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View Full Version : Tims ash ST-1 linseed oil finish (First Build)



crundes
04-01-2014, 08:47 AM
I was given this ash strat for christmas and couldn't be happier with the quality of the kit! I've never done anything like this and my woodworking skills are minimal at best but have always wanted to give it a go, so I thought it was worth a try.

I was initially looking at buying a strat but then thought this would be a more fun way to get the instrument and sound I was after.

So far I have sanded down the body to 240g sandpaper after having cleared out some ingrained glue in the joins of the guitar. Need to fix my printer to I can print out a headstock template but will hopefully be able to do that shortly and get started on that with the new jigsaw I also got for christmas!


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/o2080-IMG_1002.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/danr8-IMG_1003.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/qr8p7-IMG_0991.JPG

crundes
04-01-2014, 08:54 AM
A couple of Indentations..but nothing a bit of sanding didn't fix.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/p000q-IMG_1006.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/20r60-IMG_1008.JPG

crundes
04-01-2014, 08:57 AM
Sanded down to 240g and glue from joins removed. Gone over with a damp cloth to show the grain a bit more too.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1t002-IMG_1018.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/htsz1-IMG_1019.JPG

crundes
04-01-2014, 09:00 AM
Not sure if you can tell but there is a crack running perpendicular to the grain in the bottom photo just to the left of the middle join. Worth worrying about?

Gavin1393
04-01-2014, 03:22 PM
Doesn't look to be a major issue...

Brendan
04-01-2014, 04:55 PM
Does it open up if you work the wood? It may already be resolved...

lawry
04-01-2014, 09:23 PM
Gorgeous looking grain on there, Tim.

crundes
05-01-2014, 05:31 AM
Cheers Gavin, I didn't think so either but just wanted to make sure before I put any wudtone on.

Brendan, The crack doesn't open at all, which is good I just thought there may be a chance these things could get worse with time so wanted to resolve it before I went any further. Cheers

Thanks Lawry, Yeah the grain does look really nice, very happy with the kit! The grain continues to become more pronounced as I keep sanding too.

gavinturner
05-01-2014, 10:11 AM
Gorgeous grain on that body Tim. Should look great with the colour coats on!

cheers,
Gav.

crundes
06-01-2014, 05:34 AM
Cheers Gav,

Just waiting on the Dark Tease to arrive in the mail. Can't wait!

Brendan
06-01-2014, 11:13 AM
Nice choice of colours - Dark Tease on Ash - beautiful...

wokkaboy
07-01-2014, 01:28 AM
agreed dark tease on ash will look sweet. Dingobass put dark tease on the 1st IB-5 ash bass one coat was enough with the dark grain of the ash.
No excuses Tim if you are waiting for the wudtone plenty of sanding time !

crundes
07-01-2014, 07:31 AM
Brendan - Cheers, yeah I'm hoping it will come up nicely, I've heard Dark Tease can be tricky to use as it can start off looking a bit dirty, then it comes good after a couple of coats.

Wokka - Plenty of sanding time indeed! I may have got a bit carried away already as I've already gone through a pitbull sandpaper pack and haven't even started on the neck. Another pack is on the way though so I plan to go through that too before I apply any wudtone. Dingobass' IB-5 looks amazing! If mine turns out half as nice as his I'll be happy.

Brendan
07-01-2014, 10:52 AM
Careful with the neck - they generally don't need too much - if you do too much, you may end up giving the neck an unexpected divot. I've found giving them a quick once over with each grit is generally enough.

crundes
07-01-2014, 11:37 AM
Cheers for the advice Brendan. I've found sanding really addictive so it's probably lucky you said that as I most likely would have kept on sanding until I ended up with something like this!


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1oqk8-small-guitar.jpeg

Brendan
07-01-2014, 01:16 PM
Hate to see that happening, though MaxAxe may be interested in it :) (slightly smaller stature than some of us)...

crundes
08-01-2014, 09:57 AM
Haha fair enough. I'll keep that in mind if the worst happens and I end with an overly sanded guitar!

maxaxe
08-01-2014, 10:49 AM
Hate to see that happening, though MaxAxe may be interested in it :) (slightly smaller stature than some of us)...

Thanks Brendan, that's about as funny as diarrhoea in a wetsuit.
Or is that your idea of a "dark tease?" You will keep :P
That reminds me . . . WHEN is Pitbull gunna do tee shirts in small mens???

BTW that itty guitar piccy is REALLY bloody funny :D

crundes
09-01-2014, 03:49 AM
Yeah the T-shirts are pretty big. My medium almost looks like a dress... I must be slightly smaller in stature too...

So on to guitars!

I've finally cut out the headstock shape and I think I'm pretty pleased. I accidentally printed out a Jazzmaster headstock template and didn't press 'fit to page' so I ended up with a much smaller template than anticipated. I then printed out an american standard template in the correct size and decided to use both the small Jazzmaster template and the correctly sized template to create a bit of a hybrid.

