I got four more passes on the `vette last night after work. Looking good! The humidity and temp have been almost perfect for painting, so it's gone very well. It's quite glossy already, so it will take little in the way of sanding and polishing to get it looking gorgeous. I doubt I'll put anymore gloss on. If I do, it will have to be next week as I have band practice tonight and will not have another opportunity to spray this week as it's too cold in the mornings right now. Probably just leave well enough alone and not apply anymore. It got three passes over the sand and sealer, then the color coats, then 10 passes over that. I think that should be plenty of clear. I want to let it cure for at least a week before sand out, maybe two.
I took a good close look at the Explorer after I was done spraying and started the process of sanding it out. It's not exactly my finest work. I was having a lot of issues with high humidty and blushing. Especially on the black bits. I get this kind of crazing in areas, like a lot of little white pits that essentially will not sand out. The Explorer has a lot of them on the edges. Nothing on the front or back of the body, just a small area on the back of the headstock.
I got the neck and headstock sanded out to 2000 grit this morning. The body has only been gone over with 600 so far. I think I will go ahead and sand the body out to 2000 and see where I stand. I could then polish it out with my buffer and start assembly, or I may consider respraying the black areas (especially the edges) and then starting again with the clear. If the weather holds I should be able to get a nicer series of clear coats on that would look more like my other projects (like the Corvette). I just don't know:
a) How important it is to me to get this one "perfect"
b) If the weather will hold for spraying
c) If I want to invest the extra time this will add to the process...probably three weeks.
I suppose the big stumbling block is it's difficult to get the bushings in and out of this one. I do not want to have to work around them when finishing. Once I reinstall them, they're going to be pretty much in there for good. So going back won't be much of an option. A plus side to having one that's not "perfect" is I am way less worried about the first dings and scrapes. It might be just the guitar to leave at practice as a backup to my Ibanez. I don't have anything there right now and no real prospect for something I care to leave there all the time. If I break a string on the Ibanez it will just be a pain in the butt and I'll have to make everyone wait while I fix it. With the Explorer I'd be good to go.
I'll ponder all this over the weekend and keep an eye on the forecast. I will also figure out if I want to refret the Explorer. The factory frets are overbeveled. That effectively narrows the fretboard by a significant amount. It didn't bother me too much when I had it together to test play for a couple months, but i I'm going to fix it, now's a good time. It would only take a couple days to do and I think I have some fret wire that would be perfect for the job. If the original frets are kept, I will still need to do a level, crown and dress on them.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sweet!
Monday after work I made my final decision on color. I drug out and assembled my old spray rig and started back painting. First I used Behlin's walnut toner to shade the edges. Then I used their natural (kind of a golden oak) to warm up the center. I'm very pleased with the final effect. I started clear coating that night and got three passes done monday, three tuesday and will try to do three tonight. It's getting very glossy. I may put the three on tonight and stop. Overall I like that way things are going. The burst effect is pretty subtle in person, the grain still shows through nicely and I'm kinda glad I threw caution to the wind and followed my gut instinct to just start throwing color on it.
The spray rig. CO2 tank, beer regulator rigged to fit (thanks Eric!) and Iwata Eclipse.
Before clear coats
The spray rig. CO2 tank, beer regulator rigged to fit (thanks Eric!) and Iwata Eclipse.
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| From 66 Corvette work |
Before clear coats
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| From 66 Corvette work |
Friday, August 28, 2009
DAMMIT!!!
I DO NOT need another guitar. I need to SELL some guitars. But the GAS is bad for this one.....argghhh. Hmmm....wrap around tail piece, custom headtsock shape with custom inlay, and some Dynasonic pickups (or maybe the new "Dyna like" pickups GFS are coming out with). Dang...
Do not be terribly surprised if I update this before days end with a "trigger pulled" note....
Do not be terribly surprised if I update this before days end with a "trigger pulled" note....
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| From Stuff |
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Yay! Pictures!
Finally, some new photos. Before work this morning I drug the Explorer and Corvette outside and shot their progress to date. First, the Explorer:
No progress yet...this is what she looks like at this time. It's all gassed out and ready to sand and buff. I figure I'll work on that when the `vette is all painted. Probably not much more on updates for the Explorer till it's done, really. Beside rubbing it out, all I need to do is a fret level, new nut and assembly. Run of the mill stuff.....maybe I document the processes, maybe not...we shall see..
