Gorecki Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 I have to say this is my dumbest question yet but after many attempts to search the forums, I still don't have an answer. What do you do about pre-drilled pickguard, bridge, (and especially) through body holes before finishing? I'm concerned mostly about my through body holes. The ferrels side is pretty big but the top side holes look like they could get plugged up with primer, paint and clear coat by time I'm done. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truerussian558 Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 igf your that concerned you might want to stuff a dowel in there, just any circular peice of wood, and take it out later, im just concerned that it might crack the paint, but to remedy that take it out after each coat so you dont spray into the holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob7 Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 You could cover the holes with some tape, or you could punch through it later with thin screwdriver.....Just make sure to do this BEFORE you finish the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted June 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Just thought this would be a fairly common issue and I would think there is some common method of dealing with it? Starting to guess I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Check thread he is using epoxy to cover even the humbucker hole, I think that the little string thru holes won't be a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Check thread he is using epoxy to cover even the humbucker hole, I think that the little string thru holes won't be a problem he DOES NOT want to plug them okay...i just finish as normal,but when they start to fill up i use the drill bit (with my hand,not a drill)to open them back up...it is no big deal for bridge inserts,i use newspaper rolled up and stuffed in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 for bridge inserts,i use newspaper rolled up and stuffed in... I've used matchsticks for this before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_ed Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Toothpicks are my holefiller of choice. Guitar Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted June 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Lots of great ideas, thanks guys. Thinkin I'll use some snapped off toothpicks in the through body holes and the rest I'll tap out with a drill bit by hand if need be...seems practical.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHowell Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 If your hole gets to plugged up and you need to drill it out, run your drill backwards and drill out the hole. It will stop the drill lifting and cracking the finish around the hole. This also works if you want to drill a hole into the finished guitar. Go backwards through the finish and then drill normally for the rest of the hole. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bounty Hunter Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Why not use wax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorecki Posted June 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 If your hole gets to plugged up and you need to drill it out, run your drill backwards and drill out the hole. Ya I discovered that little trick when reaming out the peghead for larger tuners. Also getting the impression from other reading that plugging the holes is a good idea from the stand point of it being a basswood body, that appearently swells like a balloon when water from wet sanding gets into drilled holes. Learning a lot folks, appreciate the advice, hopefully I'll have something to show if I ever get decent enough weather (for more then a day) to spray in. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted June 24, 2004 Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 Wax might cause some problems. If any wax winds up in your finish area surrounding the holes then things will not stick. Its easy to accidentally pull some wax out of the holes while tack ragging, sanding and polishing. And then spreading it around more than you would like. I remember someone at MIMF was having problems with wood swelling because of water getting into the holes while wetsanding even after trying to protect the holes with temporary wood plugs. Water always manages to seep in somewhere. I prefer to just leave the small holes alone and plug the large ones with pieces of paper towel. Paint and clearcoat eventually seals them up enough to repel water by the time you get to the wetsanding stage. While wetsanding I constantly mop up excess water to avoid any settling and frequently change the towel plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 Check thread he is using epoxy to cover even the humbucker hole, I think that the little string thru holes won't be a problem he DOES NOT want to plug them okay...i just finish as normal,but when they start to fill up i use the drill bit (with my hand,not a drill)to open them back up...it is no big deal for bridge inserts,i use newspaper rolled up and stuffed in... Sorry about that Wes, , Sometimes reading in English and translating to spanish you loose some sense of what you are reading, I will try to be more carefull from now on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morben Guitars Posted June 25, 2004 Report Share Posted June 25, 2004 I remember someone at MIMF was having problems with wood swelling because of water getting into the holes while wetsanding even after trying to protect the holes with temporary wood plugs. Water always manages to seep in somewhere. I prefer to just leave the small holes alone and plug the large ones with pieces of paper towel. Paint and clearcoat eventually seals them up enough to repel water by the time you get to the wetsanding stage. While wetsanding I constantly mop up excess water to avoid any settling and frequently change the towel plugs. Good memory! That was me and it was about 4 years ago! Finishing over holes isn't a problem...in fact it may help when you are wetsanding. I now seal the inside of the holes well with lacquer. I actually try to drill most of the small holes after the finish is on (pickguard, pickup rings, etc.) I have used wax to seal for the wetsanding process...but as it has been pointed out..wax BEFORE finishing will create problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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