demonx

That scarf area looks tasty!

Def keep the pics coming!

Never, but I like the idea. Might order some myself!

re: SATANIC IMAGES / RELIGIOUS DISCUSSION

Since it's my guitar I feel the need to chime in since it's started a touchy discussion with my artwork. I'm the one that built it, I'm the one that painted it. I simply see it as artwork to enhance the guitar and not a representation of religion or beliefs... I couldn't give a flying f about religion, I see that particular artwork as being suited to the shape of the guitar, thats all.

Avenger has come in stating he detests satanic imagery and thus my guitar has been taken from his voting options because of this. I was not offended. End of matter.

I didnt respond for the reason of politeness. I am non religious but I understand so many peoples lives are ruled by religion, some lives destroyed by such, I just pushed avengers comment aside as someone who's life is ruled by religion and they cannot see out of the lines it draws for them. My mother is the same or most likely worse so I have an inside understanding of how religious minds work - no point trying to change or rationalise the way of thinking. It's not going to happen. My mother would rather die on a stake that admit her religion is wrong about something. So I won't waste my breath same as I just left avengers comments alone. Just not worth it.

NOW - as for the rest of the discussions on the "pentagram/pentacles etc" - I really dont think this is the right place for religious discussions as talks on this topic never end good and this is a great place, great people and great guitars. Lets just keep it like that!

As to Avenger: You seem like a good bloke, we have similar interests (ie: lutherie and guitars) I'm not offended by your religious statements or beliefs and I certainly have no problem with you personally, so lets just leave it all at that and congratulate Osorio for kicking all our arses with his beautiful blue maple sensation.

Attention back to Osorio please!

Cheers

Allan

Damn fine work... Looks great! Cant wait to see more pics!

I'd have to agree with westhemann.

I've seen places selling much lower grade than that for top money.

Just found this pic of me in 2001, on stage in Melbourne Australia.

This is the USA Neckthru Warlock I modeled this "Baphomet Warlock" on. The white ones had a hard life, needed a replacement!

Jaycee: thanks for the comments. I carve "my" heels a bit deeper than this, but when I carved the heel on this warlock it's a straight copy if the heel on my USA vintage BCR warlock, so I kept the original curves.

RAD: thanks for the compliments. Means a lot coming from someone who obviously "knows his ****"!

I can't help but have a metal vibe, it's who I am and where I come from.

I spray base and clear coats at 30psi gun reading with a 1.4 tip and primers at 35 psi with a 1.8 tip and fillers (not on guitars) with a 2.5 to 3.0 tip at 40-50 psi

Usually my compressor is just set at 125psi and I use an adjustable gauge set at 30+ which is screwed into the gun.

Any lower and even though it seems like you're spraying, the paints more falling out than spraying out.

You're meant to move quick, if the paint is spraying out proper and you move slow, you'll have product running everywhere. If you have the psi set too low the paint will not atomise properly (with auto 2k, I cannot comment on other paint systems)

I'd love a C1 or C2

I've had two C3's, a 76 coupe and a 70 vert, but they're both gone and I've got a 57 4 door chev. Love it!

Make sure to post updates when you get this stuff sorted and let us know what worked and so forth

A rule I learned from a guy who owns a paint warehouse distribution company has won more car "best paint at show" awards than what I've owned cars is "do not sand it if you can smell it". He say's he usually leaves cars sit for 3 months before sanding the clear. The longer the better he said. I wait a week or two as I'm not that patient, but unlike him, my paint jobs dont start at $40k if you get my drift!

From what you describe - I'm convinced its the combination of flash times, possibly spraying too thick layers and not waiting long enough before sanding and doing recoats.

Make these adjustments and see if your problem dissapears. If it is, its an easy fix and one that'll help you for years.

Cheers

Allan

P.S. After I made those adjustments I mentioned in the previous post (ie: leaving it for 2 days rather than just overnight) heres what the end result turned out like. No bubbles, blisters or anything. Just nice smooth perfect paint sprayed in the same shed I build my guitars in!

These pics are from some Corvette Stingray grills I painted with an unfamiliar product.

Does your failure look anything like this?

In the second pic you can see I took a razor blade and sliced open one of the blisters to see the exact layer where the failre was occuring. As you can see it's the green epoxy primer as it's on both the upper and lower part of the blister.

After having a PPG rep come to my workshop and using some electrical devices to examine and measure the paint thickness I was told that my cure times were not long enough for the paint product. I said on the tech sheet it said 8 hours, I'd left it for over 24, so I was being over cautious - he explained it needed 42hrs even though the tech sheet said 8. He explained the tech sheet is only a guideline and dont pay too much attention to it!

After this I've always left that product for 2 days before spraying over it and never had a problem with it ever since.

Something similar to this may be whats happening to yours ???

A few things that stand out:

Do you run oil/water traps on your airlines? Do you keep them clean. Do you also drain your tank tap every time you spray until no water sprays out? Its not so much of an issue with water based paints but with 2k auto paint, can be a disaster.

I dont bother to let guitars aclimate before I spray - but thats a non issue. I just spray under heat lamps if it's a cold day. I let it sit under the lamps for about the time it takes to mix my paint. With that said do you let the clear/primer sit for a bit before you spray for the hardner in the product to "activate" as some people call it? I was once told by a paint tech that if I mixed the paint first before I assembled and set up the gun, thats just enough time. This is only for primers and clears as they have a hardner.

Spraying off with 60psi will not clean the guitar proper. I airhose them off at 120psi @ 16.5cfm - THEN tack rag the dust off as the 120psi is not even enough. I do not air hose in the same room I'm going to spray in as thats more dust floating around. Maybe the fine layer of dust could be causing failure.

