NGD. DIY Flying V with clip (finishing advice needed)

[Transcend]

Well heres something i scored on ebay accidentally  :lol:

It was one of those times where you bid and completely forget about it. Good job it was only £53



There's a bit more info and a clip on here

www.diy-guitarist.tk

And now onto the main question. I like the look of it natural so i would like to retain this as much as possible but it needs protecting i guess? what would be my best course of action that i can do at home?

Thanks
Tony

[Philly Q]

Looks alright!  For that price, it can't be anything but a bargain.  :D

Probably some kind of oil finish, I imagine - Tru-Oil or Danish Oil and wax.

I've never quite got a clear idea of the techniques or the best products to use.  Wez and/or Jonathan can advise, I'm sure.

[Transcend]

Looks alright!  For that price, it can't be anything but a bargain.  :D

Probably some kind of oil finish, I imagine - Tru-Oil or Danish Oil and wax.

I've never quite got a clear idea of the techniques or the best products to use.  Wez and/or Jonathan can advise, I'm sure.

it definitely was a bargain im surprised at how well made the neck is and how good the fretwork is there isnt a single sharp edge in sight and as a bonus its very resonant!

Thanks for the tips about finishing ill wait for someone who knows specific products.

[WezV]

anything you use will yellow it a bit.    sanded wood always looks a bit more pale due to its slightly rough surface so even the most neutral finish will still end up darker and more woody

if that is ok then danish oil and wax is probably the easiest to get right, but tru-oil is still pretty easy and will be tougher.  with both  the final result is directly proportional to the effort you put in - but they are the type of finish you can keep working without ruining anything

[Transcend]

How much is a bit? I've never been a fan of the korina type look if its that sever.
The Tru oil option sounds like a good one

How about coloured stains? are they significantly harder to pull off?

[WezV]

i guess it will be quite yellow - only way to know is to test it.  wet it with some white spirit (or a little water if you have finish sanding to do anyway) and it will give you an idea of the final colour... its usually a shade or two paler than that will show

i find it much harder to get coloured stains right - fine with tops, hate doing whole guitars!  its also going to be harder to hide mistakes on a pale guitar with cheap wood

the main issue is getting it to take the stain evenly, it can look patchy and then ends up darker on the end grain where it soaks in more.  then you will find the oil draws out some of the stain   there are ways around it - but not easy

[Transcend]

cheers for the advice wez i guess ill give the tru oil a shot first and see how it turns out.

Ill do the test also as i do have some sanding to do as some of the dye from my jeans has transferred onto the back!

[choucas09]

That was one hell of a bargain.

[WezV]

i wouldnt put any finish on till you decide what it will be - once you oil or wax you wont be able to consider stains or lacquer.

but you do have a large scratchplate to test under

[Transcend]

Thats a good point about testing under the scratchplate.

I think im tempted to go for a blue stain.

Do you have any recommendations?

I've found a lot of google posts recommending minwax but i can't seem to find any coloured stains over here.

[JacksonRR]

I've had real bad luck with Minwax from the local hardware store. Alcohol based dyes have been much more consistent and easier to apply. Maybe Wez or Jonathon could comment on that.

That's a nice little kit you picked up. How much would you say it weighs? Does it balance OK?

[Transcend]

I've had real bad luck with Minwax from the local hardware store. Alcohol based dyes have been much more consistent and easier to apply. Maybe Wez or Jonathon could comment on that.

That's a nice little kit you picked up. How much would you say it weighs? Does it balance OK?

i've got absolutely no idea how much it weighs im terrible with stuff like that and yeah it balances really well.

It's probably a good job i can't find minwax then :P

[Philly Q]

I think Minwax is an American product?  Although I could be wrong....

I don't know the UK equivalent.

You also see people mentioning things like "Wipe On Poly" - I don't know if we can buy that here either.

[WezV]

chestnut spirit stains which work well. axminster sell them. they sell a blue and a royal blue.  the blue will look turquoise once it is on the wood


but you need to pre wet with white spirit or something to get an relatively even coverage.  stain soaks in so fast you just need to wet it enough to prevent that. - especially on the end grain

if you look at something like the thurston moore jazzmaster you see the issues with a direct stain - some people like that look anyway - but i see patchy, and that is when its done  quite well

[JacksonRR]

but you need to pre wet with white spirit or something to get an relatively even coverage.  stain soaks in so fast you just need to wet it enough to prevent that. - especially on the end grain

I had heard of pre-stain conditioner(not sure if it's worth anything or not), but never heard of pre-wetting with alcohol/spirits/whatever. I've been diluting the stuff heavily and putting it on in multiple coats. Your method sounds like a time saver.