Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: AndyR on June 26, 2010, 07:04:21 PM
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My Explorer has been p1ssing me off for ages... :(
But for £30 and a week of hard "Trinny & Susannah" work, it is now stunning :D
It was a Dark Cherry (see cr@ppy photo - the only "before" shot I have). In principle, I love this colour, but it wasn't quite right.
That would have been OK, but I've had it for over two years now and it has always been sticky as hell in my hands. I did all the usual rub it back a little & polish it up. It would seem ok, and then next time I picked it up, five minutes in and it was "eeeyurgh :x".
The finish (bodywise) felt soft and so prone to accidents, kinda fragile - making the thing feel larger and more cumbersome than it actually is. And the thing always reeked of a "hot chocolate" sort of smell, which I liked originally, but I've come to loath.
Either this thing never cured properly or Gibson's current clear coat just does not agree with me (I have no such problems with my Faded SG).
Now, I know a lot of folk would be thinking resale value, and this guitar is the closest I've ever come to considering this factor, but really I don't usually move instruments on (or if I do I sell them for peanuts to nephews and nieces!!). I tend not to regard any guitar I own with any reverence other than "my guitar, doesn't it make nice noises". So, if it's not doing it for me, and I know what's wrong, I am likely to attempt something knowing it might destroy the thing. In this case, although I was starting to think of getting rid of it, I do kinda love this geetar - it plays lovely, it just stank and felt like sh1t all the time! :lol:
Then last weekend, I was watching Judas Priest Live Vengeance (1982) and noticed that one of KK's original Vs had the back of the neck stripped.
So last Saturday afternoon I crossed my fingers and started sanding the neck... Flippin heck - that was LOADS tougher than sanding a poly neck! By the time I gave up (knackered!) I was not sure whether I'd done the right thing... I was through to wood in a small area, and I knew that it would feel right if I could finish without doing damage... That night I did a lot of thinking, looking at the body and its colour, looking at the grain through the finish, deciding to look into doing something more drastic... Sunday morning, while waiting for the shops to open, I did loads of research on here and the interweb in general. Then I went out and got me:
- Nitromors varnish & lacquer remover (cos you guys said it takes nitro off easily)
- A bottle of white spirit (cos I'd forgotten I'm an oil painter and I've got buckets of the stuff :roll:)
- A scr@per thingy
- A tin of "Dark Mahogany" wood dye (cos the blurb on the back of the next item said dye might be wanted)
- A tin of Rustin's Danish Oil (cos I found a post from Wez recommending it to someone months ago, and then when I did the "Tung vs Tru vs Danish vs Snake vs etc Oil" research that morning, I ended up with the information that Danish would give me a flatter, more satin finish)
- A box of they disposable safety gloves (I was thinking nitromors, but actually the wood dye just eats them!)
I already had a selection of Briwax and different gauges of steel wool.
So, a sunday afternoon of "what am I doing?!" lacquer stripping out in the back garden, followed by a week of early mornings and late evenings "doing stuff"... and now I absolutely love it. :D 8)
It's still not a strat, obviously (:lol:). But my most expensive guitar, the one that stayed in its case all the time, the one that was distinctly unloved, now feels like a new girlfriend...
(I nearly called this a NGD, I'm that chuffed/excited by it!)
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Gorgeous! A victory for hard graft and Judas Priest ;-)
Congrats on the "NGD", always wanted an explorer ...
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beautiful job, good wood needs not covering, n'est pas?
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looks good
it may need some maintenance if its just danish and wax on mahogany - maybe a re-wax in 6 months or so - but it will be worth it. the more you do and handle it the more it develops a patina like an old banister and feels great
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you made the right decision. it looks very nice. big fan of the mahogany finish.
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looks good
i am just doing a similar finish on a firebird I clone(ish) at the moment
it may need some maintenance if its just danish and wax on mahogany - maybe a re-wax in 6 months or so - but it will be worth it. the more you do and handle it the more it develops a patina like an old banister and feels great
:D thanks for that... but I'm way ahead of you...
...mainly cos I found similar statements from a bloke with a yellow head playing a banjo/ukelele on this forum :lol:
Many thanks for all the help you've given in the last week or so without even knowing it!! :D
EDIT: Of course, if you ever change your avatar again, this particular post might be a bit mystifying to someone reading it later!
