Watching paint dry........

DAY 39

Not much to report today. I was able to get 4 coats of sealer on the guitar yesterday with light sanding between coats. I got another 3 coats on today. Everything is looking nice with one minor area of concern. The heal of the neck has a couple of 'blotchy' spots on it where it looks like the sealer either got some moisture in it, or the sealer didn't soak into the wood as well as the rest of the neck. This area is kind of hard to do because I am trying to finish end grain wood. I had the same problem with my Dreadnought but it wasn't as easy to spot because of it's dark color (or colour just for you Ted :) ). The very top of the peghead also did this although it is to a lesser extent. It isn't too noticeable and I am hoping that as it cures, it will go away. Even if it doesn't go away, I am not going to do anything to fix it. It really isn't something that anyone would notice unless they were looking for it. I will get a picture of it tomorrow so you can see what I am talking about. I am really happy with the natural colors of all the different wood types. The Granadillo is taking on a nice orange-red color, the mahogany neck is very light and almost looks like maple. There is a very minor difference in color between the neck wood and the maple bindings on the fingerboard. I really wasn't expecting that because my experience with mahogany has been that it is red. I am pleasantly surprised at it's color. The maple bindings really stand out now and make a nice "frame" around the rest of the body. I am probably most happy with the bearclaw soundboard is looking. With each coat of sealer, it gets a more orangish-pink hue. This really gives it an aged look. I didn't expect that either. All in all, I think I am going be very happy with the look of this guitar.

I am going to let it sit until Tuesday and then do some semi-level sanding and then shoot it with 3 coats of the finish lacquer. I will let it sit a day and then do a level sanding and shoot 3 more coats of lacquer. My goal is to have 7 coats of sealer and 6 coats of lacquer by late next week. Then it will hang in my warm room for 2-3 weeks before I touch it again. Ahhhh, patience is a virtue..... at least that is what they keep telling me! I expect my new kit to arrive either tomorrow or Tuesday so I really won't need to be too patient.