Here are the results
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/vhywg-IMG_1026.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/j8vt3-IMG_1025.JPG

crundes
09-01-2014, 03:52 AM
Still not sure if I want to cut the bottom section smaller. I think it may look slightly too big but maybe after a bit of sanding it will look slightly different.

wokkaboy
09-01-2014, 03:59 AM
Tim is that a purse or man bag supporting the neck ? Headstock shape looks excellent and looks like the body is well sanded enough. Remember you don't want to over sand the body,the wudtone needs some slightly coarser grain to grab onto. If you have sanded to 240 grit thats generally enough.
Love your mini strat pic as well !
I got a smaller model Rickenbacker bass in my workshop

crundes
09-01-2014, 04:55 AM
Haha well that's slightly embarrassing. It's my gf's purse, I just grabbed the first thing at hand, didn't even realise! It's definitely hers though mine's a different colour.

wokkaboy
09-01-2014, 05:33 AM
haha thats why I had to ask Tim ! I believe you mate :)

lawry
09-01-2014, 06:21 AM
Mine's that colour and no one has said anything to me about it ;-0

wokkaboy
09-01-2014, 06:27 AM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from lawry on January 8, 2014, 15:21
Mine's that colour and no one has said anything to me about it ;-0

Lawry has your 'man' purse ever been displayed in a photo ?

Brendan
09-01-2014, 01:45 PM
I reckon you've got it spot on Tim - main thing is that you're happy with it though.

BTW - can see it's not your purse - doesn't go with the shoes :).

crundes
10-01-2014, 09:52 AM
Cheers Brendan, I've sanded it down to 240g now and I'm really happy with it now.

p.s thanks for noticing the purse doesn't go with my shoes. A nice conch girl one would be much more suited I think!

crundes
11-01-2014, 12:18 AM
So I've applied a coat of Dark Tease wudtone today and I'm only semi happy with it. I think I may have put it on too thickly, there are certainly some spots that will need slight sanding back to even out the finish. I was hoping for a similar effect to DingoBass' IB-5 in dark tease (probably should have asked him how he did before I started!)

Anyway here are the results.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/a64h8-IMG_1030.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bjm3r-IMG_1031.JPG

pablopepper
11-01-2014, 01:06 AM
Don't worry about it too much, you'll be able to even the colour out quite effectively with steel wool when it dries. The first coat of wudtone is always the hardest.

crundes
11-01-2014, 01:24 AM
Cheers Pablo, you're right I shouldn't worry about it and it is called Dark Tease for a reason.

I was just hoping the grain would be standing out more, especially on the back where it just seems to have blended the grain so it isn't that pronounced. That being said I took these photos as soon as I finished the Wudtone and I've noticed that as it's drying it's starting to lighten up in colour and bring the grain out a bit more.

Cheers

Tim

wokkaboy
11-01-2014, 01:45 AM
Tim, don't stress, first coat can be a bit patchy, different parts of the ash take up more wudtone than others. After 24 hours curing give it a light fine steel wool onceover and apply your 2nd coat, concentrate on the darker areas evening out the colour. The colour should be more even after the 2nd coat and the dark ash grain should pop more.
Good luck and look forward to pics after the 2nd coat. Are you going to stain the headstock dark amber ? should look great

crundes
11-01-2014, 04:47 AM
Cheers Wokka, not too stressed, just hoping the next coat starts to look more like I anticipated :) Did you mean vintage amber for the headstock? I didn't know you could get dark amber, sounds cool, maybe I could add some dark tease to the vintage amber to get that?!

I have stained the headstock today also. You're right about different parts of the wood taking up more stain than others. I felt I applied it pretty evenly but there are some areas that are much darker than others. Not to worry i'm sure it will even out with some steel wool. I think it may be a little too yellow at the moment to match the body too.

Also I had my guitar body hanging out on the clothes line in the sun for an hour or so and when I brought it in a crack had appeared in the glue join where the neck inserts. It's tiny but you would be able to see light through the other side if the pine handle wasn't in the way. I think the wood must have shrunk slightly in the heat. Does anyone know a good way to re-expand the wood? or should I try and glue it together?

Here are the pics of the neck and the slight crack...
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/p5z9e-IMG_1033.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1pe50-IMG_1034.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/038tb-IMG_1035.JPG

crundes
11-01-2014, 04:50 AM
Hmmm quite hard to tell on that pick that there is a crack.

wokkaboy
11-01-2014, 05:11 AM
Tim, I was getting my wudtone colours mixed up, there is no dark amber, I meant dark tease. If you think vintage yellow is too yellow I'd mix a bit of dark tease and experiment. You could go over the headstock face with a coat of dark tease to try and match the body colour, but up to you.
See if you can get a better picture of the crack with the light coming through, you might have to remove the hanger

crundes
12-01-2014, 10:00 AM
Thanks again for the input Wokka :) I think I will probably end up matching the neck with the body. I like the idea of the vintage amber but I just don't think it suits the body.

I was going over the body with 0000 steel wool today and found that the body was looking much better then before but after a couple of hours I just couldn't get an even finish. I had a big think about it and finally decided to strip everything back completely and go through the process of sanding down to 240 grit again.....(let's just say I'm not addicted to sanding anymore!)

I'm glad I did in the end because I realise now that the original coat I put on was way too thick. I used half a bottle of Wudtone for the body initially and have now gone over it since sanding it down with only a fraction of the bottle used. I got a much better result this time, it's still no dingobass IB-5 but the grain is showing much more and hopefully can only become more pronounced with more coats.

The other good thing is that when I got home the small crack in the wood near the neck joint had closed up!? must have just been the change in temperature that caused the wood to shrink in the first place.