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Mister you're a
better braver man than I!
But gosh that looks good, and I bet it feels like much more of a "player" now. Did you have to be extra careful not to damage the lacquer on the headstock?
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:D thanks for that... but I'm way ahead of you...
...mainly cos I found similar statements from a bloke with a yellow head playing a banjo/ukelele on this forum :lol:
i do tend to repeat myself a lot ;)
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That looks awesome, natural finishes are my favourite :D Love the look of explorers but always think I'd look a right tit playing one!
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Natural stain looks great! I'd replace the pickguard with a black one then it'd be perfect.
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Looks great, well worth the effort. 8)
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Looks so much better.
Maybe you should take your oil paints and go work for Gibson, Andy?
;)
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Did you have to be extra careful not to damage the lacquer on the headstock?
:roll: :lol:
You can't see it though can you!
Yep, I was being very careful. I nearly didn't strip the back and sides of the headstock, but it looked daft. I considered masking the front, but my experience of masking in paintings made me think that this would be asking for trouble. At least with oil paint, you can slap the paint on and then when you whip the tape off you've still got the chance to wipe any seepage... but with stripper, it would already have started its job.
I'd noticed elsewhere on the guitar that, unimpeded or encouraged by extra stuff like masking tape, the stripper works "downwards" into the lacquer, very little sideways action. So I decided "I can paint in straight lines" - and I can (ish). I got it painted up to the edge perfectly - absolutely perfectly. Then I manouvered the guitar to check out another area... :? ... next time I looked at the face of the headstock, there were three big drips, right across the front! :lol: It can only have been like that for a minute or so, but it was enough... I neutralised it immediately with white spirit. I waited for it to reharden and then flattened the front of the headstock with coarse wire wool. Luckily, I already knew the Gibson clear coat on this guitar was extremely thick. Unfortunately the remedial action damaged one of the edges - there seemed to be two distinct clear coat layers on this guitar, the top layer went in a tiny (2mm) area. Stuck out like a sore thumb...
BUT! I found something interesting while dyeing and oiling the body. For "old times sake" I'd left a tiny patch of the original lacquer under the scratchplate between a pickup cavity and the control cavity: and I found that the new finish took to the old lacquer :D
So, I let the dye overspill onto the "chip" on the edge of the headstock face - that removed the white/grey that made it stand out so much. Then I made the original lacquer as uniformly matt as I could manage with wire wool. And then I put one layer of Danish Oil over it to see what would happen. I've ended up leaving it like that - close up you can even see the marks from where I wiped the excess oil, but it looks kinda "rustic" and in keeping with everything else.
Love the look of explorers but always think I'd look a right tit playing one!
That was my take on them for nearly 20 years!!
I'd replace the pickguard with a black one then it'd be perfect.
I have seriously considered that - even when it was dark cherry. But I'm after an "Allen Collins in Lynyrd Skynyrd" or "The Edge" look - those were the Explorer images I fell for originally.
But it does look awfully "white" at the moment. Do Gibson pickguards age like Fender's do? I've got a feeling that they don't, so getting a snot-green one made up might be a bit daft... (it's crying out for it though :lol:)
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Looks great.
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I knew there'd be a story about the headstock! :lol:
I'm not going to try this on my 339 or SG-X, but it has turned out really well.
But it does look awfully "white" at the moment. Do Gibson pickguards age like Fender's do? I've got a feeling that they don't, so getting a snot-green one made up might be a bit daft... (it's crying out for it though :lol:)
No, the old Fender ones age like that because they were made of celluloid. New ones are made of vinyl which doesn't change colour so much.
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Looks sweet, a huge improvement.
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yum yum!! great work :) :) the idea came off really well!
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very nice :D
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Very very cool! :D
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Looks nice Andy. Give us a solo to Free bird on it!
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Looks nice Andy. Give us a solo to Free bird on it!
:lol: Funny you should say that. I'm not as skinny as I was, but my hair's a lot longer than last time you saw me - I do seem to look like Mr Collins when axing away with it now.
Haven't played Freebird recently, but there's been quite a lot of "Working for the MCA" coming out of it.
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Dude, that looks killer.
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i wonder about doing this to my faded V now..
how easy was it to avoid stripping the headstock paint? does the back look equally as nice?
:)
edit: just read your post regarding the headstock
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how easy was it to avoid stripping the headstock paint?
