soggybag

Nice work! Looks like you’re having a lot of fun with this. There’s a lot of inspiration in the limitations you’ve imposed on yourself for this project. 

Nice idea. Might be good to add more platform on the top for the router to rest on. 

This is what I used to finish this white limba body and mahogany neck.

Wiped on a light oak minwax stain and let it dry.

Wiped on several light coats of wipe-on-poly with paint sponge. Allowed 24 hours between coats. After about 5 to 10 (can't remember exactly) coats, I wet sanded and then buffed out with #0000 wool. Then I hand buffed with wax. This guitar is around 3 years old and is my primary player. Finish has held up great for me.

I did the same thing for this flat sawn zebrawood guitar

and the same thing for this Padauk/ limba guitar

Great work, thanks for the insight into the finish.

Thanks again for all the great advice. Is there a thread around here with a review of various finishes?

Thanks for the replies. I think this may be alder also. It doesn't have much of grain and is fairly light weight.

Would you recommend a grain filler or sealer before doing a wipe on type finish? I'm not really concerned that the wood grain is not super great. I mostly want some practice and get some understanding before applying it to the real guitar project coming up. I had been thinking of trying a minwax stain. It's all new to me so I'm looking for ideas.

I really want to build a guitar from scratch, so I thought I'd start by building one from scratch for practice and experimentation.

I'd like to get some advice on how to finish this. I'm unfamiliar with what types finishes are available and what the processes are. I'd like to use a wipe on type finish rather than a spray type. I'd like to keep the finish as simple as possible. What would you recommend?

I'm curious about sealer, should I use a sealer, or are there finishes that do not require sealer?

Tis body has been sanded down to bare wood on the top. The back looks like it has some sort of finish. Not sure if it's just a sealer or something more. The top looks like it has some water damage I'm guessing I can just sand this out.

This body is from Guitar Fetish, the neck I bought many years for a project that I never finished. Here's a few pictures.

Great work with the scraper. Is there a tutorial somewhere on using a scrap for this type of shaping? I feel I need to learn how to use this.

Great work, you have excellent skills with the hand tools. I like you design.

Get hold of a strip of wide sticky tape, about an inch wide should do it, and preferably vinyl (insulation tape is great). Cut a hole in the center exactly the same diameter as the nut. Put it over the switch assembly so it covers all the wood around the nut.

Now get a bit of very hard wood, beech or oak is good. Drill a hole though this slightly smaller than the diameter of the nut. Now chamfer the hole slightly on one side so the opening is exactly the same size as the nut, but only about 1/16 of an inch taper, so when you place this over the nut and press it fairly firmly, the bottom of the wood doesn't touch the guitar. Press down and turn. There should be enough grip to turn the nut, and it shouldn't mark the guitar if you do it right.

I think this picture should show what I mean about the hole in the wood

Thanks for the reply.

Tricky solution, let me give this some thought. The goal would be to get the hole in the wood just the right size.

I have a guitar with one of those Les Paul style toggle switches. The switch works in the down position. But, it's iffy in the up or center position. It's funny, the sound sort of fades in and out, rather crackling on and off. It's not working and needs some help.

I figure I might be able to repair the switch, if not replace it. The problem I'm having is getting started. My guitar looks great and there's no little circular Treble/Bass plate under the switch. The nut is black and one of those knurled ones, not the hex type.

The question is how to get the nut off and back on again without scratching the guitar.

What's the best tool to use? I don't have a fancy wrench for this. I'm reluctant to buy one at the prices charged by Stew mac.

I figure I can put something down on the face of the guitar for the repair. But, nut is very close to the surface, so it's hard to get a grip. It's on pretty tight, I don't want to damage the nut trying to get it off.

I need your best and most ingenious ideas.