So here are the results with round 2 of wudtoning, certainly not perfect but I'm much happier with the result :)
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/34v5c-IMG_1039.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/wxgoq-IMG_1038.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/7nu97-IMG_1037.JPG

maxaxe
13-01-2014, 07:39 AM
Oh yeah! Lots of grain prominent now, all that worrying for nothing?
Dark tease Wudtone really is a great choice IMO.
The outdoor shot shows off the fruit of your labours to great effect.
Jury is out on the question of the neck colour :?

lawry
13-01-2014, 09:42 AM
You sure have put a lot of time and effort into that Tim. And it's looking spectacular for it! My first build used dark tease and it looked awful initially but ended up looking great. I did the neck on mine too.

crundes
13-01-2014, 11:15 AM
Cheers Maxaxe, yeah I think I was worrying for nothing! But I am glad I started again, it certainly showed me how little wudtone you actually need to get a solid coat on. I think I'm going to cut it back a bit too before the next coat with a little advice from Gavin1393.

Thanks Lawry, I'm much happier with the result now! Did you do a build diary for your first guitar? Would love to check it out, what was it titled?

crundes
13-01-2014, 11:17 AM
Oh and yeah I agree Maxaxe, not too sure about the neck colour.... Might cut that back too and see how it looks, but I"ll probably stain it in Dark tease if I have any left or just apply clear coats if the light maple looks good against the body.

Brendan
13-01-2014, 02:36 PM
Looking speccy Tim. Love how the grain has really popped!

gavinturner
13-01-2014, 08:19 PM
Looking great Tim! Love that grain. She's going to be a beauty. How about a clear neck finish? Would look great IMO with a dark tease headstock.

cheers,
Gav.

WeirdBits
14-01-2014, 12:10 AM
Tim, here are a couple of build diaries that used Dark Tease: Lawry's RC-1 (http://www.pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=719#postid-11530) and Alex's LP-1 (http://www.pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=272#postid-3668).

crundes
14-01-2014, 05:28 AM
Cheers Gavin, I think I may end up doing something along those lines. I've sanded back the Vintage amber and I looks much better. With the clear neck finish can you just apply the top coat that comes in the neck finishing kit, or is it best to apply a clear base and then a clear top coat. Sorry about the newbie questions!

Thanks Scott, I checked both of those out and they are both finished amazingly! It does seem to look very classy when finished.

Thanks everyone for your input and ideas! helps out alot :-)

wokkaboy
14-01-2014, 05:41 AM
Tim I've heard of someone using only neck top coat and said it worked well and was quite slick to play. Think it was Pablopepper.

pablopepper
14-01-2014, 06:11 AM
It was indeed and it worked well. http://www.pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=737
I followed Dingobass' instructions in the link above with excellent results. Be very thorough with your sanding, any of the yellow left behind will be highlighted by the top coat.

crundes
15-01-2014, 07:14 AM
@Brendan, thanks mate I'm really happy with how it's turning out now I've cut it back quite a bit and applied a second coat of DarkTease, More grain is becoming visible now, which is always nice. Does anyone know if you're meant to cut it back after each coat to make the grain pop more? Or is it just a one off and then you apply the rest of the coats to your liking?

@Wokka and Pablopepper, Thanks for that, I may end up going with that option I think it could look really good. I did read on the forums that the clear base coat darkens the wood slightly, which could suit the body more. I've coated the top of the headstock with a thin coat of Dtease but I'll leave the rest of the neck blank until I get the body to colour I want so I can see if it will look good.

Here's a photo of the body after I cut it back. I evened it out a bit more before I put the second coat of wudtone on. Will post the pics of the body with the second coat when it cures a bit more.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/oj9m1-IMG_1043.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/u0297-IMG_1044.JPG

wokkaboy
15-01-2014, 08:00 AM
looking good Tim but you don't have to cut back the previous coat that much. Normally a light fine steel wool rub is enough. The grain is popping more but you want to try and get as much dark tease on the body now unless you are after a lighter colour brown stain

crundes
15-01-2014, 10:21 AM
Thanks Wokka. Yeah I did go a bit crazy with the sand paper! I do want a slightly lighter brown colour though and the second coat still made it darker than the first so I think I'm heading the way I want to. Still have plenty of Wudtone left even after I used half the bottle for the initial first coat I ended up sanding off.

The coats I'm applying now are very thin and I would say that I have enough for 6 or 7 more if I keep applying it in the same manner. Does the top coat make everything look darker too?

Cheers,
Tim

jarrod
15-01-2014, 10:31 AM
wow the grain is popping crundes and looking very nice indeed.

crundes
15-01-2014, 11:36 AM
Cheers Jarrod. I'll be happy if it comes even close to looking as classy as your guitars. Congrats on GOTM by the way :)

Brendan
15-01-2014, 02:28 PM
Tim - DB's mantra from memory with Deep Base coats is don't sand. Wait until you're done with the deep bases. Then light sand with 0000 wool. In between base coats and top coats - more light sanding with 0000. Really with these you are only taking out any ridges that haven't settled from the Wudtone.