Click on the photo to see the Explorer Gallery:
On the Corvette I have made much progress. I finished stripping all the old house paint and varnish off. Sanded it out. Filled the grain. Shot sand and sealer. Sanded that out. Then shot a couple passes of clear on it. Then I sanded the headstock face smooth and tried to touch up the Gretsch decal just a little bit. After I had masked it off, I shot the headstock face black and then put a couple coats of clear on it. IN and amongst that process I also pulled the old frets and sanded to board to re-radius it to 12" and smooth it out. I refretted, leveled and crowned and smoothed the ends on the new frets as well.
So...at this point I need to decided how I want it to look. I have three options I am considering. Keeping it like it looks now...which would mean just shooting more clear. Doing a natural burst...basically fogging dome medium walnut tinted clear around the edges to give it a bit of a burst finish. I also have enough Stew Mac Cherry toner left from my Astro Jet project to finish it in clear red. I am going to not have a chance to work on it again till early next week, so I have the time between then and now to contemplate this. I suppose I could also finish it like the Explorer somewhat....clear yellow(ish) in the middle, medium brown around the edges fading into a darker brown I have. Hmmm..
Again, clicking on the photo opens a gallery with more pics. The darker area on the right side of the body is from the original pickguard (long gone). When it deteriorated / disintegrated it did something to the wood...something soaked into it.
No progress yet...this is what she looks like at this time. It's all gassed out and ready to sand and buff. I figure I'll work on that when the `vette is all painted. Probably not much more on updates for the Explorer till it's done, really. Beside rubbing it out, all I need to do is a fret level, new nut and assembly. Run of the mill stuff.....maybe I document the processes, maybe not...we shall see..
Click on the photo to see the Explorer Gallery:
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| From Explorer Kit |
On the Corvette I have made much progress. I finished stripping all the old house paint and varnish off. Sanded it out. Filled the grain. Shot sand and sealer. Sanded that out. Then shot a couple passes of clear on it. Then I sanded the headstock face smooth and tried to touch up the Gretsch decal just a little bit. After I had masked it off, I shot the headstock face black and then put a couple coats of clear on it. IN and amongst that process I also pulled the old frets and sanded to board to re-radius it to 12" and smooth it out. I refretted, leveled and crowned and smoothed the ends on the new frets as well.
So...at this point I need to decided how I want it to look. I have three options I am considering. Keeping it like it looks now...which would mean just shooting more clear. Doing a natural burst...basically fogging dome medium walnut tinted clear around the edges to give it a bit of a burst finish. I also have enough Stew Mac Cherry toner left from my Astro Jet project to finish it in clear red. I am going to not have a chance to work on it again till early next week, so I have the time between then and now to contemplate this. I suppose I could also finish it like the Explorer somewhat....clear yellow(ish) in the middle, medium brown around the edges fading into a darker brown I have. Hmmm..
Again, clicking on the photo opens a gallery with more pics. The darker area on the right side of the body is from the original pickguard (long gone). When it deteriorated / disintegrated it did something to the wood...something soaked into it.
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| From 66 Corvette work |
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Really, I do...
..I have some photos of various things I've been working on, but time and circumstances means I don't know when I'll be able to edit and upload them. Lots going on here not guitar related. But, that doesn't mean I haven't had the chance to get a little work done to help me wind down after a day. Let's see...
The Explorer still hangs and dries. It's actually ready to sand out and polish now, but I've been focused on other things. Soon I will get back to it and wrap it up.
I got the bridge holes drilled for the `64ish Corvette. I also pulled the old frets then smoothed and leveled the board. It was really evident how small the old frets really where once they're out. I'll try to get a photo up.
A while back I acquired a fret bending tool for a great price. It's the roller kind that does great, consistent bends and is easy to use. I ran some Stew Mac fret stock I got off ebay through it and used some Titebond 1 to glue them in. I Dremeled the ends off last night and leveled them. Started the crowning process and ran out of steam before I could finish. This morning I finished crowning, rounding the ends and then did the polishing with my Micro Mesh. They look great. The wire is smaller than what I used on my `61 Corvette. I need to look up the exact dimensions, but it's kind of the width of current Gibson wire, but the height of current Fender wire. I nice compromise to my taste. I think I'm going to really like them. The tangs where not as deep as the old wire, but I still think they got plenty of bite into the rosewood.
Soooo, I hope to get back to sanding out the Corvette, addressing the headstock (going to try and save the original Gretsch decal) then on to grain fill, sand and seal, etc.
