Build #2 Non PitBull Rebuild - Vintage Brand Strat Copy

[Rossc0]

OK folks, its question time again, and thanks in advance....Doing a solid colour for the first time so,
1. Stop sanding bare wood at, 240. 320, 400?
2. Min or max number of coats, primer, Colour and clear, or do you just go by gut feel?
3. Procedure between each coat, is there a wet sand between everything? and if so what sort of grade are we looking at?
4. Best place to get a set of Micropads?
5. Best final cut and polish, is it Meguiars, specific one?

Cheer guys.

[Dedman]

Hi Ross,

1.I generally stop at 320.
2. Enough primer so that when you sand it with 400 or 600 it's as smooth as skin and has filled the grain that sanding didn't get. With auto acrylic primer that's usually 4 coats for me ( sanding after 2 coats)
3. I usually wet sand the last coat of primer with 600. Plug any screw holes with toothpicks. I wet sand with 600 between colour coats then 800 on the clear coats
4. I got mine on ebay only recently, I used wet and dry up to 2000 then went to course buffing compound( by hand), then cut and polish then normal polish before getting the pads. Note the pad grades are different to sandpaper.
5. I use what's on the shelf in the garage at the time :P

[Rossc0]

Sounds like a plan, thanks.

[Rossc0]

Bits and pieces for this rebuild started arriving this week, Set of AllParts pickguard and backplate, Fender 5 way switch and antique white pickup covers, knobs etc, some Tonerider Classic Blues pickups, new pots and Caps and a SPST switch, which I haven't added yet to do the extra 2 pickup modes, all 3 on and Neck and Bridge on. Was going to start painting this weekend, but it freezing, so I'll be patient and wait.

[Rossc0]

Glad I didn't start painting, a little bit of dermal work required. the control cavity is about 2mm to shallow for the new switch. apart from that all fits.

[Simon Barden]

Before getting the Dremel out, I'd just measure the existing cavity depth and the overall body depth just to make sure that you've got enough depth to deepen the cavity without making the cavity bottom paper thin. It's normally possible to bend the connection tabs a bit more to take up less depth. You also have to remember to avoid adding any extra depth when wiring up, which will mean taking wires around the switch, rather than over the top.

[Rossc0]

Cheers Simon, checked that out I've got about 10mm's to work with, the tabs are bent level with the bottom of the switch, so should be ok.

[Simon Barden]

Good. Always worth checking though!

[Fretworn]

Bridge pickup is in upside down, just saying....

[Rossc0]

yip, picked that one. when I went to make sure it aligned with the cavities.All apart again now anyway.