SGFanboy42

50 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

Reading that recipe sounds like there should be no chemical issues with the gesso and the paint since they share one ingredient.

Do you think adding water to the recipe would be a good idea? The viscosity doesn't seem to be too bad from the video I found to make it but I'm not sure if I need it thinned to get into the grain.

So I was watching some video reviews for the kit I ordered and I realized that a.) I haven't really considered surface prepping the wood for painting, I was just thinking about slapping some paint on because b.) I thought the wood was sealed but apparently it's not. After some reading online I found that artists gesso can be used (and was used in ancient times) as a wood sealer. Has anyone ever tried using gesso to seal wood? Does it handle sanding well?

I found a recipe to make it online using white acrylic paint, baking soda and white glue. So what I was thinking was using the gesso to seal and prime the wood before finally applying the color, which will be an opaque acrylic paint. 

17 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

If he can do it with a clothes iron, or a steaming system made out of a football valve, some hose and a whistle kettle, it can't be too difficult of a task.

You're right it doesn't sound too bad!

15 minutes ago, ADFinlayson said:

I however think there is a lot more opportunity to get the mix wrong, the temp wrong or spend too long clamping up with hide glue

I was planning on using cold hide glue but if Titebond and the other wood glues can come off with steam as well then Titebond is probably how I'll go.

44 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

 Hopefully your builds end up being basically right from the start so you won't have to tear them apart to start from scratch. For example, as has been told on other threads, refining the neck with strings on can be surprisingly rewarding.

I'm not so much worried about gluing the neck wrong, (though given that this is my first build it is a possibility) I'm thinking if like the neck breaks or warps somehow. I could be completely over blowing the issue though...

44 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

If you really need to, TiteBond Original isn't too bad to take apart either. It's a bit tough but doable with some heat and patience.

Have you had to remove Titebond from a project before? What did you use? I just did some quick googling and some people suggest vinegar and some suggest heat.

2 hours ago, mistermikev said:

there are pros and cons galore but it'd help to narrow it down to what specifically you are interested in comparing pros and cons of.  set vs bolt?  two way truss vs one way?  order of operations? 

I'm comparing the order of operations. whether gluing the neck then leveling the frets is better than the reverse order. I probably should've specified leveling the frets...

6 hours ago, Bizman62 said:

Re TiteBond Hide Glue, buying it just for gluing the neck may not be worth it.

I'm interested in using the hide glue because of its serviceability. I like that if I need to I can split the neck with, from what I've read, a chisel and a soft blow from a hammer.

I'm not sure if it really makes a difference but I'm planning out how I'm gonna tackle my first build and want to know if there are any pros or cons of doing one way versus the other. Also what are some opinions on TiteBond Hide Glue? I'm strongly leaning toward this to set the neck.

So I am currently getting ready to do my first kit build and I know most likely that there will be some fret leveling needed. Could a large, straight metal file be used instead of a sanding beam to level the frets? I haven't seen many good quality sanding beams and the few I can find are very expensive.

Hey does anybody have any experience building an electric guitar kit from Stew mac or Solo? I am trying to decide between a Stew Mac SG kit or a kit from Solo as a first introduction to guitar building. Is the more expensive Stew mac kit worth the money? They both seem to be very highly reviewed. And if it helps I am planning to upgrade parts like pickups and hardware. Thanks!