I've put my drill press away, back in the garage, but before I did I worked on that Bulldog LP kit some. I clamped the neck into the body. It's a tight, positive enough fit I knew I could do this to locate the bridge without having to glue yet. I got the bridge and stop tail locations calculated and drilled their holes based on dimensions for Gotoh parts, which is what i will eventually get for it.
Next I drilled out the tuner holes in the headstock to fit some mahogany dowel rod I have. I plugged the original holes with the dowels because they did not line up with the Gibson headstock overlay I'm using. After the glue had dried I trimmed and sanded everything flush and glued the headstock overlay on. It's the older style Gibson logo with the crown in the middle. Then I drilled new 10mm holes in the correct places and set everything aside for another day. I may or may not have the LP ready for finish before the weather turns too cold to paint outside. I'm not going to fret about it, if it happens, it happens. If not, it'll make a nice little winter project.
BTW....this is the leading contender for the Corvette refinish. A "natural burst". Basically just clear coated mahogany with a bit of transparent brown sprayed around the edges. I like it a lot.
The Explorer still hangs and dries. It's actually ready to sand out and polish now, but I've been focused on other things. Soon I will get back to it and wrap it up.
I got the bridge holes drilled for the `64ish Corvette. I also pulled the old frets then smoothed and leveled the board. It was really evident how small the old frets really where once they're out. I'll try to get a photo up.
A while back I acquired a fret bending tool for a great price. It's the roller kind that does great, consistent bends and is easy to use. I ran some Stew Mac fret stock I got off ebay through it and used some Titebond 1 to glue them in. I Dremeled the ends off last night and leveled them. Started the crowning process and ran out of steam before I could finish. This morning I finished crowning, rounding the ends and then did the polishing with my Micro Mesh. They look great. The wire is smaller than what I used on my `61 Corvette. I need to look up the exact dimensions, but it's kind of the width of current Gibson wire, but the height of current Fender wire. I nice compromise to my taste. I think I'm going to really like them. The tangs where not as deep as the old wire, but I still think they got plenty of bite into the rosewood.
Soooo, I hope to get back to sanding out the Corvette, addressing the headstock (going to try and save the original Gretsch decal) then on to grain fill, sand and seal, etc.
I've put my drill press away, back in the garage, but before I did I worked on that Bulldog LP kit some. I clamped the neck into the body. It's a tight, positive enough fit I knew I could do this to locate the bridge without having to glue yet. I got the bridge and stop tail locations calculated and drilled their holes based on dimensions for Gotoh parts, which is what i will eventually get for it.
Next I drilled out the tuner holes in the headstock to fit some mahogany dowel rod I have. I plugged the original holes with the dowels because they did not line up with the Gibson headstock overlay I'm using. After the glue had dried I trimmed and sanded everything flush and glued the headstock overlay on. It's the older style Gibson logo with the crown in the middle. Then I drilled new 10mm holes in the correct places and set everything aside for another day. I may or may not have the LP ready for finish before the weather turns too cold to paint outside. I'm not going to fret about it, if it happens, it happens. If not, it'll make a nice little winter project.
BTW....this is the leading contender for the Corvette refinish. A "natural burst". Basically just clear coated mahogany with a bit of transparent brown sprayed around the edges. I like it a lot.
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| From 66 Corvette work |
Friday, August 14, 2009
Oops...forgot pictures again...
Didn't do anymore to the Explorer yet..still letting it gas out prior to sadning and polishing the nitro. Might get to that next week. I did make some progress on the Corvette though. It's stripped and I had started sanding it out, but I stopped that for a bit and turned my attention to the bridge this week.
I don't, at the moment, have a permanent place to set up my drill press. So I cleared some space on my bench and lugged it inside and set it up. Damn it's heavy. I used it and my newly acquired 1/2" plug cutter to make some proper mahogany plugs with correct grain orientation. I got the old bridge holes drilled out to 1/2" with a Fostner bit, cut some lengths of 1/2" diameter mahogany dowel that fell short of filling the holes by around a 1/4" or more. This allowed me to use the mahogany plugs to cap off the holes and have wood with the grain going the correct direction instead of end grain, like on my Twist restoration.
Once these had dried overnight (Titebond III), I cut the plugs flush and marked up the exact location of my new Gotoh tuneomatic. I could have sworn I had a 7/16th" diameter drill already, but I could not locate it. Had to run out to the hardware store and pick one up. So, now the new bridge holes are drilled. I think next week I will sand some more and start getting the frets pulled in prep for the refret. Not sure how far I will get...