See first page of thread! :P
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I believe that the Faded's finish will come off very easily. So I think the headstock-dangers are reduced. I hit my problem when I was removing the thick clear-coat. This required heavy-ish application of Nitromors and use of the scr@per (and moving the body around without due-care-and-attention!)
I think the Faded finish could possibly even be done with
a) a light coating of Nitromors
b) rubbing with wire wool (possibly dipped in Nitromors) instead of a paint scr@per
If you can do it without the scr@per, you should also avoid all "slight gouges" brought about by fatigue and frustration with heavy lacquer not moving fast enough :lol:
Just make sure you have the white spirit (poured out ready!) and clean rags to hand.
And yes, the back is equally as nice :D
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in fact i removed a little of the finish on the back of the neck with 30-45 minutes wire wool rubbing a while ago.
it is thin - but not /that/ thin. i like the wire wool and nitromors idea.
will have to decide if i want to do it. but it is tempting looking at the great results you've had.
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Yeah, I've worn the finish a bit thin on the back of my Faded SG's neck.
There is one thing to think about if you do go for it - the Fadeds (or at least the ones I've handled) have not had their surfaces completely flattened like a guitar that was given a full finish.
My Explorer is pretty much "smooth" after this refinish, except from previous dings and the odd scratch I put in it (I decided to leave these as "character" rather than try to repair/fill and possibly mess up the whole thing!).
My Faded SG has a definite grainy feel. If I were to do my SG (I'm not going to, I like the cherry on the SG), I would personally live with this feel. I'd expect to probably lose some of the grainyness with the oiling, but I wouldn't be worried about eradicating it altogether.
I think, if I had Faded V, I would be considering an attack of some sort - mainly because the red looks a bit brighter or more pastel-like than I'd fancy. However, rather than stripping off the existing colour, there is another possibility - I found that the dye and oil goes over the existing finish quite well (I left a bit under the scratchplate). This would seriously darken that colour scheme...
EDIT: Dear oh dear, I'm talking like some sort of expert here... :roll:
Bear in mind I'm just a guy that lucked out on this over the last week or so... what I'm suggesting is what I'd be "prepared to experiment with next..." - at my own risk... Hopefully Wez or someone as experienced is vaguely monitoring what I'm saying here!! :lol:
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yes, the grain is fairly deep - from my little knowledge of wood grains ;)
i already buffed up the matt finish to a shine, but as you say the colour is still a little cartoonish.
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Love it! I'm a big fan of natural finish explorers
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nitromors is usually fine for stripping gibsons... but you do have to make sure its all gone before any respray. anyway, with the headstock i would be extra carefull if you want to keep it stock. bag it with a food bag whilst stripping the rest of the guitar then do the sides and back section by hand with scr@pers (razor blade) and sandpaper, it wont take long.
generally oil finishes dont fill the grain, but if you have stripped a lacquered guitar there will generally be a bit of lacquer remianing deep in that grain... and mahogany does have a lot of it. an important step in my method is wetsanding with the oil. not only does it really help work the oil into the wood whilst keeping it thin on the surface.. it also creates a slurry which helps to fill the grain. with tru-oil you can almost fill it completely like this, with danish it just reduces it a bit. either way, it feels a lot more natural than a faded finish because when you spray lacquer it will make the grain seem larger by building at the edge of the grain and rounding off the edges. its not flattened off at any point with the fadeds so it stays that way
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Thanks for that Wez - it all fits with what I experienced (if not with what I did!!)
Interesting about that wet-sanding with the oil. The first coat I followed the instructions on the tin - ladle it on (I used a paint brush) then wipe off after a few minutes.
The next coat went on with fingers, with a wipe off. I could see problems developing - patchyness with regard to gloss/satin, marks from the wipe-off cloth because the oil had cured too long (even after 1-2 mins!! What's this "wipe off after a few minutes" about then?? :lol:), etc. So I wire wooled it (dry) a bit, but I could see my skills/patience weren't going to be up to that.
So I had what I thought was a brainwave - I applied the last coat with wire wool, rubbing it in for each section until it had reached the "wiped off" stage. I decided to go for only 3 coats, because I wanted minimal coating to provide "just enough" protection. I'm planning on it having successive Bri-wax treatments over coming months/years. As it won't be getting subjected to the "sweat-soaked" gigs I used to do, I reckon this will be enough to turn it into a nice, protected, "old piece of furniture" finish...
