Quote:
Originally Posted by Dedman
Would 1200 grit or 1800 grit do the job?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dedman
Would 1200 grit or 1800 grit do the job?
Hi Doc, go the highest you can get otherwise you risk stripping off too much finish which also means colour. How do I know, found out the hard way on my EX-5 build. Also need to use a cork sanding block and dip it in water after several passes so that you can wash off the slight build up of stuff in the grits. For the curvy bits you revert to folding over and using by hand. If you miss this part it will become trapped and then cause scratching of the surface, same as when not using enough water or even when sanding dry. Handy to have a soft cloth, maybe an old towel chopped up to moisten and use to wipe off build up of water and sanding residue on the surface of the guitar.
You seem to like ordering various bits online and suggest you get the Micro Mesh Guitarist Kit from https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/m...arist-kit.html
I am using it and happy with the results as it mainly polishes however the 4000 grit can also strip a fair bit of finish off too if you go too hard at it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wazkelly
Cheers for that Wazkelly, might see if I can order that Micro Mesh Guitarist kit next fortnight, I had a look on the Bunnings Website and the finest grade of wet and dry sandpaper they sell is a roll of 1200 Grit, so I'll see if I can get some tomorrow in addition to the Snail Tape.
You could also try 0000 steel wool with light pressure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Muzza
I actually did that before I applied the second coat of DT CG Final Coat to the body, did seem to work, might try it again.
I am using 600grit soaked in water and a bit of soap between coats, but i am using poly. I am now going to use a much higher grit to start to buff it up, so i finish at 0000 synthetic pads then Mequires 3 step compounds.
I have about 4 coats of Poly to go, idont know how you blokes finish a guitar in a week :p
Update:
Seeing as Sunday is finally here, I'm going to be applying the last coat of DT CG Final Coat to the Strat body shortly, there was about one area that needed a bit of sanding because I had applied a little too much of the finish to the body the last time, and it wasn't level, that has been sorted out now so I can go ahead with the Final Coat, while it is drying I'm going to start work on the scratchplate, stay tuned for more updates.
It has got me buggered too, Tony...Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyw
It takes me at least 120 hours to complete a custom guitar, most of that time is taken up just on the sanding and finish...
Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
Maybe it's because some of us are a bit more efficient with our time, I dunno, I'm just going by what feels right to me, anyway, I have just finished applying the last coat of DT CG Final Coat to the Strat Body, seeing as it looks virtually the same as it did in the last few pics I posted there's not much point in me posting pics of the body as it is now, well I might do once the finish has dried a bit, what I will do in the meantime is post some pics of the scratchplate wiring and get the Soldering mini-tutorial done for you guys.
I'm just about to start working on the scratchplate shortly so stay tuned for more updates.
I'm hoping that the new Entwistle ASN57 Noiseless pickups will turn up in the post sometime this coming week, but I doubt it since I ordered them prior to the Easter Holiday break, but you never know.
Update:
I decided to go all-out with the shielding on the scratchplate and covered it completely with the copper shielding-foil, now some builders may think that's a bit excessive, but personally I think you need a good solid ground-plane in a device, or instrument, that's generating a relatively low-voltage, low-current signal in order to reduce the susceptibility to hum and radio-frequency noise, the last thing you want to hear in a live, or recording situation is either a constant..mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....in the background, or some radio station broadcast from a foreign country to disrupt your performance of that meticulously constructed epic solo, or song, which tends to happen when you least want it to, i.e. right at the start or right in the middle of it when you're all hyped up.
Once I got the shielding all done, I used my multimeter to check for continuity all across the underside of the scratchplate, I found that there wasn't continuity between adjacent strips of copper-foil so I used my Soldering Station and some standard 60/40 Electronic grade solder to solder each strip together, after that I got readings of well under an ohm (0.02 Ohms) all across the underside of the scratchplate, so that was good enough for me, I'm just in the process of doing all the final wiring-up of the scratchplate now so stay tuned for more updates, and pics of my progress.
Note:
I'm going to see if I can buy some Conductive Shielding-Paint from my local Jaycar Electronics store next fortnight, I'm pretty sure they do stock some, if do manage to buy some I'll use it to coat the body routing.
