exiler

plunge or fixed base router?

Shouldnt matter... both are adjustable height and you won't need to do any actual plunging, so if you use a plunge base you'll be using it the same way you'd use a fixed base. Personally I'd use fixed for this just cause it's marginally easier to set the depth without fighting the springs

I use a 2" * 3/4 diameter CMT flush cut bit with a top bearing in a router table. Bought it on amazon. In my experience CMT bits give the best cuts. If you don't have a table, I wouldn't use such a big bit... just seems dangerous... maybe buy two 1" length bits, one with the bearing on top and one on the bottom, then rout half the body thickness using a template with the top bearing bit, flip the body over and route the other side with the bottom bearing bit using the finished part of the body as the template. I wouldn't use too short a bit... you don't want to have to pull it out of the collet to get the depth you need. And definitely use the 1/2" shank if you can.

nitrocellulose is naturally hairy

huh??!!

I know, you cant make a statement like that without being able to back it up, so here's a picture of some red lacquer i just sprayed (which i intentionally sprayed badly to show this effect): hairy lacquer

If it starts to dry out in the air it likes to stick together in long hair-like strands as opposed to blobs, so = hairy

It looks like you've sprayed paint onto dust that was already there, but really it's the paint itself.

Me thinks what you're seeing is just the fibers from the cardboard you sprayed it on.

Would you like to see the same picture with a spray on plastic ? Believe what you want... my 2 cents is if you've done everything to keep dust away and it still looks dusty, it's probably just the lacquer so don't worry about it. You can lightly sand the strands off when it dries.

nitrocellulose is naturally hairy

huh??!!

I know, you cant make a statement like that without being able to back it up, so here's a picture of some red lacquer i just sprayed (which i intentionally sprayed badly to show this effect): hairy lacquer

If it starts to dry out in the air it likes to stick together in long hair-like strands as opposed to blobs, so = hairy

It looks like you've sprayed paint onto dust that was already there, but really it's the paint itself.

Wow, pics always tell so much more than a typical post.

For starters, for someone who apparently doesn't know a lot about finishing yet,

your dye job looks superb. Really really nice job there from the looks of it.

I would not do a single thing that would compromise that finish in any way yet.

Second, I agree with you, the difference between the first pic and the second surprised me,

I expected to see a lot more difference than I see so far, they almost look the same to me.

Lets look at a few things...

I would imagine it is a lacquer-based sealer?

Please tell me specifically about what product you are using.

Is it sanding sealer?

Spray can?

Applying it wet enough (spraying close enough) for penetration?

What does it look like as you are spraying it?

Does it look wet when you shoot it on and dries to the appearance in your pics,

or does it always look just like it does, even when initially wet with the sealer?

This is a long shot, but if you are spraying too far away from the piece and moving too fast, the product can hit the piece 'dry' and not penetrate into the wood, and could cause it to look 'dry' with no pop. Just one possibility.

How did you apply the stain BTW?

I'm using stewmac aerosol sanding sealer lacquer. Still haven't made the leap to a spray gun. I've put on about half a can (4 coats) in the second pic, and havent done any sanding yet. I spray it about a foot away, maybe a little more. It looks normal enough when im spraying it, though I havent really noticed how wet it looks, i'll have to pay more attention next time i put a coat on. Maybe I need to put it on a little heavier to wet it out.

For the stain, I wiped on a couple coats over the whole body, then sprayed the burst a little darker with an airbrush.

EDIT: I think it's coming around. I took it outside and it looks better than it did with the camera flash. Here's a picture: stain 3. You can probably tell the wings arent actually glued on yet.. my last big challenge is figuring out how to do that without screwing up the finish, but I think I have a plan. They're pegged for alignment, so I'm only worried about glue dripping out, but I think some low tack masking tape along the edges will catch most of it, and I can wipe off the rest with a wet rag (hence putting the sealer on before glueing) Then do the remaining coats of lacquer once it's glued.

westhemann: I'm not really sold on the wood selection either... it's supposed to be tulipwood, though it doesnt look like any of the pictures of tulipwood i've seen online. (bought the wood online without seeing the actual pieces) I was expecting it to be yellower with a purplish grain that would match the purpleheart. The whole thing kind of doesnt look as good as it did in my head, and if i was starting over now I'd do some things different, but whatever. Seeing as it's my first time I didnt wanna get too picky since I figured there was a good chance i'd completely screw it up and have to start over anyway. The neck position matches the plans (67 sg), though I may have carved the horns a little deeper than they say, but it's mostly according to plan.

Are you sure it's actually hair? nitrocellulose is naturally hairy and sometimes little strands stick together in the air as you're spraying and look like hair on the finish, but it'll just redisolve in the next coat. I've airbrushed with lacquer paint and when it's not thin enough it completely dries in the air and comes out like spiderwebs.

Welllll I think at this point I'm in too deep to do anything about it if the dye isnt right, so really I'd rather not know about it

But here's a couple pics. The first one is before any lacquer and the second one is after a couple coats of sealer. The flash kind of drowns out the burst, but in real life it's noticeably darker around the edge.

stain 1

stain 2

Thanks guys! I should clarify I didnt meant wet-sand the wood, i meant wet it a little so the grain raises, let dry, then sand smooth. Not sure if that's good advice or not. But it sounds like you're saying a little roughness after staining is normal about and after properly finishing it i'll get the look i'm after.

Hello all, first time poster here.

I have a flame maple body that I stained black with stewmac colortone dye, and after putting on a couple coats of sanding sealer, I'm noticing that the surface feels rough and the flame is not shimmering like I would expect it to. I'm wondering if it's because I didn't wet and sand the wood before staining it (which I didnt hear about until after i stained it) , so that now after being wet the wood is rougher than when I started and is too rough to shine. Or is this normal at this stage and after putting on more lacquer and polishing the final finish to a high gloss the shimmer will come back? I'm considering sanding the sealer off and starting over, but I'm worried that I won't be able to get all the sealer off and if I try to re-stain it'll come out really blotchy. (It's dyed in a bit of a burst pattern which I think will be really hard to recreate if any sealer remains) Anyone have advice?

I've done a lacquer finish over a paint before, but this is my first time working with figured wood. It's also my first complete build so I want it to come out nice.

Thanks!