After the oiling phase, and letting it fully dry for a couple of days, I ended up with a consistent but much glossier finish than I had been expecting. I also had a few places where there was oil build-up (eg drip marks over edges). So I applied Bri-wax in much the same way as the last coat of oil, using wire-wool to apply and cut back the gloss at the same time. When the wax was dry, I rubbed off the excess, then buffed it back up. This revealed the areas I hadn't cut back enough, so another Bri-wax coat (entire finish) but concentrating on the shiny and lumpy bits first.
That's the last layer I did, knowing I'll do some again later. With playing/handling and it all settling, I can see a few areas on the front where I missed a few shiny spots, and a few areas (near the edges of the body) where oil build up wasn't completely sorted - these result in duller patches. However it only shows up in the mirror when you'r posing and the light catches it - it's a real bugger to spot it when you're inspecting it "first-hand" (with a view to fixing it).
I'm confident that leaving it like this for a few weeks for the inconsistencies to "develop" and for me to learn where they are, followed by another Bri-wax session is going to be just peachy :D
As it stands now, I'm very impressed with what I've done and would feel no shame playing it and allowing people to see it in this state. However, if I'd actually paid someone else to do it, and this was presented as the finished article, I'd be unlikely to take it back to them!! :lol:
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Man, keep opening the thread to see this guitar, it's looking so cool!
Think you're glad the Mahogany pieces of body matches it other nicely, not all bodies with solid color have this luck :D
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I'm even luckier, Fernando - when I'm at home, all I've got to do is look up to see it!! :lol:
The "Before" photo I have isn't actually clear enough to tell, but you could see the grain through the original finish. While I was deciding to strip it, I spent quite a lot of time looking at it to decide whether the grain was interesting enough. I was already reasonably sure that, although you could see the joins close up, it was going to be "consistent" enough not to look bad.
If it had been a solid colour, I think I would have just stripped the neck. Although, I might have stripped a bit under the scratchplate to see if it was the same as the neck!
As it was, I knew it had pretty much the same grain all over... so it didn't take me too long to decide.
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Wasn't it the solid wine finish?? :?
Looking better seems like no :lol:
Sorry
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:lol:
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by the way... :D
which 'dark mahogany' stain did you use?
did it go on before the oil?
any dramas?
still happy with the work?
(sorry for the quick fire questions)
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which 'dark mahogany' stain did you use?
I'll have to look at the tin when I get home (if the wife hasn't tidied away too deep in the "storage facilities" at our place! :lol:)
did it go on before the oil?
Yes indeed
any dramas?
Not really. It melts plastic - the protective gloves you might be wearing, dot markers on the side of the neck if you don't wipe it fast enough, etc...
But the job itself came out far more consistent than I expected - I can't see any patchy areas.
still happy with the work?
Very.
(sorry for the quick fire questions)
No problem! :D
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That does look absolutely gorgeous. For me Explorers should either be white or have the finish you've gone for. Had I done what you did I think I would be unbearably smug now. :)
Very very cool.
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Not sure how I missed this thread first time round.
Looks stunning..... by th eway if you're trying to get through a think finish, I have always had much more luck with emmery cloth rather than sandpaper. It sees to last a lot longer too.
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Thanks guys, I was immensely proud of how it turned out at the time :D
Gwem, here's the details:
Dye was just a Colron Wood Dye. The colour really is "Deep Mahogany"!
I bought it at a local hardware shop, but you can get it at homebase etc. There should be a picture of the tin here: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=900668&Trail=searchtext>COLRON+WOOD+DYE+DEEP+MAHOGANY (http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=900668&Trail=searchtext>COLRON+WOOD+DYE+DEEP+MAHOGANY).
The Briwax I use on this and my Dark Cherry Faded SG (and on bare maple eg Roadworn necks) is "Antique Pine". It's slowly darkening the Faded SG and the maple necks, but it doesn't seem to change the Explorer.
I chose both tins using the highly scientific approach - "hmmm, that looks about right" :lol:
I actually chose the Briwax with the Roadworns in mind, but reckoned it would do on the Explorer as well. I used it on the SG after the Explorer came out nice - if anyone's got a Faded that feels a bit dull (it will polish up with playing anyway, I think), I can definitely recommend a few goes on it with the Briwax.
