Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Pete24v on February 15, 2013, 11:27:05 PM
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Hi all, I'm doing a guitar build from Warmoth parts. Everything is ordered and should be shipped soon.
Is a total La Cabronita guitar, with a 3 piece alder body. I went for no finish on the body as I want it to look natural, like an old N4 I used to have.
My question is, what do I need to do to actually finish the body? I've heard about true oil, or tung oil. I'm a total novice in this department!
Thanks for any help
Pete
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Wez is your man for oil finishes. It's something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH_h-CHWPqE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH_h-CHWPqE)
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It did feel a bit like "When a Stranger Calls" listening to the audio on that clip.....
Guitar looks great, though!
What I'd like to know - Wez if you're reading - is a list of recommended actual products for oil/wax finishing. I know Tru-Oil is a specific branded item, but when you mention "Danish Oil" or just "Wax" I go into Homebase, see all the different stuff they have and immediately get very confused. :?
So could you mention the actual brands and specific types of oil and wax you use? Oh yeah, and grain filler (if recommended) for things like swamp ash. Pictures of the tins would be good! :wink:
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i was just thinking the same thing about the vid ;)
I thought i did mention brands quite often - at least where it matters
Birchwood-casey Tru-oil. most searches for tru-oil bring up this brand so probably dont mention it. bets to buy this stuff online
(http://images.uttings.co.uk/images/products/birchwood-casey/tru-oil-gun-sto_43795237_large.jpg)
Rustins Danish oil. used be able to get thsi from wilkinsons but now they sell their own brand stuff, as do most DIY shops. slightly different smells but they all work in a similar fashion so i usually just say danish oil
(http://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/media/ecom/prodxl/danish_oil.jpg)
Briwax natural- i always mentions this one by name, it dries quite hard whereas the DIY shop own brands tend to be a paste that and stay feeling slippy. briwax is widely available at most DIY shops
(http://images.oneofakindantiques.com/1914_briwax_1.jpg)
and liberon steel wool - no other brand will do
(http://cdn.diytools.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/4/image/400x400/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/i/liberon-steel-wool-0000-1kg.jpg)
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and the reason i avoid other brands of steel wool,
here we have colron 0000, colron 00000 and liberon 0000
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/wirewool.jpg)
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Thanks for the replies, this looks more involved than simply rubbing on a few coats of oil! :?
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Thanks for the replies, this looks more involved than simply rubbing on a few coats of oil! :?
you can just do it that way. rub on a few coats of oil then flat it off and de-nib with the wire wool etc. it will give you a perfectly serviceable finish
i tend to go a bit further with repeated stages of wet sanding, buffing and waxing to give a much more developed finish. I have been accused of making the process more complex than it needs to be, but nobody who has ever touched one of my oil finishes would agree with that, and really its just simple steps repeated a few times with no real risk of screwing up permanently
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Whats 'flatting off' and 'de-nip'?
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once you have wiped the oil on and it has dried you will have some imperfections. the odd bit of dust or a run or two or just a bit that is uneven. flatting off is sanding with fine grade sandpaper to level out any runs or irregular sections. de-nibbing is rubbing down with the wire wool to remove dust or fuzzy sections. you can do either of these, both of these, or none of these. you can do it dry, or use oil to lubricate the flatting off, or wax to lubricate the de-nibbing
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think i'm getting a clear idea now, if i was to put this in stages, would it be something like this?
1 - Lots of tru oil rubbed in, excess wiped off, leave for a day.
2 - 2-3 more smaller coats of tru oil, with 4 hours between coats
3 - rub over with sandpaper/wire wool - possibly with oil
4 - guitar is finished!
Thanks
Pete
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One last thing!
What grit sandpaper do I require throughout?
Pete
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pretty close
1. preferably sand the guitar to a high grit first - minimum of 400 grit with wet &dry paper(halfords are usually the best place to get high grits.
