloth every few strokes to stop the paper clogging. I did have to go down a bit to remove the blemish, and now that the solvent has gassed off a bit there are a couple of areas that will definitely need another coat or two. On the whole though it's looking pretty good to me. We're on the final bend and fast approaching the home straight 

right on.  tru oil seems to burn thru incredibly easy, is a fickle but handsome oil for sure!

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Truss rod cover part 2.

The truss rod nut is 8mm diameter, so with a 8.5mm bit I drilled a hole 

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Then sanded lots

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So flipped over and in place there is 1 or 2 mm to remove from the top surface for final fitting 

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Then drilled in the channel and magnets glued in place. I also started a roundover of the cover itself 

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Oh, and sanded a small recess to be able to hook your fingernail under. If you haven't guessed yet, the two pieces will be glued together once the final height is set 

I've not quite finished the roundover, but then I've not quite finished with the cover yet... :)

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