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Looks awesome!!
Seeing this is inspiring me to get my Explorer refinished. She's a bit battered now and needs some TLC, I've always wanted a white or natural finish Explorer too!
Paddy
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Looks fabulous!!! Explorers are elegant, bold and pure at the same time.
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thanks Andy, i'll see if thats available at my local hardware store (its for the mahogany strat body by the way)
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I guessed as much. When I was doing it I was thinking "a strat looking like this would be ace" :D
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Nice looking Explorer good job but personally I think the Explorer what Tim had made by Feline is the dogs b@ll@cks
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the hardware store had just about every colour except Colron 'deep mahogany' which was sold out.. i expect people reading this thread went out to refin their guitars :)
Anyway, I got Rustin's 'brown mahogany', I was tempted to get the Colron 'red mahogany' but decided not to take any risks. I've just done the back, and it looks good (perhaps a shade dark, but not too much). I'll do the front when I come back from the pub later. It was very easy to apply, I just rubbed it on with some denim rag - not patchy at all. I guess the Danish Oil will be the hard bit.
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last (fourth) coat of danish oil just gone on. some clear briwax waiting in the wings. when the danish oil dries out the finish isn't really glossy as I imagined. i noticed the difference in absorbtion between each coat. i applied every layer with finest grade wire wool.
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last (fourth) coat of danish oil just gone on. some clear briwax waiting in the wings. when the danish oil dries out the finish isn't really glossy as I imagined. i noticed the difference in absorbtion between each coat. i applied every layer with finest grade wire wool.
Dumb question, but are you oiling one side at a time, or do you have it hung up somehow so you can rotate it?
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last (fourth) coat of danish oil just gone on. some clear briwax waiting in the wings. when the danish oil dries out the finish isn't really glossy as I imagined. i noticed the difference in absorbtion between each coat. i applied every layer with finest grade wire wool.
Dumb question, but are you oiling one side at a time, or do you have it hung up somehow so you can rotate it?
i'm oiling one side at a time. once i wipe off the excess on one side i turn it over and do the other. then i prop the body up so both sides can get exposed to the air. i'm hoping this is a good technique!
edit:
i'm actually find things fairly easy so far - maybe the briwax will be tricky. by taking my time and following this thread plus some old stuff from Wez this is going quite well. depending on how the waxing goes, i may do this again... perhaps even have a go at making my own body(!)
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With the Explorer I did the oil as shifts of neck-only and body-only coats. When I did the neck I laid the thing on the table. When I did the body it was hanging on it's stand (with the bottom bit removed so the guitar hung free). If I was doing a strat body, I'd probably do the same as you.
I actually found the Briwax stage easier - but I was vaguely used to using it on furniture and other stuff.
With the Danish Oil, I was getting a lovely satin sort of effect (what I wanted) until I went for the last coat - that came up shiny! Also there was some inconsistency added in that last coat... I think I might have been too generous on that last one, it certainly took longer to dry than the others did. I managed to "fix" the inconsistency and shinyness it by applying the Briwax with wire wool.
If I were to go through it again, I think I would wire wool a "bad" last layer like that and go for another layer of Danish Oil. But I was in a bit of a rush by the end.
Wez might be able to help on something though: my impression is that if I want to do more Danish Oil layers now, I'd have to get the wax layer stripped off first - is that right Wez? (I have no intention of going through this myself, I'm aiming at a "Briwax and playing" build-up... But it might be worth Gwem knowing whether this is the case or not!)
Even on first attempt, it came out far more "professional" than I was expecting it to, so I'd definitely take the job on again. It was kinda satisfying doing it...
It was a good job the wife was away for two weeks though - she only saw the finished effect and the "re-tidied" flat! She was very impressed with the guitar... if she'd witnessed what had happened to the kitchen and living room, and how all life had to move around a lump of wood with stuff on it for a week and a half, she might have had one or two issues with me... :lol:
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people, please stop BUMPING this thread...
... it's giving me Explorer's GAS :(
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Bumpity bump bump BUMP!