2. one liberal coat of oil rubbed in with a rag from an old shirt, hang for 24 hours
3. lighter coats rubbed in with a few hours drying time between OR wetsand with the oil and a higher grit of wet &dry. either way buff off the excess after 10-15 mins then leave till next coat. repeat till happy
4. wet sand with oil and immediately buff off OR rub down with wire/wool wax and buff
main difference between the tru or danish oil is the tru-oil will build on the surface and danish wont really. so danish oil benefits from the final wax more than tru-oil where it really is optional
I am doing one a bit differently at the moment as its stained and i wont be able to wet-sand without going through
6 liberal coats of tru-oil later
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/js39_zpsd9116cec.jpg)
bit too shiny for my tastes as it is, it will get denibbed with wax and wirewool for an even satiny finish
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8)
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Thanks from me too Wez! I knew about the Liberon Steel Wool but always get confused especially about the wax - there seem to be lots of different Briwax products (and American sites always mention stuff like Minwax just to unsettle me further...)
I will try to make a note of this thread for future reference! :D
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Thanks WezV, that is brilliant.
Am going to try it just with tru oil, then make the decision after i've lived with the guitar for a few weeks whether i go danish oil and wax.
Thanks muchly! will report the results. :D
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if you go with tru-oil you won't need danish at all, but yeah see how it goes and if you want to wax it after.
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This thread has suddenly become rather relevant to me, so I thought I'd post some progress.
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-1.jpg)
My Baja came a bit of a cropper at the weekend. To the extent that it ended up with 3 large (one inch square sort of size) chunks of poly smashed off the back and sides in addition to various dings, dents and scratches. It was quite a mess to be honest so I started looking into rebodying/refinishing it. Both options were looking expensive, which for a guitar that I got for very little, seemed a little too much.
Anyhow today I decided to bite the bullet and see just how hard poly is to remove... Using a hairdryer and the tools photographed (I'm doing this as cheaply as possible after all), it took less than an hour to strip the whole thing. No danger of burning it with the hairdryer and it was hot enough to soften the poly for to get the big poker underneath. When soft enough it separates surprisingly easily, to the extent that we managed to get the back off in one piece. Brilliant!
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-2.jpg)
More impressive is the sheer density of the stuff. Yup, that really is 1/2lb of finish.
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-3.jpg)
So we've just done a bit of sanding today to get the sealant off, but it looks like this might be up for oil finishing. This is the body as of today. It's 4 piece ash and in all honesty, on a Tele, it doesn't look bad (just wiped down with white spirit here). Still a lot of sanding to do as I haven't even touched the sides yet. More of that tomorrow.
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-4.jpg)
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Bloody hell, I'm amazed by the sight of that huge chunk of paint off the back! :o
When I had a Baja Tele it did feel like the paint was very thick (same with another blonde USA Tele, come to think of it), but I wouldn't expect it to peel off in one piece.
The stripped body looks very good, OK you can see the joins but I've seen just as bad on natural-finish Strats and Teles, Fender (unllike Warmoth) really don't make much effort at all to match the grain patterns nicely.
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Finish was nigh on 1mm thick. It is almost like a dipped plastic coating rather than paint. Which certainly helped in it's removal.
If it'd been anything but a Tele, the joins would have bothered me. As it is, it doesn't at all.
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Holy cow!
Bad thoughts from me now. I've always thought that the finish on my Baja was way too thick. A few recent dings confirmed this for me.
Has removing all of that finish had an impact on the neck pocket? Just wondering if there are any gaps that weren't there before.
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The body looks much better now!
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Holy cow!
Bad thoughts from me now. I've always thought that the finish on my Baja was way too thick. A few recent dings confirmed this for me.
Has removing all of that finish had an impact on the neck pocket? Just wondering if there are any gaps that weren't there before.
Neck pocket is just fine, there was no finish in there and we're being extra carful when sanding around it. There is going to be a LOT of sanding required...
I wouldn't have ever undertaken this had it not got badly damaged though. I just got to the stage where I thought 'bugger it, if I f**k this up I'll just buy a new body'. As it stands, if I can get it looking decent again for not very much, I'll be a very happy chappy.
