Rod/
Vibrato & String Bender
Happy birthday Lew!
74 today! Think I'll build a guitar!
- Thread starter Lewguitar
- Start date
Moondog Wily
In Tune Wit Da Moon!
I think I like the red best so far! The white one does look good in the pix, but if you say it is looking really white in person, I don't know that I would be as enthusiastic about it. In that creamy look though, I think it is a perfect match for a natural top. Now part of this will be dependent on how dark of a stain you go with, but as is, I am going with the red!!! Congrats on the great birthday project ;~))
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
I'm not going to go for a stain on the body. I'm going to keep the finish as clear as possible and try to prevent the color was going too dark.
Probably sanding sealer for the first coats. Sand that down between coats and fill the grain with sealer as much as possible.
Then some clear coats of nitro.
The finish will sink into the grain and as it it hardens and out gasses over time the open pores will show.
But that's OK. I kind of of wanted this to look like 50's Strat that was stripped and refinished natural in the 70's.
Want to see a gorgeous oil finish on roasted swamp ash? Tempting!
ViperDoc
Plugged In.
Happy late b-day, man.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Alrighty then....Wily or Prina or someone asked me to takes photos as I move through the finishing steps.
First I sanded the body using a sanding block and 320 paper.
Always want to use a sanding block on the flat surfaces because some parts of any wood board are going to be softer than harder areas, and if you sand by hand and don't use a block, those soft spots will sand deeper than the the harder wood and leave an unprofessional looking surface that's not level and flat.
I decided to use CLEAR shellac for the sealer coats. Shellac comes in clear and yellow/orange.
My health is not the best and shellac fumes are relatively harmless. The solvent for shellac is ALCOHOL. Not lacquer thinner, which is pretty toxic.
I will switch to nitro lacquer for the final coats and for a hard gloss finish, but I'll do that on a warm day outside.
The color did deepen just from the sealer coats. Dramatic grain. I don't think it will get much darker tho and it's certainly lighter than if I had oiled it.
It would have turned dark brown had I gone with TruOil and I'm glad I didn't...although that's beautiful too.
I'm leaning to just doing a clear gloss finish and leaving the grain unfilled.
We'll see!
So...BEFORE:
AFTER:
First I sanded the body using a sanding block and 320 paper.
Always want to use a sanding block on the flat surfaces because some parts of any wood board are going to be softer than harder areas, and if you sand by hand and don't use a block, those soft spots will sand deeper than the the harder wood and leave an unprofessional looking surface that's not level and flat.
I decided to use CLEAR shellac for the sealer coats. Shellac comes in clear and yellow/orange.
My health is not the best and shellac fumes are relatively harmless. The solvent for shellac is ALCOHOL. Not lacquer thinner, which is pretty toxic.
I will switch to nitro lacquer for the final coats and for a hard gloss finish, but I'll do that on a warm day outside.
The color did deepen just from the sealer coats. Dramatic grain. I don't think it will get much darker tho and it's certainly lighter than if I had oiled it.
It would have turned dark brown had I gone with TruOil and I'm glad I didn't...although that's beautiful too.
I'm leaning to just doing a clear gloss finish and leaving the grain unfilled.
We'll see!
So...BEFORE:
AFTER:
Last edited:
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Did a 3rd and 4th coats of shellac/sealer and it's still getting darker!
Man that is some dramatic grain!
I'll stop for today I think. Let it harden overnight and then wet sand it in the morning.
Then spray another 2 or 3 coats of shellac over the course of the day.
Been reading a lot on shellac.
Not uncommon to go with as many as 8 thin coats.
Man that is some dramatic grain!
I'll stop for today I think. Let it harden overnight and then wet sand it in the morning.
Then spray another 2 or 3 coats of shellac over the course of the day.
Been reading a lot on shellac.
Not uncommon to go with as many as 8 thin coats.
Last edited:
jak3af3r
Jake
I've used shellac as a sealer under nitro on a few tele builds. Looks great when it's done and is very very easy to redo if something goes wrong. I sprayed one body and did a French polish as an undercoat on all the others since the can without the aerosol was cheaper.
I do like how using shellac will make the body have more depth in the grain than a solid grain filler too. Yours will look really great when it's done.
shellac a.k.a French Polish is delightful .. I've done a few . some types have wax in them .. not as ideal. the best IMO is get the real flakes , mix it up correctly and hand rub ... hey Stradivarious had something going on .... Some Luthiers I know use tequila or rum as the solvent .. it works .. and can make the day more entertaining ... .
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Check it out so far. I think it's going to be stunning!
I have a 2 point vibrato and I'm going to install a roller nut. Same that Jeff Beck used.
This one's getting a name. Laura Lee after my girl friend.
Last edited:
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
I've been using Jack Daniels. Trying to perfect a Tennessee Whiskey Burst!
Last edited:
jak3af3r
Jake
I really like how the grain goes around the pickguard.
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
Happy coincidence!
Moondog Wily
In Tune Wit Da Moon!
This is looking KILLER Lew! Congrats on the birthday present and good choice on the name!!
gush
Where is that speedo pic
Les......by a few hundred
Lewguitar
Old Know It All
The white mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard and the red tortoise are my favorites.
But Laura Lee (who is a striking redhead!) likes the white one so that's what's been wired up and it's ready to go. Got the new Chubtone 63/63/ElGordo set of pickups. Mike Gray winds them in Austin. Glad he's making them again.
Last edited:
WingerRules
NOfia
- Joined
- May 4, 2023
- Messages
- 2,911
White pearloid for FTW!
5Springer
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2023
- Messages
- 176
That "fiddle" should sing like a angle.. looks just fantastic! I have a parts strat with a 1 piece swamp ash body, maple 9.5 player neck, vintage electronics and Texas specials, quickly became one of my favorites. October B-day here also, you have me by a few but Im retired and start drawing SS this year so not far behind.. lol
Charles
Charles
Similar threads