Hope that helps.

crundes
15-01-2014, 09:44 PM
Thanks Brendan,
Yeah I think I will just stick with steel wool for the rest of the coats. Gavin1393 suggested lightly cutting back with sandpaper to get the grain to stand out more, which it has done quite well I think but I may have slightly overdone it!
Cheers,
Tim

wokkaboy
16-01-2014, 01:04 AM
Tim don't worry about overdoing the cutting back and re-sanding, next wudtone kit you get should be enough for 2 guitars (if the wudtone kit has deep coat and base coat). DB said don't steel wool between deep coats if you want a really deep/darker colour. Otherwise I'd still do a light steel wool rub between all coats will give it a smoother finish in the end. The wudtone top coats will make the colour go slightly darker but not really noticeable. Other types of higher gloss clear coats normally make it go a bit darker (poly's, tru oil etc)

crundes
16-01-2014, 01:18 AM
Cheers Wokka, I think I might give it a very slight steel wool between coats just to even out the finish slightly. When I applied the first coat that I ended up sanding off I found it quite hard to even up the finish with the steel wool because the coat was so thick So I think if I leave it until I've finished all the base coats, the stain might accumulate in certain areas to the point that it's hard to even out the finish (for my level of skill anyway).

wokkaboy
16-01-2014, 02:38 AM
no worries Tim, you will get a more even and smoother finish if you do steel wool between every coat. Also apply thinner coats works well. Try and give it at least 24 hours between colour coats and 48 hours if the gloss is extra aging. Where are you located ? Its pretty well hot everywhere this time of year so good curing weather

crundes
17-01-2014, 11:26 AM
Cheers Wokka, I'm in Melbourne so I'm sure the 44 degree days this week are speeding the process up nicely. I applied the fourth coat this morning and I'm really like the results, still looking a bit uneven but I've slightly refined my wudtoning technique and it's getting more even with each coat. Will post some photos after the 5th or 6th coat so there is some noticeable difference.

I'm still tossing up between a Tru-oil finish or the Wudtone satin finish that's on the way in the mail... Might hold off for a bit and see what the guitar looks like with a few more coats before I make my mind up. Does anyone know if it's possible to apply a Wudtone top coat and then if I decide that's not the look I'm after cover that with Tru-oil... Probably a silly question but thought I'd check.

Cheers
Tim

Brendan
17-01-2014, 01:44 PM
Tim, you can get a semi (but still pretty glossy) coat from Wudtone. Take your time and check Dingobass' posts - maybe search for the term "A4" - that's part of the process.

lawry
17-01-2014, 10:10 PM
Hey guys, I often read about using a thinned down Wudtone. Just how 'thin' do you make it? What sort of ratio? And do you use full strength after X coats or use thinned all the way?

Gavin1393
18-01-2014, 01:56 AM
Wudtone starts to coagulate (harden / thicken) over a short period of time as the solvent evaporates. To reverse this process you need to add solvent back into the mix. Shellite is used for this pupose as decreed by Andy from Wudtone and passed on to me by the great man DB, himself!
Add a little Shellite and shake it up until the consistency is much like it was when you first opened the bottle. And, don't believe that the solvent doesnt evaporate through the plastic bottles despite being closed, because it does!

crundes
18-01-2014, 04:17 AM
Good to know Gav :-) Would it be possible to put the wudtone in the fridge to slow or stop any evaporation? Or will that just make it coagulate because of the temperature change?

Gavin1393
18-01-2014, 04:53 AM
I'm told it slows down the evaporation, but confess to never having had to find out!

crundes
23-01-2014, 03:56 AM
So I think I'm finally happy with the results of my Wudtoning and am ready to apply the top coats! It certainly wasn't an easy or quick process but I certainly learned alot in this first stage of applying a finish. I ended up doing six coats and thinking it looked great so thought a seventh coat could only make it look better...I was wrong!

It became too thick and began to be quite difficult to spread evenly so I got a lot of blotchy areas on that coat. I ended up cutting it back again (3rd time!) but just very lightly with some 240g sandpaper and then applied another 2 coats of Dark Tease.

I've decided (with some forumers help) that I'll leave the majority of the neck clear and have just coated the front of the headstock with DTease.

I'm very happy with the results now and am glad that I was so pedantic with the wudtone. I still haven't decided whether or not to apply the satin finish that came with the wudtone pack or use tru oil. I may tru oil the neck as I want it to be slightly darker than it is now but still am unsure about the body. Have any forumers used the satin finish with Dark Tease?? Would be great to see how it can look before I decide.

Anyway here are the results.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bk296-IMG_1061.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/yj9kl-IMG_1062.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/qkej7-IMG_1065.JPG

crundes
23-01-2014, 04:04 AM
More pics
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/f31cu-IMG_1068.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/chq70-IMG_1067.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/85938-IMG_1071.JPG

wokkaboy
23-01-2014, 04:36 AM
wow Tim that looks excellent, it's been well worth being pedantic and cutting it back 3 or so times. Stain and colour look consistent in the pics and the dark tease headstock will look a treat.
I'd try 3 or 4 coats of satin and if you aren't happy with the results you can always go over with a couple of coats of TO, I'm not supposed to say the words, I've already got 12 months more detention in the naughty room !
The clear neck will be a good contrast to the dark tease body/headstock

pablopepper
23-01-2014, 06:08 AM
Great finish. Worth all the effort I reckon.

gavinturner
23-01-2014, 08:21 AM
Looks fantastic Tim. That dark tease on the ash really is the business. All your pedantic efforts have resulted in a really even finish. I agree with Wokka about the clear neck - should look amazing with the dark tease body. Great work!

Cheers,
Gav.

adam
23-01-2014, 08:32 AM
I think Andy P from Wudtone would like a photo of this when it's finished for his Wudtone site. Nice work, Tim. A very sophisticated finish.

AJ
23-01-2014, 09:04 AM
looks a million bucks matey, nicely done!

crundes
23-01-2014, 10:11 AM
Thanks for all the great feedback guys! :-)

@Pablo, Gav and Aj. Thanks for the kind words, it's nice to have people who's guitars I've been drooling over make comments like that!