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To be honest I don't think I'll be attempting this. Certainly not soon anyway! It does look much better than how it left the factory - will be keeping a keen eye on this one.
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The thought of losing half a pound just by removing the finish is very appealing..... "the poly diet".
I wonder if those semi-opaque blonde finishes are particularly thick? When I dismantled my American Ash Tele (which was too bloody heavy in the first place!) and found big chunks of finish flaking off under the bridge, it was hugely thick, I'd say even more than 1mm. But I don't think the finish on my other Fenders of similar vintage is anything like as thick as that.
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I was thinking about this again today. Agreed that the thought of losing that much weight is quite appealing! My Baja has taken a fair few whacks in its time and although it has dents and chips I still don't think the wood has actually been damaged.
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Considering the beating mine's had, I'm surprised that not much of it at all has made it through to the wood. Indeed just the odd bits where it was filled in Mexico are now showing (thankfully on the back). There's a little bit of a scratch that's going to show under the controls, but it's not too bad. The dings on the edges are there if you look for them. But I think they'll be barely visible by the time it's done.
Otherwise, current state of play as of today is that the coarse sanding is done and it's down to nice bare wood all round. It's been a surprising amount of effort even though there was relatively little residue on the body.
Tomorrow I'm planning on getting it to 400 grit and hopefully the tru-oil will turn up for the first coat to go on Sunday.
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it already looks alot better :D 8)
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Sanded to 400 and ready for oil. Sadly it didn't turn up today, so it looks like that'll be Monday. Providing everything turns up, this might be done by Wednesday!
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-5.jpg)
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That pic link doesn't seem to be working!
I'm giving this some more thought now. Keen to see the results!
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Probably just my server, it's sat under my table and hosted over the flakiest ADSL link known to man. It usually sorts itself out within 5 mins or so when it throws a wobbler (which is quite often).
It's taken a lot of sanding effort to this point, the main to get the residue off the wood, but I think it's going to be worthwhile. Certainly if you're as lucky when it's come to getting the poly off. I reckon the whole endeavour will end up costing around £30 or so. Used to love woodwork when I was at school, I'm finding it all perversely enjoyable.
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Okey dokey - waiting for the up to date picture to appear!
I also love woodwork - I just don't get the time to do anything like that at the moment. A half finished tele body (currently residing under my bed) that I started on a couple of years ago is proof of that. Maybe one day (or year :lol: )
Going down the route you have could be a good choice for me - just worried if I'll find a horrible looking body underneath that massively thick finish.
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I also love woodwork - I just don't get the time to do anything like that at the moment. A half finished tele body (currently residing under my bed) that I started on a couple of years ago is proof of that. Maybe one day (or year :lol: )
Hello, is there an echo in here? :P
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:lol:
I've got another part finished (actually more part started than finished) body under the bed too!
Not sure if that's better, worse or the same as having stuff waiting to be assembled into a guitar. :D
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I think it'd probably be a draw..... but I'm worse due to the sheer number of potential guitars I have lying around.
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Going down the route you have could be a good choice for me - just worried if I'll find a horrible looking body underneath that massively thick finish.
That's definitely the danger.
Can you still not see the pic? Tried refreshing your browser?
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I can see quite a bit of the grain pattern through the finish - much of it appears to beof the straight line variety. Stiill - could be nasty though if the covers come off!
Nope - still can't see the pic. I've looked on the iPad, Mac and netbook. Just getting a blue square with a question mark in it. Strange.
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That pic is odd mate, mac can see it, ipad can't
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I can't see it either (Google Chrome in Windows XP on the PC equivalent of a Model T Ford...)
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Strangely I can now see it but only when I copy and paste the URL into a new browser tab.
I must say that it looks pretty damn good. Maybe you got a body that looks good with nothing on. What is the weight of the body now?
EDIT - I can see the image on the forum now. Nice work!
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Very odd, I've no idea what's wrong with it, the permissions are all good. I've taken another and replaced it.
