Finishing

The finishing has officially begun. I had some time today to work on the guitar, so I got the spray booth all cleaned out, the flood lights up, the exhaust fan fired up and the high tech guitar mounting device (sawhorse) all set up. I gave the parts one final inspection, mounted them to the sawhorse and wiped them down with naphtha to make sure no skin oils were on the wood. I was able to get three wet coats, and one wash coat of sealer on the guitar. I like how the sealer makes the wood really come alive, especially the bloodwood. It is really amazing how the finish makes the grain come out, and the colors become much more vibrant. I think I am really going to like how this is going to look!

Tomorrow I will give it a light scratch sanding and try and get 4 coats of lacquer on it. I would go with more sealer coats, but I ran out and I don't want to wait several days for Stewmac to ship it to me.

A few pictures after the first coats of sealer. Note, the white color in the bottoms of the ramps is just the white dust created by spraying this finish. Every time I put another coat on, I have to wipe the top surfaces with naphtha to get rid of this dust.

The back and side. Notice how the bloodwood really stands out now. I am really happy about that because I was thinking that the red was going to be too dark with the EIR. I wanted it to stand out and it looks like it is doing that. I also like how the black strip next to it is kind of disappearing into the dark EIR too!

The side and top. Again, the bloodwood really shows up now.

The heel cap and heel. With all the neck pictures, you will see that my pore filling didn't go as well as I had hoped. I think I am done with the Colortone pore filler. It is just too difficult to completely get all the pores filled with it. I am going to try something different for the next one. I want to see if Target has a better pore filler that is goes with the rest of their finishing system.

Here you can see a couple of small runs in the finish, right under the peg head where it cuts into the neck. No big deal, I will shave them with a razor before the next coats. In this picture, you can see the real color of the neck. Although the staining started out as a disaster, I have to say I am quite pleased with the outcome. The color with dark pores gives it a nice old time look. The main shaft of the neck is also a bit lighter than the heel and peg head which gives it a 'used' look.

Just a couple of bragging pictures. After all the bridge work, I was able to get my bridge to weigh the exact same amount as the pre-made one. I am really happy about that, even though it was because of a bit of luck!

The proof of the weight.