OctoberBass RCA-4 First Build

[OctoberBassRCA-4]

So with much deliberation and hand wringing, I decided to pull the trigger on the Wudtone Surfer Girl. I've read as much about Wudtone and it's characteristics that I can, but I want to start finishing. I'm at 240 grit on the body and neck, but the Wudtone supplier says I can 320 grit the neck. They also suggested I set the neck before finishing, because the glue that will seep out from setting the neck wont receive the color coat/basecoats and will be noticeable.
I do notice there are some glue spots where the 5 pieces of wood glued together to create the body are noticeable, more so on the under side piece, can these be wire brushed out? Or do I just live with these?
Should I 180 grit the End grain pieces as they seem much tighter in regards to grain?

[wazkelly]

You might be flying solo in relation to getting any assistance or advice using Wudtone.
Those end grain joins are common and should be ok. Still reckon 240 grit is the limit as 320 can end up acting as a polisher.

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[OctoberBassRCA-4]

You might be flying solo in relation to getting any assistance or advice using Wudtone.
Those end grain joins are common and should be ok. Still reckon 240 grit is the limit as 320 can end up acting as a polisher.

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Alright Waz, as much as I want go finer, I'll take your advise. Will I see scratch marks, or can I really smooth out enough with 240 grit? Especially on the neck. The top and back looks great held up to the light at an angle. Gonna test with a piece of Ash. Chinese Ash is different than what I find here in the US.
Waz, you advise to go without setting the neck till clear/top coat, but what about the glue seeping issues? Thanks Man.

[Simon Barden]

This is probably a good point to point out that the standard US and Australian/European sandpaper grit gradings are quite different above 220/. So the 320 that Waz is talking about is P320, which is very close to ANSI 240 grit.

A comparison chart here:

https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/a...ion-chart.html

The grits that Wudtone talk about on their UK website will be P type grits as well.

Get the scratches out, smooth off and then go back over with the recommended grit if necessary to rough up the wood slightly. Different timbers will take up the stain differently, so some you may be able to use a finer grit on than others. As long as the surfaces are all (relatively) flat and smooth, you'll get the smoothness from the finish coats.

[OctoberBassRCA-4]

This is probably a good point to point out that the standard US and Australian/European sandpaper grit gradings are quite different above 220/. So the 320 that Waz is talking about is P320, which is very close to ANSI 240 grit.

A comparison chart here:

https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/a...ion-chart.html

The grits that Wudtone talk about on their UK website will be P type grits as well.

Get the scratches out, smooth off and then go back over with the recommended grit if necessary to rough up the wood slightly. Different timbers will take up the stain differently, so some you may be able to use a finer grit on than others. As long as the surfaces are all (relatively) flat and smooth, you'll get the smoothness from the finish coats.

Simon, thanks for the sandpaper difference. At this point, 240/220 grit about the same.
So I am testing. One application of even amounts of the Wudtone color coats, rubbed, circular, pressed, pushed into the grain 3 sides of the test board. Stippled and finished with the grain. Looks weak.
Second test on the back of test board, Mixol Green #8, 6 drops, 10 drops of White #25, thinned with denatured alcohol so wouldn't go opaque.
I'll go thru the Wudtone process according to instructions, hoping the next applications make a difference.
Now to wait 24 or more hours.
Any thoughts on this?

[Simon Barden]

I haven't used Wudtone before. I've used water and spirit based woodstains from a luthier suppliers store. I feel the spirit stains do penetrate a bit more, the spirit ones having a lower surface tension than the water ones. So spirit based stains are more likely to penetrate a more polished wood. However this does also mean that spirit based stains are more likely to penetrate the small cracks in binding, whereas I've found water based stains stay on the surface of the binding and can be scraped off, so it does pay to tape over bindings.

But certainly it can take several applications of stain to get the right colour depth.

[OctoberBassRCA-4]

Simon, does it look like I may end up with Treated Lumber/Timber look?

[wazkelly]

I usually sand the hell out if everything with 120 & 180 and it is surprising how smooth it can get without using 240 or higher.
That said, i still do a very, very light 240 just to catch any rough spots missed with coarser grit paper.
Those test samples would suggest you need to keep grain open as much as possible otherwise it may end up like a pastel white wash effect in your chosen stain colour.

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[OctoberBassRCA-4]

I usually sand the hell out if everything with 120 & 180 and it is surprising how smooth it can get without using 240 or higher.
That said, i still do a very, very light 240 just to catch any rough spots missed with coarser grit paper.
Those test samples would suggest you need to keep grain open as much as possible otherwise it may end up like a pastel white wash effect in your chosen stain colour.

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Waz, this test board was sanded with 240 grit. I might just sand it back with 120, then 180.
Before I do that though, I'll apply another coat or two to see if has any effect. I hate wasting the stuff, but that's better than wasting the body and starting over on it. I guess the idea is to really bruise it up some, eh?

[wazkelly]

No need for bruising, just an even smooth all over feel should do the trick. The coarse grits leave just enough wood fibres for the stain to grab onto.

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