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For some reason the picture is 640x391 pixels, but 1.6mb in size, must be something to do with it.
Is it a PS image masquerading as a jpg?
Edit: It is, not even PS will open it, complaining about invalid jpg markers, rename as PSD and its fine, and has two layers.
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For some reason the picture is 640x391 pixels, but 1.6mb in size, must be something to do with it.
Is it a PS image masquerading as a jpg?
Edit: It is, not even PS will open it, complaining about invalid jpg markers, rename as PSD and its fine, and has two layers.
Oh that explains it! Done a save rather than a save for web. My bad. replaced it anyhow. Shat pic though, might have to have another go.
Edit: Had another go, hopefully that's better. Though bear in mind that it's not wiped down with anything there.
It's 3lb 12oz currently. Will re-weigh after it's done, but don't expect it to change a great deal now.
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Looking good, Alice (the Baja) hanging next to the screen is looking on in fear!! :lol:
I considered this a few years ago, but reasoned that I LOVE the colour, even if I do find it a bit shiny and plastic-feeling sometimes.
The grain on mine is showing through nicely, and I think it's two-piece... but I still don't think I'd do this now unless she suffered the same catastrophe as yours did. One of the reasons is that I love the sound, and whether or no a ton of poly on the body has any effect, I really don't want to risk finding out that it does and I lose what I have at the moment!
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Looking good, Alice (the Baja) hanging next to the screen is looking on in fear!! :lol:
Go on Andy! You're a dab hand with the old Danish Oil!!
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Nah :lol: I like the "creamy" look of the grain peeping through the semi-transparent butterscotch.
Now, I do have a Fender Japan tele up in the loft (no geetars or parts allowed under the bed here!). That has a thick clear poly on it... so it already has the "full-on" grain look... now that one might benefit from a little flirtation with Mrs R's hair-dryer...
Funnily enough, I originally wanted "more" grain from the Baja, and was a little disappointed it didn't have it. But over the years I've grown to love what it looks like. She'll only get the treatment if she falls off the hanger and acquires a big dent when she hits my head!! :lol:
I have to admit though, the Explorer (my dalliance with woodstain, Danish Oil, and briwax) looks sexy as hell now - it's even allowed in the living room (blends in with the dark woods and moroccan red walls).
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Now, I do have a Fender Japan tele up in the loft (no geetars or parts allowed under the bed here!).
Ah, I haven't got a loft, unfortunately.
If I did have..... it would be full of guitars and guitar parts. :|
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Ah, I haven't got a loft
But he needs a ladder to get into his bed. ;)
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:D. If I remember rightly Philly is a tad taller than Tyrion Lannister :)
Back on thread - I've been watching some Nuno videos today. Love the natural look of his N4. Got me thinking that I'd like a natural finish on my guitar (the Baja is watching me nervously from across the room as I type).
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:D. If I remember rightly Philly is a tad taller than Tyrion Lannister :)
I had to look up who that is! (I never did read that book, as mentioned in the books thread elsewhere)
Yes I am a bloody tad taller! A mighty 13" taller than Peter Dinklage, in fact. :P
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Should have the oil and sanding all done by the end of today. No idea where the wire wool has got to. Dispatched Friday if you believe the e-mail...
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A teaser while I sort the pics out...
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-6.jpg)
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Righty, first a reminder, this was pre-damage
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-1.jpg)
...and this is now with an oil and wax refinish (I've tried to take the same picture. This one is clickable for enlargement). The result of £35 in materials and approx 10 hours solid work over the space of about a week. To say I'm pleased with how it's turned out would be the understatement of the century.
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-t7.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-7.jpg)
So then, it looks way better than it did from the factory, it's slightly lighter at 7lbs dead now and it seems more resonant. Before I'd finished this I'd never have attempted this on a non-damaged Baja. Now I think I genuinely would. It's dramatically better than it was in many ways and the process was actually enjoyable. If the grain though the plastic looks good, I think it's worth the risk.
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-t8.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-8.jpg)
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-t9.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/bajarefin-9.jpg)
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Oh good lord, that looks great!