...because I decided whilst I have the drill press out and set up I will go ahead and do all the drilling on my Bulldog Les Paul kit. It will need to have the headstock tuner holes plugged and redrilled to line up with the Gibson headstock overlay I've acquired. Plus then the bridge and stop tail holes need to be drilled out. I will likely then set it aside and refocus on the Corvette and perhaps some other projects I have in the wings. We shall see.
I don't have any good photos of the Bulldog kit yet, but these are their pics of my exact kit. The gallery also has some representative photos optional one piece neck and a shot of the style of headstock overlay I chose.
I don't, at the moment, have a permanent place to set up my drill press. So I cleared some space on my bench and lugged it inside and set it up. Damn it's heavy. I used it and my newly acquired 1/2" plug cutter to make some proper mahogany plugs with correct grain orientation. I got the old bridge holes drilled out to 1/2" with a Fostner bit, cut some lengths of 1/2" diameter mahogany dowel that fell short of filling the holes by around a 1/4" or more. This allowed me to use the mahogany plugs to cap off the holes and have wood with the grain going the correct direction instead of end grain, like on my Twist restoration.
Once these had dried overnight (Titebond III), I cut the plugs flush and marked up the exact location of my new Gotoh tuneomatic. I could have sworn I had a 7/16th" diameter drill already, but I could not locate it. Had to run out to the hardware store and pick one up. So, now the new bridge holes are drilled. I think next week I will sand some more and start getting the frets pulled in prep for the refret. Not sure how far I will get...
...because I decided whilst I have the drill press out and set up I will go ahead and do all the drilling on my Bulldog Les Paul kit. It will need to have the headstock tuner holes plugged and redrilled to line up with the Gibson headstock overlay I've acquired. Plus then the bridge and stop tail holes need to be drilled out. I will likely then set it aside and refocus on the Corvette and perhaps some other projects I have in the wings. We shall see.
I don't have any good photos of the Bulldog kit yet, but these are their pics of my exact kit. The gallery also has some representative photos optional one piece neck and a shot of the style of headstock overlay I chose.
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| From Bulldog LP kit |
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Blush!
I was really fighting the finish on the Explorer that last week. I kept getting blushing on the front as I would apply clear coats. This weekend I picked up a can of Behlin's Blush Eraser. Last night I took the Explorer outside and layed it down face up and shot a couple coats of blush eraser on the problem areas. Miraculously, they disappeared! So the stuff works as advertised. Now, as it has enough clear on it, I just need to wait a week or so, then sand and buff the finish, Here's a terrible photo so far:
Last week I also got started on my "mystery" `vette. I say that because I've not yet precisely dated this one. The serial number is more or less illegible due to a past refinish by a previous owner. I know the first number is a 4, and thin it's something along the lines of 76?4?, with the question marks representing illegible numbers and the 6 a not 100% certain guess. In any case, it's either a 1964 or a 1965, this much I know.
Anyway, I got all the hardware stripped off and started using Citrus Strip to get that hideous finish off there. It went quickly as it seemed to be house paint overcoated with clear varnish. I'm part way through sanding at this stage and have started working on getting the bridge holes plugged. The original bridge is long gone, someone (around 1982 I think) fitted it with a tuneomatic style, but didn't get it in quite the right place. I have a nice Gotoh tuneomatic I'm going to instal.
Here's a before shot linked to the "before" gallery as well.
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| From Explorer Kit |
Last week I also got started on my "mystery" `vette. I say that because I've not yet precisely dated this one. The serial number is more or less illegible due to a past refinish by a previous owner. I know the first number is a 4, and thin it's something along the lines of 76?4?, with the question marks representing illegible numbers and the 6 a not 100% certain guess. In any case, it's either a 1964 or a 1965, this much I know.
Anyway, I got all the hardware stripped off and started using Citrus Strip to get that hideous finish off there. It went quickly as it seemed to be house paint overcoated with clear varnish. I'm part way through sanding at this stage and have started working on getting the bridge holes plugged. The original bridge is long gone, someone (around 1982 I think) fitted it with a tuneomatic style, but didn't get it in quite the right place. I have a nice Gotoh tuneomatic I'm going to instal.
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| From 66 Corvette work |
Here's a before shot linked to the "before" gallery as well.
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| From 1966 Gretsch Corvette |
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