Christodav's MM-1Q

[Joe3334]

I do believe someone mentioned on the forum that using a rag and a small amount of methylated spirits and rubbing the binding carefully will remove the stain? I could be wrong.

[wokkaboy]

Joe I doubt metho will remove stain on binding. Usually it needs to be carefully scraped with a razor/sharp blade or rubbed with fine steel wool.

[ILRGuitars]

That was me. Yes it does work. As does using micro mesh pads with water.

[wokkaboy]

ok cheers IRL I had no idea it worked, I will take back my prior comment. I will try next time will be easier than rubbing steel wool/pads or scraping. Might depend on the type of stain how effective metho is removing the stain.

[ILRGuitars]

I've only used water based stains and it works fine. Don't know about spirit or oil based. But the pads are great. Gives a nice clean, straight edge to work with.

[wokkaboy]

cheers IRL, I use the micro mesh pads (1500 to 12000 grit) to give the body/neck a final sand before I polish it and the results are excellent.

[christodav]

Firstly, thanks everyone who has provided feedback. I am really, really grateful.

So, 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

After a week or so, I ended up polishing it up. I first went with a wet sand with 1000 grit, micromesh 3 grades, then Meg's Mirror Glaze #7 and then Ultimate Compound. I still have some fine scratches under light, but it's not bad at all. I think a rub with Scratch X and it will be pretty much scratch free. Given that I leave the guitar in a warm place and that the coats have been fairly light, the clear has dried very fast.

I have almost run out of the Behlen Clear (not enough for more than one light coat) and I have ordered another can. There are a couple of small areas on the top that are not quite flat and therefore have the intents showing through. A spot on each horn and and small area near where your elbow sits. You have to look very carefully to see, but I can see them. I knew where the problem areas were and I thought that if I was lucky, I could sand those spots out, but at the same time I was very careful with the wet sanding to very light and not take any more off than was required. I could try the process again and that might work, but I have come this far and I might as well get it right and spray another 3 coats and cut it back.

Here is another interesting thing. I suffer from colour blindness - red and green. If you don't know about colour blindness, (most people I come across have trouble understanding the term), I don't see in black and white. I do have trouble with shades. So, a certain red might like brown to me or an orange to someone without the condition might still look red to me. With the shine on the guitar, the yellowing hue of the lacquer and the black dye kinda running and blending into the red the top has a very interesting mix of colour tones. I wanted it to look like it did at the start - bright red with black highlights. I can get that effect with a camera using a flash, but with my eyes it does not look like that in the flesh.My family members describe the colours different to the way I describe them.

Chris

[christodav]

Oh, man. Now you've got me scared. I'm about to start an MM1 build shortly (my first), and finish is what I've been most worried about. I've got some keda dyes that I plan to work with, and hadn't decided yet if I was going to do a Tru-Oil or rattle can clearcoat.

Glad it worked out, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted. I've got a small pile of scrap wood to work with before I start in on the guitar, but I'm definitely taking some learnings from this.

Thanks for your input.

Let's make things clear up-front. I am very inexperienced as a guitar kit builder. I have completed 1 guitar and this is my second. What I am about to write is based on my little experience, reading this fine forum and watching Youtube.

The biggest thing that has to be worked around with these kits is the extremely thin laminate cap. If it was a proper thick cap, it would be a pretty easy process in my mind. The fact of the matter is that when working with dyes, you really need to be able to sand back to get an easy outcome especially when you have more than one color, or when you are doing bursts and the like. You can't do that with a thin laminate.

The things that I have learnt

Check for glue marks and any holes that might be needed to to be filled and fix these things first. Sand as lightly as required. I wouldn't sand the top fully at this stage, but the back and sides of course.
Check out people's build diaries. Almost every first page or two talks about glue marks and holes. fill holes with Timbermate and get rid of glue with Goof-off.
Apply the dye(s) thinly to the raw top and then lightly sand it back to obtain a flat surface and required colours. Do not add more than 2 applications of dye on the top. You run the risk of the dye 'swimming' in the clear coats. The less dye the better, but enough to survive the light sand after the application. Also, allow time for the dye to fully dry before the next step.
When you are happy with the colours, use a sanding sealer and dust spray it in several very light coats to seal in the dye and then you can go with a clear. Most clear will add a yellow hue and this includes Tru-oil and lacquer. Wipe on Poly and more modern clear spays will be clearer. If you use tru-oil over a blue dye fore example, you may end up with green tones. This must be considered. It will depend on what you prefer to work with and the look and finish you are after. In my mind, there is no right or wrong, as long as you get the results you wanted.

Good Luck

Chris

[wazkelly]

Here is another interesting thing. I suffer from colour blindness - red and green. If you don't know about colour blindness, (most people I come across have trouble understanding the term), I don't see in black and white. I do have trouble with shades. So, a certain red might like brown to me or an orange to someone without the condition might still look red to me. With the shine on the guitar, the yellowing hue of the lacquer and the black dye kinda running and blending into the red the top has a very interesting mix of colour tones. I wanted it to look like it did at the start - bright red with black highlights. I can get that effect with a camera using a flash, but with my eyes it does not look like that in the flesh.My family members describe the colours different to the way I describe them.

Chris

Hi Chris, my eldest son is Red/Green deficient too, inherited from Grandfather on my Wife's side as it is women who pass on the gene from one generation to the next. Apparently this condition can be as high as 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 in males and about 1 in 20 for females.

Top effort considering you have chosen one of your 'tricky' colours.

My son always had trouble picking up the red component in purples as they always looked blue to him. Both he and the father-in-law comment that primary natural colours aren't so hard to pick, but it is more the man made shades and hues where greens, reds, browns can sometimes blend into each other.

[christodav]

Almost done!

I just have to solder the pick-ups and then some fine tuning. I am really pleased with the neck, but a little disappointed with the body finish, but it's not bad for my second guitar. (3rd time lucky.)





Chris