Out comes the hair dryer! Would be good if could put a few comments up about the oil and wax finishing process you went through!
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It looks (and feels) way better in the flesh!
I from now on shall refer to Wez as Sensei. His methods yield outstanding results. *bows to master Wez*
It boils down to this:
- Poly removed with a hair dryer, butter knife and pancake flipper
- Power sanded the body with 70 grit to remove the majority of the sealant/residue
- Hand sanded the rest with a load of 70 until it was just wood
- Then working up the grits until it got to 400 and it was smooth as a baby's arse. All still dry at this point.
- Apply a thick coat of oil over the entire body with a rag and leave to hang 24hrs (actually it ended up being about 36hrs for mine).
- Then wet sanding with oil at 600 and buffing off. Did that twice. (watch Wez's video for the technique).
- Then 800, twice.
- Then 1200 about 4 times.
- After a thorough buffing, the wax was applied using 0000 wire wool and buffed off. Did this twice.
Products were all the ones that Wez recommended.
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glad it all worked out for you. I sometimes feel a bit guilty when people try my methods and dont get the same results i do
my process has kind of been arrived at over years of fudging it.... but it does work bloody well.
Its a finish that feels as good as it looks. a bit shinier than most expect from a thin oil finish and not a thick film like some people try to do with tru-oil.... just super slinky and 'organic' (in the proper sense of the word, not the marketing BS one)
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Flip! That do look good. Don't look like a Baja anymore, but it do look very tasty indeed.
You must be a very happy boy - I remember how chuffed I felt when I did it to my Explorer (and I didn't take nearly that much care with the sanding and buffing).
Are we talking a LOT of sealant under the shell? I'd be doing that by hand, and I'm finding that aspect slightly off-putting (and the fact that I like the look of mine).
BUT - I do remember trying a couple of the Roadworn teles, they were basically the same geetar but with reliced nitro on the body and much of the neck poly removed. The first one I tried was quite stunning. It felt lighter and more resonant than my Baja (and mine zings a bit - Jonathan commented on it when he was refretting it). I almost got a Roadworn as well, but couldn't really justify it, and it would have meant the Baja didn't get played... I've since got two Roadworn strats and they are the liveliest things in the building here. Often thought I mebbe should have got that first Roadworn tele I tried... or mebbe take Alice's clothes off...
But I only did my Explorer because I had major issues with the existing finish. I dunno, I like Alice the Baja "as is" at the moment, and it's a bit of a risk on a non-busted guitar...
I know, I'll wait and see what sort of state Ian gets in on his!!
Get on with it Ian! We're all watching... no pressure :lol:
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glad it all worked out for you. I sometimes feel a bit guilty when people try my methods and dont get the same results i do
my process has kind of been arrived at over years of fudging it.... but it does work bloody well.
Its a finish that feels as good as it looks. a bit shinier than most expect from a thin oil finish and not a thick film like some people try to do with tru-oil.... just super slinky and 'organic' (in the proper sense of the word, not the marketing BS one)
It's not as good as the Stratele, which is spectacular. But it's got that same look and feel. I'm massively, massively pleased with it. I can't thank you enough for sharing your ninja-like techniques. It's saved me a fortune in getting it resprayed or replacing it. I honestly thought it was firewood when before I started (the damage was pretty bad).
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Oh good lord, that looks great!
Out comes the hair dryer! Would be good if could put a few comments up about the oil and wax finishing process you went through!
If you want a hand with stripping it, feel free to pop over to Cleggy's and we'll give you a hand. He's just about got all the poly out of his carpet now ;)
Are we talking a LOT of sealant under the shell? I'd be doing that by hand, and I'm finding that aspect slightly off-putting (and the fact that I like the look of mine).
To be honest we abandoned the power sander pretty quickly as we got better results doing it by hand. A couple of hours work with a pack of cheap 70 grit and a sanding block.
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I know, I'll wait and see what sort of state Ian gets in on his!!
