Armaan Posted July 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 3 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Oil is nice to touch, it has a very "woody" feel. That sounds nice and I think I’ll just stick with the BLO. 3 hours ago, Bizman62 said: Adhesive sandpaper can be difficult to find in suitable grits/lengths/widths. Lay masking tape both on your block and on the back of the sandpaper of your choice and glue them back to back with cyanoacrylate glue. Masking tape is designed to hold without creeping and detach without leaving sticky residues. Yes! I’ve been using this to make different sanding surfaces. I made a block for flat sanding and stuck sandpaper to some tubes for sanding curved surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Armaan said: I think I’ll just stick with the BLO. That's a solid plan. You can apply wax on the oiled surface for added strength and shine. I've made my own mix of carnauba, beeswax and pine turpentine, but any wood wax that doesn't contain silicone will do. Also, if you find that the oil finish isn't durable enough, you can apply the poly mix afterwards - it might even blend with wax as the formula is pretty similar but wiping with mineral spirit/turpentine may be recommendable just for sanity and cleaning. The poly mix will still have that woody feel unless you wipe on a hundred coats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 56 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: You can apply wax on the oiled surface for added strength and shine. I can use D'addario's instrument care wax that I have - I believe it is carnauba wax. 57 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: Also, if you find that the oil finish isn't durable enough, you can apply the poly mix afterwards - Makes sense - can decide later depending on how the BLO turns out. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 Ground wire: Should I be drilling a hole from under the bridge to the control cavity for a ground wire? The ground wire will sit under the bridge? Anything to keep in mind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Armaan said: Should I be drilling a hole from under the bridge to the control cavity for a ground wire? The ground wire will sit under the bridge? Yes. You touch the metal strings which sit on the metal bridge which sits on the top with a ground wire pinced in between. Thus you'll be grounded to the same potential as the electrickery which eliminates hum. Use a thick enough multi-thread wire, spread the end to a fan for maximum contact. Some even put a piece of copper tape on the wood under the bridge to maximize the metal contact area. That might be recommendable if the wood is so soft that the wire would dig into it. In guitars with a tremolo system going through the body (like Strats) the ground wire is usually connected to the spring bracket. And in guitars with the bridge standing on posts like wraparounds and Tune-o-matics the wire goes to one of the post holes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted July 2, 2021 Report Share Posted July 2, 2021 And if the underside of the bridge plate is painted black remember to scuff off some of the paint where it will make contact with the grounding wire so you have a metal-on-metal connection, otherwise your grounding wire will not be effective for hum suppression.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 On 7/2/2021 at 12:32 PM, Bizman62 said: Use a thick enough multi-thread wire, spread the end to a fan for maximum contact. Some even put a piece of copper tape on the wood under the bridge to maximize the metal contact area. That might be recommendable if the wood is so soft that the wire would dig into it. Got it, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 On 7/2/2021 at 1:19 PM, curtisa said: And if the underside of the bridge plate is painted black remember to scuff off some of the paint where it will make contact with the grounding wire so you have a metal-on-metal connection, otherwise your grounding wire will not be effective for hum suppression.. It does have black paint. Will make sure to scuff it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 On 6/30/2021 at 10:57 PM, Bizman62 said: Then again, you can even mix poly with BLO and apply some turpentine. 1+1+1 is a common recipe although not stone carved. Basically the result is a Minwax style wipe-on finish which builds up quite fast for a mirror like gloss. More about that: https://thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/make-your-own-oil-varnish-blend/ and https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/make-a-home-brew-wipe-on-finish. If you're uncertain about which of your local polys work with BLO, choose one that already contains it. Same with turps, if the poly says it can be thinned with turps, you can't go wrong. I found a local brand that sells BLO (mixed with dryers) and Danish oil (mix of linseed oil. PU and mineral spirits). The Danish oil seems a better option as it would give me the benefits of the linseed oil look with PU protection added. Would you agree? Although it seems that the danish will take longer to dry than the BLO, which is mixed with dryers. Attaching a snapshot comparison of the two below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 3, 2021 Report Share Posted July 3, 2021 9 hours ago, Armaan said: The Danish oil seems a better option as it would give me the benefits of the linseed oil look with PU protection added. Would you agree? As it says there it's oil with Poly and Turps. If you mix it yourself you can control the amount of "Layer on Top" or rather how fast that layer builds up. That 'Danish Oil' is basically the same stuff I mentioned earlier. And if you want it to dry faster, why not mix the linseed oil containing 'Imported Chemical Dryers' (which can actually mean pine turpentine!) with PU Varnish which should also be easy to get? Anyhow, as a ready mixed single product the Danish Oil is a good choice as it gives both the looks and feel of oiled wood and also some mechanical protection against wear and tear. Depending on how shiny you want it you can apply as many coats as you wish. More coats will fill the pores, a dozen or so may suffice for a level surface which can then be buffed to at least a nice sheen if not glossy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 On 7/3/2021 at 11:17 PM, Bizman62 said: Anyhow, as a ready mixed single product the Danish Oil is a good choice as it gives both the looks and feel of oiled wood and also some mechanical protection against wear and tear. Depending on how shiny you want it you can apply as many coats as you wish. More coats will fill the pores, a dozen or so may suffice for a level surface which can then be buffed to at least a nice sheen if not glossy. 