:lol:
(Don't worry Fernando, soon Gwem will be posting a "Look at my lovely mahogany strat" thread :D)
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Confessing time: I've ordered a Explorer template from Guitar Building Template yesterday :oops: :(
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it is an easy finish to do - the hardest part would have been getting the dye consistent but if you are past that it should be fine
you wont be able to put more oil on after the wax stage - just build it up with more wax occasionally if it needs it.
mahogany will soak up a lot and stay dry looking longer - than other woods... but have you wetsanded with the oil? Its a tricky stage as you may lose a little of the stain, worth starting with 800-1000 wet & dry- but if you did a wetsand coat of oil you would find it starts to get really smooth. Basically the stain and oil can raise any rough grain and give a coarser texture. the wetsanding takes care of that. it never gets glossy the way tru-oil does
lets have a dig for reference:
Just wet-sanded danish oil on imbuya
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/wv8.jpg)
and wenge
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/IMG_0673.jpg)
danish Oil & wax:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/wv20.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/wv11.jpg)
tru-oil:
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/IMG_0691.jpg)
stain + oil & wax
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/complete%20guitars/fb13.jpg)
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thanks for the tips wez.
this morning i found last night's oil coat has dried satin gloss for the first time. despite my impatience to get a working instrument i might throw on one more for luck. i haven't wetsanded, but I have used wire wool at every stage and massaged the oil in. i'm certain this has helped alot with the consistency.
the grain on this bit of mahogany is pretty tight, I have the feeling the guy might have used a bit of grain filler.
lovely firebird by the way ;)
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lovely firebird by the way ;)
+1!
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Glad I didn't know the stain/dye was the hardest stage! I just wopped it on like the can said, didn't seem too difficult, no problems encountered (apart from melted gloves). If I'd known it was meant to be the difficult stage, I'd probably have messed it up... :roll: :lol:
(EDIT: After posting, I realised that I have a fair amount of experience of painting in various mediums, that's probably why I felt no fear when I started with the stain. If I hadn't had that "omigod!" experience of whacking the first oil on a canvas I might have hesitated while I was doing it - I suspect that might be one of the causes of getting inconsistencies in the stain)
And another +1 on the Firebird. I'm not a big fan of them, but that does look fabulous.
Keep as patient as possible Gwem - especially at the end.
I found the oiling, after the first coat of "that wasn't too difficult", somewhat stressful in an "am I doing the right thing?" sort of way. I only stopped oiling because I didn't want it to get any shinier - sounds like in your case another layer for luck might be a good thing.
The waxing, on the other hand, I find very theraputic... rub some on, leave it for a bit then buff it off. If I could have got away with just waxing and no oil I would have done - it just felt like the thing needed a little more protection than that.
Anyway, we're waiting for the results, Gwem :D
Confessing time: I've ordered a Explorer template from Guitar Building Template yesterday :oops: :(
Whoops! :lol:
Nice one :)
(But I hope Wez's pics haven't made you order anything else!)
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(But I hope Wez's pics haven't made you order anything else!)
I ain't got money, but surelly I had the wish... Like his work a lot!
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Glad I didn't know the stain/dye was the hardest stage! I just wopped it on like the can said, didn't seem too difficult, no problems encountered (apart from melted gloves). If I'd known it was meant to be the difficult stage, I'd probably have messed it up... :roll: :lol:
yeah, i just threw it on too! :)
i slipped and split alot of danish oil all over the body on the last-one-for-luck coat. i wirewooled it in though, think its ok.. at least none went on the carpet. we'll see tomorrow.
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The Firebird is killer!
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The Firebird is killer!
it sounds as good as it looks mate, and plays better
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I'm glad. i have made a few firebirds before but this was the first aiming for the traditional look and design. obviously it has some wezisms (feel like a c--k for descriping my build priciples in that way, but it seems to fit) in there but nothing much that would take it away from the gibson recipe in a major way.
The heel is a bit smoother and more contoured, but wont affect tone in any discernable way. Other than that its petty much gibson staple with well chosen light mahogany and deeper bevels on the headstock... dont think i changed much else on this other than some caron fibre to ensure the neck stays stable and the ebony for the fretboard (knowing it would suit gwem better than the usual alternatives)
i do have a moderne replica on my mind tonight, but that will follow from a bowable fretless corvus shaped bass and other silly projects i have planned for myself. Iceman with some kind of metal front/scratch plate is next on the list (and after that maybe a fireman - maybe a year or so away though)
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Keep up the good things. The Firebird looks so smooth and the colour seems just right. And with just one pickup the nice lines of the guitar are emphasized.