@Wokka, Cheers mate, yeah I think that's a good idea re satin finish. Will the TO still be able to coat the body properly with a different product underneath if I do decide to use it? Will have to see how I go, I kind of want to try both finishes on this guitar so I can get an idea of what they both look like for future projects (I believe I may have developed GAS recently...) I do still think I will use Tru oil on the neck to try and give it a slightly darker shade. I think the wood is light enough to still contrast nicely with the Dark Tease with Tru oil applied.

@Adam, Wow that is a compliment and a half! That would be amazing! Thanks for that mate. Hopefully things keep running relatively smoothly and It still looks nice at the end!

Cheers
Tim

lawry
24-01-2014, 09:26 PM
That's a super classy finish you've ended up with Tim. You can be justifiably proud of how it has turned out. This is going to be a very stylish axe and I'm really looking forward to the finished product.

crundes
04-02-2014, 05:48 AM
@ Lawry: Thanks for the kind words :) It's certainly not how I envisioned it when I started out but I'm still very proud and pleased with how it's progressing.

I've now applied 2 coats of Wudtone clear, which I thought looked really good but I've decided that I"m going to try and learn as much as possible with this build so I wanted to try a couple of different finish options, so I also used 5 coats of Tru-oil over the top of the Wudtone clear to see how the finishes differ. I like the look of both but I felt the tru oil brought out the grain slightly more and darkened the colour slightly too. The Wudtone was easier to apply but the Tru-oil was by no means difficult.

Here are some pics of the progress so far
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/htgv9-IMG_1080.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/34hih-IMG_1079.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/p0ebf-IMG_1082.JPG

crundes
04-02-2014, 05:54 AM
I also picked up some second hand fender highway 1 pickups on ebay for a good price. They came in a loaded pickguard, which is also cool although the pickguard has some sun damage or something so I will only use the pots, selector switch etc.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/7814l-IMG_1083.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0m5jo-IMG_1084.JPG

wokkaboy
04-02-2014, 06:07 AM
cool looking good Tim, the pictures don't look too glossy for 5 coats of TO (it could be the angle or the light of the photos), you must be applying thin coats.
Pickups and pots look good, so you will transfer them to the white pickguard ?

crundes
04-02-2014, 06:39 AM
Yeah I took the photos just after I steel wooled it before applying a what I think is the 6th coat so I kinda timed the photos badly. It also may have been the 4th coat as I've kinda lost track of the coats cos I've been applying them intermittently over the last 2 weeks.

I'm not sure how glossy I want it to be though so I have been applying super thin coats. I was originally after a satin finish but am gradually liking how the tru oil is looking so will keep going for a couple more coats.

wokkaboy
04-02-2014, 06:43 AM
sounds good Tim, thin coats you should get a smoother finish as well.
I keep a track of my coat numbers in my signature of builds otherwise I'd lose track too !

crundes
04-02-2014, 06:43 AM
Still not sure If I'm going with the white pickguard. Have been going a bit crazy on ebay buying a few variations of pickups covers and pickguards so will post those pics when they arrive to see what you guys think. But whatever it is I'll just transfer the pots and pups to that one.

lawry
04-02-2014, 07:45 AM
This is turning into a more and more classy axe, Tim. The grain is fantastic and the dark tease shows it off beautifully. And those pups should sound cool.

stan
04-02-2014, 10:35 AM
really nice build Tim

crundes
18-02-2014, 03:23 AM
Ok well it seems I've run into trouble yet again. I applied four coats of tru oil since the last lot of photos and was going to stop at that and move onto the next step but I applied the coats a lot thicker than the previous ones and ended up with a small blob of hardened tru oil in the middle of the guitar. I thought having applied the coats quite thickly I would have plenty of room to steel wool the blob away and still be left with an even finish.

It turns out I underestimated how thin the tru oil coat was and ended up taking some of the colour out of the Wudtone. Subsequently many abusive words were hurled in the guitars direction, which certainly didn't improve the situation but did make me feel a little better after the blunder...

So now I'm wondering where to go from here. I have no Dark tease left to patch it up as I used the whole bottle because I have already sanded it down once and started again, which took up 2 guitars worth of stain. I'm also not sure if patching it with some new dark tease will get the same depth of colour as the rest of the guitar.

When it comes down to it if worst comes to worst I'm really not worried about sanding it back and starting again. I have really enjoyed the process this far and would be happy to do it again but it would feel like a bit of a waste.

Here are some pics to see the damage. It's a very small spot but It's not small enough that I'd be happy with the end product if I just left it there.

Cheers

Tim
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/zy647-IMG_1104.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/328tb-IMG_1105.JPG

pablopepper
18-02-2014, 03:41 AM
We've all been there dude. Don't resign yourself to sanding it off just yet. I'm no expert, but I would try dabbing a bit of wudtone on the area with a cotton tip, very lightly. You might find you can patch it with one or two spots.

wokkaboy
18-02-2014, 03:50 AM
bummer Tim, pity its not on the back of the body or under the pickguard.
I'd do what Pablo suggested, dab a bit of stain on a cotton tip, getting the right colour will be hard but should hide the blemish enough. If you don't want to shell out for another dark tease kit I'd hit up the hardware for some Feast Watson stains, from memory you can get 50ml bottles for under $10. There are colour charts in the big green building that you should be able to match the colour pretty closely
Starting again will be too heart breaking to get this far after 2 re-starts !
Click on colour guide the oak should be pretty close and you can use whats left on your next build
http://www.feastwatson.com.au/consumer/products/interior/product-details/1520

crundes
18-02-2014, 04:19 AM
Cheers Pablo, unfortunately I'm all out of Wudtone as I used it all after having sanded it back once already. I'm not sure that I would want to buy a whole new bottle just to try and patch it up. I'm also worried the colour may not be the same depth as the rest of the guitar and still be visibly different.