Get on with it Ian! We're all watching... no pressure :lol:
You might be waiting quite a long time!
I have just had a quick look around the house though and have found the following:
Hair Dryer
Butter Knife
Pancake Flipper
Lots of sandpaper of varying grades
Liberon Wire Wool (0000 grade)
Tru Oil - gunstock finish
Briwax - medium brown
Not sure if that Oil and Wax would be appropriate though.
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That's the same Tru-Oil I used. Not sure there's any other types of it. I used a massive amount. Not sure if I went overboard. I got a 8oz bottle and used 2/3 of it!
Sticky and horrible to get off your hands. Either wear surgical gloves or you'll need some white spirit to wash your hands with afterwards.
I used Briwax natural. I imagine medium brown will darken things somewhat.
I suspect your biggest problem will be breaking into your poly. In that respect the huge holes in mine were a godsend.
Technique for getting the finish off is kind of a two man job. One with the dryer, the other with the broddler. When you have an opening, heat around it where you plan to stick your broddler of choice. Eventually it gets hot enough to go soft and the broddler just pops underneath. Heat in front of it and broddle. Don't get impatient and only broddle when it's easy to do so. The pancake flipper is your friend on the front and back. You might need to switch to the butter knife for some of the more awkward bits.
You may have to cut into it to start yours off. Do it under the pick guard around the holes routed under there. I'd still soften it first then go at it very carefully with a craft knife.
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That does look fantastic -nice one. Roo will love it.
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That's the same Tru-Oil I used. Not sure there's any other types of it. I used a massive amount. Not sure if I went overboard. I got a 8oz bottle and used 2/3 of it!
its a fair amount, i usually get 4 or 5 guitars per 8 oz bottle. but tbh it doesnt keep brilliantly once opened so you have not really wasted anything by being a bit more generous whilst its fresh
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That does look fantastic -nice one. Roo will love it.
I suspect he'd have approved had I refinished it with fire...
Some more pics especially for Roo:
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-t1.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-1.jpg)
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-t2.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-2.jpg)
(http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-t3.jpg) (http://juansolo.demon.co.uk/stompage/images/juaja-3.jpg)
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That looks absolutely fantastic. Quality workmanship turning a disaster into utter victory!
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I haven't been keeping up with this thread, that looks brilliant.
Looks-wise, I think I would choose ash over all the AAAA flame maple in the world, frankly.
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Me too Philly, I couldn't agree more!
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Looks great, very much a 'Boss' feel - miles better than the stock guitar.
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I've pretty much decided that I'm going to give this a go. I can see the grain pattern through the finish, it doesn't look too bad - just maybe not so many 'curvy' bits.
Don't hold your breath waiting for me though!
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I've pretty much decided that I'm going to give this a go. I can see the grain pattern through the finish, it doesn't look too bad - just maybe not so many 'curvy' bits.
The only "problem" will be how well the grain patterns match at the joins between the different bits of ash. They're quite nicely almost-hidden on John's Tele.
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Yeah, they've done a surprisingly good job of matching them up considering it's a 4 piece!
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It should be left handed though, it's even better on the back.
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Wow! Loving the pics, the strat/tele hybrid is also very cool. What top wood it that?
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Wow! Loving the pics, the strat/tele hybrid is also very cool. What top wood it that?
English walnut (alder back).
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-1t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-1.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-2t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-2.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-3t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-3.jpg)
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I've started!
So far i've only done 4 coats with tru oil, but i'm already happy with it. Waiting for my drill bit buffing wheel to arrive this week, and the briwax.
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-01134659_zps411b08c5.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-01135123_zps8d9d400d.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-03114711_zps1e73b7b3.jpg)
Pete
p.s i want that strat/tele hybrid! 8)
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Looking good :D
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This thread has gone on so long I've forgotten where we started, but presumably that's an alder body, Pete? Doesn't have the pronounced grain of ash, but it looks good!
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yes, Alder body.. my initial plan was a La Cabronita meets Washburn N4 :)
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yes, Alder body.. my initial plan was a La Cabronita meets Washburn N4 :)
Sounds a good idea to me!
