Bizman62

You do know that the finishing stretch takes about 80% of the time, don't you? That applies to first timers as well as to retiring life long professionals. Sanding through the clearcoat is very common as it's very hard to guesstimate the thickness when the lacquer is wet. A textured result makes it even harder. That's one of the several reasons to use a light hand when sanding, removing the dust both from the paper and the workpiece after every few strokes allows you to keep an eye on the surface before you go too far. The curing/drying time is another thing that keeps surprising builders. The surface is definitely dust and touch dry, yet it will copy the texture of anything that touches it for a quarter of an hour or even less. Wrapped loosely in a towel for taking it home from the workshop or just laying it on the sofa for the time to hang up your overcoat will create a nice canvas pattern... Every time, every build! Lastly, I had my most ambitious build over 2 m high. The cupboard door handle it was hanging from turned open and the guitar fell on the floor headstock first. Fortunately the finish I was using (Crimson Guitar Finishing Oil) can easily be patched so after fixing the bruises there was no evidence left from the accident. I'm sure other builders here have tons of similar stories. Yet we all have finished most of our builds, they very rarely end up trashed after an incident or three. As the modernized old Finnish saying tells, "Chin down and head towards new disappointments!"

For 2k I was taught to spray a light coat and sand it level to matte, down to the bottom of the texturing. The second layer was advised to spray a thicker layer "wet on wet", meaning several layers with short enough intervals so that the poly doesn't build a skin but has solidified enough not to run. That is supposed to be the final layer, thick enough to be sanded level and polished. But if you let it dry before getting the desired thickness you'll have to let it dry properly and sand it level to matte again as at stage one. The idea of creating a thick layer is to allow leveling. Several thin layers are too easy to sand through to the previous layer which will cause "contour lines". As for the texture, spraying is a combination of distance, temperature and viscosity, plus pressure. If you spray thick paint from far away in a high temperature the paint droplets will partially dry before hitting the surface which will show as texture. Similarly if you spray thin paint from near in a lower temperature you will easily get runs. As you're using rattle cans you can't adjust the pressure. Pro painters often test the flow and coverage on a piece of cardboard to adjust to the current conditions before attacking the actual workpiece. That's their secret for getting a level surface without runs or orange peel texture.

Drilling allows for using softer pin material like plastic or tooth picks. Plus if the fingerboard wood is very hard you may end up hammering the poking part deeper into the neck wood.

You don't have to press them much, only enough for a mark so you can drill the marking hole deeper. If you're using very hard woods you can first drill holes into the neck, then put the pins in and finally put a piece of masking tape to the approximate locations of the pins. Don't burnish the tape so it remains somewhat foamy to get a mark for drilling to the fingerboard.

I do. Tried it and faced the same. The glue layer is thick enough to cover most of the heigth of the pin and the glue is also thick enough to cover the very tip so the fretboard slides over it. Think about a snail that can glide over a razor blade without cutting its foot. The muckus is that thick. Same thing with glue. Next time I'll leave it at least 1 mm tall. Oh, and I used side dot pins instead of nails just in case.

I know that feeling. I've snapped some 8 - 12 mm bolts just with an adjustable wrench. Not to mention smaller screws. Regular steel isn't that strong. Good luck with making the rod! It's not rocket science, just make sure that the rod can't rotate inside the anchor! Here's a tutorial including several anchors. Just follow the instructions for the flat bar one.:

You can take a longer one and cut the rectangular washer end to desired length. Then put the washer back in a way it can't rotate. A square nut tightened and peened works. Or you can take a length of welding rod of the right diameter and cut threads for the nut and the square anchor. Out of curiosity, in what way is the truss rod broken?

Hi and welcome! What type is the original truss rod? If it's a single rod in a curved or slanted slot it's single action. If it has a flat rod welded both ends to a round one or two round rods connected at both ends it's a two way rod. You "can" replace a single action rod with a dual but that would require filling the original slot and routing a new one. After finding out which version it is, simply measure the length and search for a suitable one. The FarEast online shops may have inexpensive two-way rods, a single action rod is relatively easy to make by yourself.

No, not how I figured in the previous post! You were chopping firewood when you suddenly realized the gorgeousness of a couple of pieces but some damage had already been done which you cleverly fixed by putting the cracks on opposite bouts.

Haha, didn't notice that! Now it's time to change the explanation: You must have noticed the cracks (caused by an axe) and stabilized them by putting a solid piece on the opposide face.

Ahh... I was wondering how a crack like that would be possible in a dual layer body.

The huge crack in the upper lower bout looks frightening but apparently you've stabilized it with epoxy or CA. This one:

That man knows what he's talking about.

For the last 20+ years I've been a member of another, most American forum. Our Finnish community has been holding (semi-)annual meetings and of course it involves posting pictures of the event or it doesn't happen. Sauna... Need I say more?

Photoshopping is a good way to test destructive ideas without actually destroying anything. I asked about the jack since it was in the cut area in a previous mockup.