crundes
18-02-2014, 04:28 AM
Thanks for the advice Wokka I'll check that out. When it comes down to it though if I'm unable to fix the blemish to my liking I'm quite happy to sand it back and start again, this has all been a huge learning experience for me so if I did start again I would experiment with different finishes again to try and learn some more techniques. I'm still having fun so I suppose that's all that matters :-)

wokkaboy
18-02-2014, 04:44 AM
no worries Tim, you are very patient but yes we all learn (supposedly) from mistakes so next time it shouldn't happen. Good luck and let us know how the patch up works out

Brendan
18-02-2014, 11:00 AM
May be worthwhile sending DB an email - he may have some dregs that he can scratch together - don't think you'll need much to patch that little area...

WeirdBits
18-02-2014, 12:17 PM
If you've still got the empty Dark Tease bottle you could try adding a drop or two of shellite and rolling it around a bit... you may eek out just enough colour to dab onto the bare spot. Just a thought.

Brendan
19-02-2014, 12:38 PM
Good idea Wokks! May get enough to fill the gap that way!

crundes
21-02-2014, 02:56 AM
Thanks heaps for the advice guys. Unfortunately threw out the empty bottle thinking I would never need it again. I've applied some feast watson oak coloured stain and it matches pretty closely but I just don't think it's close enough. Still a visible patch there, although less prominent now. Am going to try a few more things to even it out before I resign myself to sanding it down but it's not looking too promising.

wokkaboy
21-02-2014, 03:50 AM
Tim, can you please post a close up photo of the patch up area ? You have extremely high standards if you are going to sand it down and start from scratch !
What I'd do is see if DB can sell you a small portion of dark tease and sand back the area around the patchy area and give it 2 or 3 coats and try and blend with surrounding areas.

crundes
21-02-2014, 04:17 AM
The beginnings of a back up plan........
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0h55i-IMG_1108.JPG

crundes
21-02-2014, 04:30 AM
Here is a close up of the patched up area.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/z6bx3-IMG_1111.JPG

wokkaboy
21-02-2014, 06:17 AM
doesn't look too obvious Tim but I spose it will always be there in your mind. It makes it a bit awkward you have already applied a few clear coats from memory.
How many times did you touch it up with the FW oak ? Wondering if more coats will darken the patch anymore

crundes
21-02-2014, 07:04 AM
Yeah have applied a number (8 i think) of clear coats so it's hard to gauge what it would look like with clear coats over the patch. I have applied 2 coats of the Oak stain might apply another one or 2 and see how it looks.

I am a bit of a perfectionist with these things and unfortunately my skill level with guitar building and lack of knowledge conflicts with that quite frequently. But when it comes down to it I'm more than happy, if not a little bit excited to start again if it doesn't come up to the standard I have set. I was happy with the dark tease finish but it does look better in the photos than in real life (it's normally the other way around!), so I won't be completely devastated if I do have to start over.

Everyone's feedback and advice has been incredibly helpful and I look forward to more tips and tricks along the way with whatever avenue I end up taking.

Cheers
Tim

wokkaboy
21-02-2014, 07:42 AM
ok Tim sure, I'd put another 2 or 3 coats of oak FW on the patch and see if it darkens. Usually clear coats darken the shade of stains a little so you may still be able to save sanding back. The patch almost looks like that part of the body didn't take the wudtone as much as the surrounds, my watermelon ash strat had some yellowish marks I couldn't get out but wasn't that bothered about it

crundes
21-03-2014, 06:51 AM
well it'a been a while since my last post so I'd thought better get my act in to gear!

I wasn't able to patch the area I buggered up well enough so I bit the bullet and ended up sanding the whole guitar back to plain ash and started again. I wanted a finish that at least slightly resembled what I had and after speaking with my brother I decided on a linseed oil finish with a satin top coat. My brother plays a lot of snooker and he uses boiled linseed oil on his cues and they always end up looking really nice so I thought why not?

So I've applied 8 coats of boiled linseed oil mixed with equal parts mineral turps, following this I have applied 8 coats of feast watsons satin wipe on poly.

Here are the results
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/71r1t-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/l3019-image.jpg

crundes
21-03-2014, 06:55 AM
I've just realised i didn't tak a photo without the pickguard but i'll be able to do that tomorrow after the last coat of satin dries.

I still haven't decided which pickguard to apply yet I was hoping you guys could help me out?

here are my 3 options
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ch7mr-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/m16yq-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/e1wb9-image.jpg

crundes
21-03-2014, 06:58 AM
i think i'm leaning towards the black one at the moment. Still not sure about the cream pickup covers though. The black pickup covers I bought aren't drilled correctly so they don't fit over the pickups properly.