Since I'm not sprayig in a booth I usually leave primer for more than 24 hours, but 24 hours should be sufficient if you're using a fast hardner. I like to leave it until I cannot smell the chemical in it. With cars you dont get primer sink as the metal doesnt absorb the paint, with guitars you can get the paint to sink into the timber over time. One guitar I've painted is hanging behind me in primer for its second week now before I sand it and reprime. Paint is a game of patience. It'll look perfect for 3-6 months, but years later it'll sink into the grain. Waiting is an attempt to prevent this.

COLOR ADDITIVE... I've been caught out here in the past with additives to clear. Even when in the tech sheets they say you can, I've had product seperation from these. You spray it, looks perfect. Keep all the layers etc, still looks perfect. See it the next day and its a disaster. These days I keep clear as clear and let it cure for a week or more, sand (to 600) and spray trans color layers, usually candy dies mixed in a basecoat blender or an over thinned basecoat, let it cure for a couple hours then spray pure clears again without sanding.

FLASH TIME... 5 minutes with automotive 2k is way too short unless you're in a booth. You cannot follow a tech sheet for flash times if youre spraying in air rather than a booth environment. I usually spray a tach coat of clear, wait 5 minutes, spray a full coat, wait 10 minutes, full coat, wait 20 minutes, full coat, wait 40 minutes - doubling the flash time each coat as youve changing the spraying environment, hense youve changed the way the chemicals flash and react. If you're only leaving 5 minutes per coat and youre spraying several, what can happen is it'll cure on top and the underneath layers are still reacting. This usually causes solvent pops etc, but it can also cause complete failure like blisters, extreme ripples (blisters in sheet form)... I've experienced this on a car in my earlier painting days. Really sucked, simply cause I didnt leave enough time between processes.

TOP COAT OF CLEAR... you cannot leave auto clear that long and then just spray another coat. It'll need to either sit around for a week or so (until you put your nore on it and not smell chemical) and then sand before spraying, or you just spray enough layers in the previous step and then cut/polish. Obviously this cant happen if you're using additives in the clear, but I suggest that the easy way is not always the best way.

I hope at least something here can help you out.

Cheers

Please layout your complete process, including what products up to what gun pressure you're spraying at. Sanding process, flash times, everything you can think of.

The more detail you tell us the more we'll be able to help isolate the problem.

Be it prepsol not wiped off, hardner failure, inproper sanding process... just tell us everything.

Cheers

As dmp99 said - several good guitars here.

mefgames - Nice smooth guitar. Simple, classy and well matched choice of colors. Excellent results from a second build. Shame you didnt share more pics of the back/neck etc.

Osorio - Awesome color choice. Trans blue looks phenominal and works so well on that top. Very very nice guitar. I'm not a fan of the bridge choice but the rest of the guitar is very appealing! Professional, Outstanding work.

RestorationAD - I can imagine the painstaking work you put into that. Hats off to you. Wouldn't have been my choice of wood combo's. I like light/dark combos, but we can't all be the same I guess. Fantastic workmanship. I love the lines in the body wings. Well thought out build.

curtisa - First builds are usually a disaster. You've pulled off a non painted (harder than painted as you can't hide screwups!), smooth/sharp lined body on your first shot. Be proud. It's much much better than the first body(s) I ever made!

avengers63 - Definitely something different and it looks like you pulled it off.

andyt - I've been tempted to do a swirl guitar for a long time now so this one definitely got my attention. That swirl looks great. Love the headstock wood also, I wouldn't mind having a few planks of that laying around! It looks like one of those guitars that if you pick it up it'd be just play/feel right straight away. Congrats.

verhoevenc - I have great admiration for anyone who builds accoustics. Looks to me like something you could sit down playing for hours. Love the rosette. Very classy. If it sounds as good as it looks I'm sure you could loose time playing that one!

whalehazard - Hope your bass player appreciates all the hours you've put into his new player. Looks like a well built/well finished guitar. Liking the headstock cap and the logo/inlay. A round logo like that could be used so many ways.

Great work so far. You should be very proud.

I'd like you to know you are doing WAY better than I did on my first build and I'm sure many others will say the same goes for them also!

Every guitar you build you'll get better and better leaning from your mistakes and improving techniques etc - you're starting off strong so there'll be some wicked instruments in your future!

I really like all the attention to detail in the headstock as well as the scarf area.

Also love the look of the pickup routes without the rings.

Great guitar all up! Great finish on it too! Congrats

Beautiful timbers there!

I've never worked with spalt myself but have heard it's a pain to route, which will support the claim above that it'll crumble when you carve in some spots.

Good luck! Let's see some nice guitars come from that!

Looks very, very nice!

Great work and great guitar. Looks simple, comfy and classy.

Been sanding, sanding, sanding all day - stage 1 complete, now for stage 2 - paint!

Been flat out trying to get this one done... 16" radius done. Frets in, side dots in.

Spent a bit of time today making a electronics cavity template for this V.

End result:

You don't have to remove it all. Just make sure it's not touching any bare wires around the jack.

Exactly - and if it's unavoidable then it's a design flaw you can fix next time, but this time just put some electrical tape or similar over where it's contacting. See if that fixes your problem before doing anything drastic

Let's get back to the "I didn't have anything to measure it with" part

Please tell me when you installed the bridge that you measured the 25.5" from the nut to saddles

Even if you didn't, just lie and say you did...!

Good idea...

More than once I've pulled a truss rod from a botched neck when I needed one quick and didn't want to wait

I have a positive and negative template. There is a slight difference in the size so that after it's painted etc it'll still fit!