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yes, Alder body.. my initial plan was a La Cabronita meets Washburn N4 :)
Do this, it's a brilliant idea.
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I love the look of the N4, it sounds pretty decent too! The only problem with a guitar like that is I'd buy it and get disappointed that I sound nothing like I thought I would do when I play it!
I htink this is a very good idea that you have. Keeping an even keener eye on this thread now!
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i suppose the only N4-ish thing about my build will be the plain Alder body.. I'm sticking with La Cab TV Jones pups and a standard bridge. I didn't like the Floyd Rose on my old N4, i really did like the way it looked different after every gig though :?
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What about the neck? Maple with an ebony board, or are you going all maple like most Cabronitas?
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ah the neck... I ordered a Showcase neck that was pretty cheep, and thought it would be ok as the specs were close enough.. sadly not.
The original neck was Maple and Pau Ferro, lovely grain on the fingerboard. Sadly the boat contour just feels weird, and the frets are very thin, and the nut width is not ideal.
So, i've just ordered a new one to be made up. My last N4 was Padouk, so..
Warmoth Pro, unfinished Padouk with Pau Ferro fingerboard, Fatback contour, 6150 frets, 42.8mm nut width, bloody basin jasper inlays on the front, abalone on the side.
This is turning into a strange guitar lol :D
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This is going to be interesting 8)
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Warmoth Pro, unfinished Padouk with Pau Ferro fingerboard, Fatback contour, 6150 frets, 42.8mm nut width, bloody basin jasper inlays on the front, abalone on the side.
That's..... different! :lol:
Have you tried the Fatback contour before? I've always bought the '59 Roundback but I've been tempted to "move up" to the Fatback (or maybe Boatneck if it's not too much of a hard V shape)
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I have a fatback neck on my main gigging Tele, and love it. I don't find it to big, very similar to the Fender Richie Kotzen neck. The boat neck that I originally ordered did have a very pronounced V shape, too much for me.
I remember enjoying the raw padouk neck on the old N4, buy the contour was thin and flat, not my preference.
I can't wait to assemble it, i just hope I get on ok with TV Jones pickups :?
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Thanks Pete, sounds like the Boatneck is not for me either, but I may brave a Fatback on my next Warmoth order (haven't done one for quite some time, remarkably!)
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Sadly the boat contour just feels weird
I don't like the boat contour either, I like big necks but it's always bugged me how hard that V is in it. So last weekend I sanded mine down (forunnately it was only true oiled finish) checking as I went with cheap digital callipers to see how much I was taking off.
I used the Warmoth back contour detail page and with the callipers the plan was to take the V away and end up with a 59 roundback. In the end I only took about 1.5mm off so it's still a bit thicker than a roundback, but it is miles better now. I wouldn't have thought so little material removed would make such a difference but I'm very happy with the new rounder profile.
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Think i'm about finished!
here it is with the final coat of tru-oil
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-05150841_zps9f618f33.jpg)
and here is it after the first wax.
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-12171657_zps91a2e837.jpg)
I'll probably do one more coat of wax, i'm really happy with it. Kind of wish i'd gone for some sort of figured top now! oh well, next time!
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niiiiiice.
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looks great! did you use any wood dye, or just the tru oil and wax?
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I was just gonna +1 juansolo's comment... but I think it's more along the lines of:
niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice :D :lol:
I'd be interested to know if wood dye was involved as well (although, from the pics, I suspect not). My memory of doing this is that the "wood dye stage" was the scariest bit (and the most likely to go horribly wrong looks-wise).
On the "wishing for a more figured top" - I think that will wear off. It did for me at least... I went through roughly the same thing (this was a big ole lump of mahogany). When I first saw the effect of the oil and wax, there was a real feeling of "wow! that's cool, pity the wood itself isn't very interesting...". And, yes, just a tiny bit more interesting would have been stunning when I first finished... but after living with it for a while, actually, the wood is a lot more interesting than I realised at the time!