crundes
21-03-2014, 07:03 AM
I'm having s few problems with fitting the pickguard at the moment. The pickups I bought came with a set of pots and a five way switch that doesn't quite fit in the space that has already been routed. I'm tempted to just carefully drill some small divots to accommodate the 5 way switch but I have very little room for error as the entire width of the body is 42 mm and the depth of the pickup route is 32 mm or so.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/e95hl-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/w12c7-image.jpg

crundes
21-03-2014, 07:07 AM
the other problem is the pickguard doesn't fit around the bridge very well, I just got a cheap one from ebay so I may just have to buy a better one from pitbull as the white one they provided fits perfectly.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/l5n2l-image.jpg

wokkaboy
21-03-2014, 07:10 AM
wow Tim, you must have forearms bigger than Popeye all that sanding.
Impressed at the final result, its been worth the hard slog, well done !
Personally I prefer the black pick guard, too much contrast with the white and red tortisehell ones.
Its got a nice gloss, the linseed oil has come up a treat

wokkaboy
21-03-2014, 07:15 AM
Tim, if its only the 5 way switch is making the black pickguard proud I'd carefully drill some holes around the area it is bottoming out, just drill small amounts at a time and test the fit.
With the pickguard/bridge fit, is the neck in place in that photo so the pickguard is close to its final position ? You may have to carefully file the edges that aren't parallel or trace the white pickguard shape and try and replicate that

crundes
21-03-2014, 07:57 AM
haha yeah the sanding process has certainly taken away the need for any gym membership. My arms have been feeling like lead weights at my side after the hours I've been putting in!

The neck isn't in place in that photo however it is in alignment with the neck pocket shape and the bridge is square in the photo so I think it's just been cut poorly. If I file anything back, there will still be that gap between the bridge and the pickguard, which doesn't show at all with the other pickguards.

Re the 5 way switch

'

crundes
21-03-2014, 08:00 AM
whoops didn't mean to post that then....

anyway re the 5 way switch, it is the only thing stopping it from sitting in the route properly. I think I will just do as you've said and drill in small amounts until it fits. Any tips on marking exactly where to drill? or would you just do it by sight?

WeirdBits
21-03-2014, 09:32 AM
Remember that you will also need some clearance for the cavity shielding, so you may be better off carefully 'shaving' a slight depression in the cavity below the switch with a chisel (just by hand, without a mallet) or just use some coarse sandpaper on a small block. Try and work out how much deeper it needs to be before you start, so you only take out what's needed. If it's much more than 3mm you may want to look for a shallower switch.

As far as marking the position, if you have some carbon paper cut a piece that will cover the general area, place it 'carbon down' in the cavity, then press the pickguard in position and it should mark where the switch is touching. You can get similar results with some heavy pencil lead scribbled onto a piece of baking paper, although it will leave a much lighter impression.

quiet1_au
21-03-2014, 09:32 AM
Looking good crundes - the ash grain sure rewards sanding effort, just watch out for the fuzzies/whiskers you get after damping down the wood - a quick hit it with the sandpaper will knock those off and make for an even smoother finish :-) Dark Tease is pretty striking on ash grain - a nice choice!

wokkaboy
21-03-2014, 09:50 AM
Tim, you could blue tac a brokken piece of lead from a pencil to the low point and hopefully that would mark the part of the cavity that lines up with the switch. Or loosely put the blue tac on the bottom of switch and it may stick to the cavity.

crundes
21-03-2014, 10:56 AM
@wokka and Scott. Thanks for the advice gents both very good ideas will get some chisels tomorrow and start that divot for the switch I don't think it is more than 3mm that I'll have to remove.

@ quiet 1. Thanks for the compliments:) I need to change the title of my thread though the original plan has completely changed from the dark tease to a linseed oil finish on the body and a tru oil neck.

stan
22-03-2014, 02:42 AM
great effort, looks nice, especially with the black pickguard

stevierayvannabe
22-03-2014, 05:54 PM
Not sure if it will help but when my wife and I were doing some work around the house, drywalling a room, when trying to determine where to cut the drywall around things we couldn't see, my wife took an old lipstick, colour doesn't really matter, and outlined the offending part. When the drywall was put up and pressed then removed we had a really nice outline of where to cut.

The guitar looks great.
Cheers

gavinturner
22-03-2014, 09:09 PM
Looking great Tim. I especially like the black pickguard. Gonna be one awesome lookig and sounding axe when you are done!

cheers,
Gav.

crundes
05-06-2014, 03:26 AM
Well it's been a very long time since I've posted anything in my build diary so I thought I'd add a little update and ask for some more advice. Thanks again to all those who have helped me so far! Wouldn't have been able to be at the point I am now without it.

I'm soo close to being finished, I've put it all together and I'm very happy with the way it's turned out for a first effort. The pickups however don't seem to be working. I think I followed the diagrams and advice that Wokka and Scott gave me in the support section but when I pugged it in for the first time today I got nothing.... The pickups themselves make noise when I touch them and they correspond correctly with the 5 way switch but no sounds comes out of the amp.

I've attached photos of the wiring I've done and some photos of how the guitar is looking now.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/1j1x3-IMG_0021.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/89m96-IMG_0022.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/ftmge-IMG_0024.JPG

crundes
05-06-2014, 03:34 AM
photos of the wiring
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/b248s-IMG_0026.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/aigr1-IMG_0029.JPG
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/l4d4u-IMG_0028.JPG

crundes
05-06-2014, 03:37 AM
last one..
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/t1684-IMG_0027.JPG

WeirdBits
05-06-2014, 09:15 AM
Quote from crundes on June 4, 2014, 12:26
[...] The pickups themselves make noise when I touch them and they correspond correctly with the 5 way switch but no sounds comes out of the amp.

What do you mean when you say 'The pickups themselves make noise when I touch them ...', is that noise coming through the amp? The connection for the ground wire on your output jack looks a bit crusty so it could be a dry joint. You want your solder points to be nice and shiny, not dull and frosty looking.