12 coats! Really? I was thinking along the lines of 2-3 coats! I’ll experiment with a bookmark I’m making from an offcut. For the fretboard, I am planning to use Daddario Hydrate - which is described as a mixtures of oils and cleaners. See below - https://www.daddario.com/products/accessories/care-maintenance-tools/polishes-cloths/hydrate-fingerboard-conditioner/ Or should I use their lemon oil? - see below https://www.daddario.com/products/accessories/care-maintenance-tools/polishes-cloths/lemon-oil/ I already have Hydrate, but I can get the lemon oil if that’s better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 30 minutes ago, Armaan said: 12 coats! Really? I was thinking along the lines of 2-3 coats! A lot depends on the grain of the wood. For smooth woods like maple a few coats may well suffice - think about gunstocks for example. Walnut is a bit coarser, with deeper grain. With a few coats only you'd still see the gaps. Remember, when using oils you'll have to wipe most everything off! That leaves only a fraction of a millimeter of buildup per pass. Even though there's some solids (=Poly) in the Danish Oil, it's still an oil finish. 30 minutes ago, Armaan said: For the fretboard, I am planning to use Daddario Hydrate - which is described as a mixtures of oils and cleaners. That looks like a good choice and most likely better than the lemon oil. Did you know that 'lemon oil' for guitars is basically a drop of mineral oil, lots of mineral spirit or naphta and some lemon scent? There's also 'pure' lemon/citrus oils that are very effective cleaners and not suitable for guitars at all!!! For a new fingerboard I'd rather use pure BLO. The hydrates and lemon oils are more like cleaners that can somewhat maintain the lustre of the surface. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 22 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: For a new fingerboard I'd rather use pure BLO. The hydrates and lemon oils are more like cleaners that can somewhat maintain the lustre of the surface. How about the Danish instead? Would the BLO be worth buying separately just for the fretboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 26 minutes ago, Bizman62 said: Did you know that 'lemon oil' for guitars is basically a drop of mineral oil, lots of mineral spirit or naphta and some lemon scent? There's also 'pure' lemon/citrus oils that are very effective cleaners and not suitable for guitars at all!!! I assumed it was simply made using lemons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 5, 2021 Report Share Posted July 5, 2021 5 minutes ago, Armaan said: How about the Danish instead? Would the BLO be worth buying separately just for the fretboard? You can use the Danish, for the fretboard a couple of layers should suffice. Apply plenty, apply more where it seems to suck in right away. When all the wood is properly oiled wipe all the excess off and wipe clean again after ten minutes. 5 minutes ago, Armaan said: I assumed it was simply made using lemons! Whoa! There's lemon/citrus oil that's pressed out of citrus peels. It's used for heavy duty cleaners like GooGone. Used on a guitar it could even dissolve your glue joints! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 Truss rod cover: I was initially planning to leave the truss rod access open. I reconsidered it and designed a truss rod cover with a brass inlay. The brass inlay is a logo I designed using my initials (A-P). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 Bridge and string height: I placed the bridge and ran a few red strings through it to make sure it lines up. At the lowest height of the bridge, the strings are 2mm above the fretboard (i.e. without the frets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2021 Fretboard: I used brass dot inlays for the fret markers. Radius sanded the block to a 12inch radius. Used a traditional Indian kitchen pestle to hammer in the frets! Plus some beer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gogzs Posted July 7, 2021 Report Share Posted July 7, 2021 Progressing really fast for a first build, great job, it's coming together really nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 7, 2021 Report Share Posted July 7, 2021 5 hours ago, Gogzs said: Progressing really fast for a first build, great job, it's coming together really nice! I must agree! @Armaan has clearly done his homework not to mention he hasn't been hesitant to ask if in doubt. The progress reminds me of that of @ADFinlayson! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2021 12 hours ago, Gogzs said: Progressing really fast for a first build, great job, it's coming together really nice! Thanks! It’s been a great learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2021 7 hours ago, Bizman62 said: I must agree! @Armaan has clearly done his homework not to mention he hasn't been hesitant to ask if in doubt. The progress reminds me of that of @ADFinlayson Plenty of doubts for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 Oil finish: I applied one coat of Danish oil last night with a paper towel. I waited for it to become dry and tacky (approx. 15mins) and then wiped it down with a clean paper towel. It has been about 12 hours since. The surface is dry and slightly oily. How long should I wait before applying another coat? Do I need to wait for it to become fully dry before the next coat? Here are some images of the process. Probably the most rewarding part of the build so far - awesome to see the wood come to life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizman62 Posted July 8, 2021 Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 44 minutes ago, Armaan said: It has been about 12 hours since. The surface is dry and slightly oily. How long should I wait before applying another coat? It depends on the temperature and humidity. If a piece of paper (towel or newspaper/copying paper) doesn't get greasy when you wipe the guitar with it, you should be good to give it another coat. For spreading the oil you can also use fine steel wool (which can be messy as it may leave tiny steel fibres all over) or sanding mesh or wet'n'dry sandpaper. That will create a slurry which will act as a pore filler. If you choose that route be careful around the blonde stripes as the dark slurry may make the stripes look dirty. A razor blade used as a scraper should clean those nicely, though. It will also scrape the oil off so reapplying clean oil over scraped areas is required. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armaan Posted July 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Bizman62 said: It depends on the temperature and humidity. If a piece of paper (towel or newspaper/copying paper) doesn't get greasy when you wipe the guitar with it, you should be good to give it another coat. Well it’s hot and humid here. About 30C/86F and 75%humidity. When wiping the guitar with a paper towel it does get slightly greasy, but not that much. Should the guitar feel like it hasn’t been oiled at all before I apply my next coat? The box for the Danish oil says this takes 10-14 hours to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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