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No dye, just oil and wax. The oil slightly changed the colour of the raw wood to a slightly yellow colour, then that turned into a warmer colour after a few coats.
This will be a working gigging guitar so will pick up the odd knock and scr@pe, possibly best I didn't have an expensive nice piece of wood ;-)
I hope the new neck arrives soon, can't wait to assemble it!
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I have a quick question about my new neck, that's being delivered today :D
When selecting options on the Warmoth site, it said I could not select a Finish due to wood choice, the padauk...
Can/should i use Tru oil on the back of the neck? And possibly lemon oil on the phone ferro fingerboard?
Thanks
Pete
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Check with Wez, I think he's said before that he still prefers to use a bit of oil/wax on neck woods which don't "need" a finish. It's not necessary to protect the wood, but it probably makes it feel better to play.
As for the pau ferro fretboard, treat it the same as a typical unfinished rosewood/ebony fretboard.
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here's a few photo's of the neck
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-25134224_zps511dbae5.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-25134315_zps5fe33722.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-25134332_zps5feabbfb.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-25134359_zpsd1756bbf.jpg)
It's now exactly the same dimensions as my favourite Warmoth Tele neck, feels great, and i love the looks :D :D
Now a can't wait to get this finished!!
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I've never seen inlays like that before, very unusual! :D
And the Fatback doesn't look too huge, not that that's any way to judge! :lol:
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The inlays are called Bloody Jasper Basin, or something like that! Quite unusual, for my unusual guitar.
I don't think the fatback is too big, it's very comfortable for me.
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what philly said - it doesn't "need" it, but it will definitely feel nicer after a bit of oil or wax. it will also make the colour a bit richer. for this neck i would simply wipe on/wipe off danish oil and buff away. I dont like tru-oil on wood with large pores, and paduak can have massive pores
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Thanks for that, I've just ordered a small tin of Danish oil. I can see quite a few big open pores, very much like my old N4 neck.
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put a few things together..
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-26120403_zps7092951c.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-26120429_zps313a8e5e.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-03-26120524_zps08130c7c.jpg)
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Done 1 coat of Danish oil, really does make it look richer! Should I do a few coats?
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can't really go wrong with the danish oil, just keep rubbing it in and buffing straight off - 3 or 4 times should do fine
also fine to go on the fretboard too but give it at least a day before the last coat of danish and the strings going on
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Finally finished the build today, well, a local luthier did!
Really happy with the end result.
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03122544_zps68c3bed9.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03120513_zpsdea74741.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03120657_zps842c5b07.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03125308_zpsb697ebb3.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03143852_zpsabd46c1d.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03143913_zps440ca20d.jpg)
(http://i1076.photobucket.com/albums/w449/pete24v/2013-04-03154839_zps6308c62c.jpg)
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That is a very handsome beastie indeed. Love it. How's it sound?
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8) do like
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it sounds a little odd... very different to my other Tele's. It still has twang in the bridge but has way more beef. The neck humbucker sounds a little muddy to my ears, but i am used to a strat/tele single coil pickup. The Volume pot only seems to work from 7-10, nothing below 7.. it's as if it's all the way off. I think it might be because i'm using an audio/log pot, will swap it for a linear in a few days
Other than that, it's great. Gonna give it a blast through my big amps and a few pedals tomorrow :D
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Looking great! :D
It's interesting to read your thoughts on the TV Jones pickups. I have a set (unused, of course :roll: ) and I've been worried they'll be too clean and twangy for my tastes, but from your description it sounds like they are quite "humbuckerish" after all. Which is good, for me. The guitar (if it ever gets built) isn't a million miles from yours, but the body is a swamp ash Thinline so it's going to sound somewhat different.
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After a few days with it, I'm loving it. Very different from my other guitars, the TV Jones pickups are very humbucker like, but not as fat, and they are very low output.
I fixed the volume issue by soldering a treble bleed. 001uf cap and a 150k resistor to it. It's smoothed out the taper and made it usable again.