Let us know what you mean about the pickup noise and we can then work through some problem solving steps.

crundes
05-06-2014, 09:38 AM
Ah ok. So the noise isn't coming through the amp at all. It just makes a static sounding noise that comes directly from the pickup when I touch it. It's the same sort of noise I get from all my other guitars when I touch the pickups but with no sound coming through the amp.

Cheers
Tim

SIMpleONe89
05-06-2014, 11:11 AM
Crundes check that your "hot" wiring isn't touching the shield. I happened to have the same thing last time and I changed wires, jacks, resoldered etc, just to find a silly mistake of one of the pot lugs touching the copper shield! Try that! Your wiring looks fine.

gavinturner
05-06-2014, 11:16 AM
hi Tim,

The places I always check first:

a) are the output jack wires the correct way around? The sleave should be ground and the tip live. from your photos this looks correct.

b) are there any shorts to your shielding? Have a look and see where the pots are tightened down to the scratchplate, that the backs of the lugs aren't shorting out on the shielding. One thing you can do to stop this is to make a ring of milk-bottle plastic to go between the pot lugs and the shielding on the back of the scratchplate (if this is an issue).

Do you have a multi-meter? I would check for a short between the ground (shielding) and various hot points in the wiring. A visual inspection seems to suggest everything looks correct so it must be something like this.

If you dont have a multi-meter I find a good tool to build yourself is an output jack with two bare wires or even better two aligator clips. Then you can plug this into the amp and test your hot signal at various points along the chain from the pickups onwards. You should get a sound from a pickup if you place the output jack between the shielding and the hot output from the pickup. Then it's just a matter of tracing the signal forward until it shorts out.

hope this helps.

cheers,
Gav.

wokkaboy
06-06-2014, 01:09 AM
good tips Simpleone and Gav.
Tim I'd say a good chance the output jack is being shorted out by either solder or the jack lugs touching the copper shielding. Try and bend the lugs so they are further away from the shielding. Do this carefully, don't over bend the lugs as they can snap easily.
Also what Gav said you can test various points but check all your other joins aren't being earthed on the copper shielding. The hot wire (red wire I think?) appears to be correct on the hot tip of the jack

crundes
06-06-2014, 08:25 AM
Thanks heaps for the advice gents. Will try those ideas and maybe invest in a multi-meter if I'm still having no luck. I'll let you know how I go. Cheers!

WeirdBits
06-06-2014, 09:03 AM
As Gav suggested, if you're going shoppng you may also want to pick up a set of alligator clip leads (http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=WC6010) or equivalent, they're very useful for testing and problem tracing.

pablopepper
06-06-2014, 11:18 AM
Looking good Tim. I know the pain of carefully wiring everything up, putting it all together, plugging in and then... nothing. I know it well. Good luck.

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:10 PM
So it's been a year and a half since I started this build and for a long time this kit has been sitting in two pieces tucked away in a cupboard. I finally got it out the other day with a new sense of determination to finish this thing.

It's not the most beautiful guitar but I'm really happy with how it's turned out, especially for a first build. Thanks to everyone who gave advice and encouragement on the way. I certainly wouldn't have been able to do this without the forums help!

The specs ended up being:
- Pots from a highway 1 fender strat
- Grease bucket mod (reduces high frequencies without adding bass when you roll off the tone, which helps to reduce that 'muddy' sound)
- Pickups from a Jap Fender Strat.
- Standard pitbull hardware

I chose the headstock logo and asked Andy P to make up some decals when he was still frequenting the forums. I think Gav T and I must have requested pretty similar specs (my home town in a fender style font) because they look strikingly similar. A coincidence I assure you. Think I might change it for the tele to mix it up a bit.

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:12 PM
more photos

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:13 PM
And a couple more.

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:18 PM
I've also done a very brief sound demo, which I'll upload shortly. My Ipad buggered up whilst I was recording so I was only able to capture the neck pickup on clean unfortunately. I might upload a longer one at a later stage.

bargeloobs
31-07-2015, 01:45 PM
Wow that looks like butter man, a year and a half but definitely worth the wait. I love how there's a real contrast between the middle body section and the two lighter wings.
Great job.

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:58 PM
Cheers Barge! And thanks for your help and advice along the way.

crundes
31-07-2015, 01:59 PM
Here's the sound demo I was talking about. Some of it's a bit out of time but it was the only take I had before my Ipad stuffed up..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8hz2AU2J5Y

bargeloobs
31-07-2015, 02:02 PM
Here's the sound demo I was talking about. Some of it's a bit out of time but it was the only take I had before my Ipad stuffed up..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8hz2AU2J5Y

It sounds just as good as it looks, nice chops brother!!

Fretworn
01-08-2015, 05:55 AM
Good one, glad it's finally up and running.

crundes
02-08-2015, 06:43 PM
Cheers fretworn. Yep definitely happy it's done. It's about time!

andrewdosborne
03-08-2015, 07:50 AM
Looking great crundes and nice demo - good strat sound and your dogs seem to dig it!

wokkaboy
03-08-2015, 09:19 AM
sounds and looks great Tim well done. Main thing is you finished it. Your dogs dig the tunes too !
Do you own a lawn mower looks like the back yard could do with a cut !

crundes
03-08-2015, 03:49 PM
Cheers, gents. Ha Wokka I was hoping no one would notice the lawn... I do have a lawnmower but it's in the shed where I keep all my guitar stuff so I get distracted whenever I go in there to get it...

Will try and upload a better demo in the near future with a bigger variety of sounds and some better playing. Think it may be a little out of tune too as the strings hadn't fully stretched when I played this. Stays in tune well now :-)