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JoshHeartless · June 12th, 2012, 05:23 PM

Binding installed and front stained. Just gotta stain the neck and do some cleanup and a final inspection then she's ready for the lacquer!

JoshHeartless · June 16th, 2012, 07:33 PM

I figured since the guitar has sharp edges it wouldn't do much harm to spray the lacquer in sections as apposed to the whole guitar at once. I can always go back and re-enforce the edges if they haven't collected enough lacquer. So I've been using Watco Lacquer for the headstock and am super satisfied with it. I actually just found out that it is a nitrocellulose lacquer so now I'm even more happy. Anyways very easy stuff to use-dries enough for a light touch in literally like 5 minutes with a light enough coat. I suggest it.

nadles · June 16th, 2012, 08:41 PM

Nice work Josh. The cherry looks really good.

What dye did you use?

JoshHeartless · June 16th, 2012, 10:07 PM

I used Stewmac's Colortone cherry red and used 4 qts. of isopropyl rubbing alcohol as a solvent, as it suggests either that or water. Dries rather quickly and the alcohol doesn't make it raise the grain much.

JoshHeartless · June 22nd, 2012, 05:32 PM

Prep-work done. Now onto lacquer and then it's time to wait before I buff it all out. First pic is before lacquer.

Opart68 · June 22nd, 2012, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshHeartless

Prep-work done. Now onto lacquer and then it's time to wait before I buff it all out. First pic is before lacquer.

Josh it looks great, I really have enjoyed following your thread. Is that going to be a standby switch or a tone selector? Are you upgrading the harness while it's still nude? Looks great!

Chris

drmilktruck · June 22nd, 2012, 10:37 PM

Very impressive. Love the red.

MyBootsOnFire · June 23rd, 2012, 12:50 AM

Been watching this one come together. That thing is coming out beautifully. Can't wait to see it finished up.

nadles · June 23rd, 2012, 01:54 AM

Looking good. Love the colour.

Teledriver · June 23rd, 2012, 06:10 AM

I know Watco 'dries' fast, but make sure you let it cure enough before you try and buff/polish!! The general rule for nitro is at least 30 days. Glad you used Watco, I have many times and it's good stuff, not like Deft, where some guys report it stays sticky after months and even years. Fortunately I never had that issue with it.

JoshHeartless · June 27th, 2012, 07:33 PM

Actually...I've read that lacquer does not actually 'cure'-it only dries. Curing would imply that it can never be redissolved in it's original solvents.

The can tells me 7 days, Stewmac says 4, and other places I've looked say 4-14. I actually have not read one reference to my memory other than on forums that say a full 30, and I have seen people buff within 2 weeks with no mishaps...so I suppose it's all up to how safe you wanna play it. I personally think I might go 8-10 days, but right now I am focused on making sure my final coat is perfect. I've had to sand down and thin a few problem areas and respray. It's not an easy process to do perfectly with no experience.

But yes, Watco is very nice. It was a very good impulse buy when I was picking up supplies early on in the project.

And yes, it will be a tone selector and I am upgrading all the parts in the harness I 'cheaped out' on when I originally updated the electronics. I might put a varitone tone switch in the top hole for the bridge pickup seeing as I currently only have the neck hooked up to the tone selector.

JoshHeartless · July 31st, 2012, 02:19 AM

Wet-sanded and buffed out. I have to fix a few spots and drop-lacquer some spots, but I'm hoping within 2 weeks she will be completely done.

Also, I only let the lacquer dry for 3 days. They were all very thin layers so maybe that helped with the quick drying. It was a stupid attempt on my part and I just wanted to test wet-sanding quick and it led to me going through the whole process with no issues.

JoshHeartless · July 31st, 2012, 02:24 AM

If anyone is curious, I didn't spend $30 on rubbing compound from Stew-Mac. I used Meguiar's car rubbing compound with a rag. Didn't buy any buffing pads either. Hand buffing is actually quite simple and easy.

drmilktruck · July 31st, 2012, 08:35 AM

Great work, can't wait to see the final!

araT · July 31st, 2012, 09:44 AM

Whoa, very cool! nice work!

It's so bright you can probably see it from space...

jflintmac · July 31st, 2012, 10:04 AM

I just found this thread today. I read the whole thing and it did make for an entertaining read. I got quite nervous around the part where the binding came off and the veneer went onto the back.
At that point I had visions of your poor guitar ending up in the garbage can. I am glad to see that you stuck to it. It's looking pretty good now.
I have finished a lot of guitars and there is a huge difference between a solid body and a guitar that is made completely from veneers.
Going from a painted finish to a transparent stain is near impossible to get perfect. Learning to use spray cans is a learning venture all on it's own...

I am sure you have ended up learning a lot from this experience, and that is priceless. We learn more from a well placed mistake than from getting lucky and have really smooth runing projects.

As for your finish...
It is easy for you to find little flaws that seemingly never end. Time is your best friend there. Fixing spots will show up later, especially if you use color. A lacquer finish gets really nice over time. You do have to be really careful where you sit your guitar down over the next year as every surface wants to leave a footprint in your finish and every chemical wants to eat the lacquer...
Let it cure!!!!
That is the best way of making your finish look good.

BTW - I bought a small car buffer for about twenty bucks. It can buff up a finish far better than you ever could do by hand.
(just a thought)

Teledriver · July 31st, 2012, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshHeartless

If anyone is curious, I didn't spend $30 on rubbing compound from Stew-Mac. I used Meguiar's car rubbing compound with a rag. Didn't buy any buffing pads either. Hand buffing is actually quite simple and easy.

+1 Same here, always have and always will.
I got a small $14 hand buffer as well, and it's still in the box- I got nervous about it at the last minute on my latest build, afraid I'd over-buff and go through my amber tinted-finish to the blonde base. That guitar also has a thin finish- yeah, I'm one of those who believe a thin finish is a good tone thing. As it was, just final sanding I did sand-through that tint in some spots, but I can live with it. I'd never be able to make it blend-in so there they stay.

JoshHeartless · August 11th, 2012, 02:58 AM

yeah...

Opart68 · August 11th, 2012, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshHeartless

yeah...

Looks great! Where's the pickguard?

Crooner · August 11th, 2012, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshHeartless

yeah...

OH YEAH. Great work, man!