The mini Soldering tutorial will be the next thing on my list to do.
I'm no professional guitar builder and found from builds #1 & # 2 that if you rush things it ends in tears.Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
Agree that the final curing period before attacking it with polish is the most crucial and probably best spent starting on another build so that you don't get impatient, jump in too soon, and generally make a mess of things.
They're obviously not enjoying it as much as us slow bastards...Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyw
Update:
Well, I've finished doing as much of the scratchplate wiring as I'm able to do, because I'm still waiting on the Entwistle ASN57 Noiseless pickups to arrive in the post, and also for the Strat body to finish drying, there's not a whole lot I can do in the meantime, yes, I could order another guitar kit but I'm low on money as it is, anyway, here's some more pics of the progress I've made so far on the scratchplate:
Attachment 10136
Attachment 10137
Attachment 10138
Attachment 10139
Attachment 10140
Here are some more pics of the Scratchplate:
Attachment 10141
Attachment 10142
Attachment 10143
Attachment 10144
So, as you can see in the pics, I put a lot of shielding on the Scratchplate to create a great big ground-plane, hopefully that'll make my guitar relatively noise-free, you can see where I have soldered the individual strips of copper-foil together where it's a silvery-colour, all over the Scratchplate I'm getting a reading of 0.02 Ohms which is good, I linked the three pots together with some copper-braiding I salvaged from some old microphone lead, this is to ensure that there is still a ground-path if the copper-foil wears through underneath where the pots mount on the Scratchplate, all I need to do now is wait for the new pickups to turn up in the post so i can install them, the output-jack is going to be attached to the Volume-control pot via some vintage-style shielded cloth-covered wire.
You can also see the Vitamin Q .1uF/630V DC Tone Cap installed on the scratchplate, I had practically no issues with overheating while soldering the cap in place, you may also notice that I put a piece of cloth-wire insulation on both solder-tags of the cap, that's partly to prevent unintended short-circuits, and partly for aesthetics, hopefully everything is working correctly.
Incidentally, I have wired-up the Scratchplate Eric Johnson style so that it follows this setup:
Pickup Selector:
1, Neck Pickup + Tone 1.
2, Neck Pickup + Middle Pickup + Tone 1.
3, Middle Pickup.
4, Bridge Pickup + Middle Pickup + Tone 2.
5, Bridge Pickup + Tone 2.
Note that Tone 1 on a Strat is the one closest to the Volume control, and Tone 2 is the other Tone control next to Tone 1.
Efficiency with my time oh that must be it :p
Maybe i am just very very patient, and quite pedantic about it looking how i want it. I do a finish and wait 3 days to a week before i sand and do another coat, in the mean time i do wiring looms and wind pickups for my other 10 builds ;)
Generally if i can smell the finish its not cured.
A partscaster if i have all the bits i can knock up in a couple of hours, but not a full finish job.
Hey Doc i would cover that earth wire with some heat shrink.
Heres how i vintage wire a strat, this is from one of my builds.
Attachment 10146
Attachment 10147
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyw
I'll give that a try, I think I have some black heat-shrink tubing that might be the right size to fit over the braiding I used, cheers for that.
As per tonyw's suggestion, I've put some black heatshrink-tubing on the braided earth wire strung between the pots, here's what it looks like now:
Attachment 10148
The heatshrink-tubing actually does serve a practical purpose, it stops the Tone1 pot from shorting out the Tone Cap against the earthing braid.
Here's what postal tracking says for the new ASN57 pickups I ordered last Tuesday:
In transit Processed through Australia Post facility 11:40pm Wed 30 Mar Welshpool, WA
It hasn't been updated since the 30th March, most likely due to the Easter break.
I forgot just how massive those Q's are! :p
Nice job on the wireing Doc, if I may throw my 1.25cents worth in, it isnt necessary to earth pot to pot when you have done such a beautiful job with the shielding as it acts as an earth for you. But it cant hurt..
Now, with the amount of time taken on builds..
Sanding... Sanding sanding sanding..... Thats where the money shot lays... I am soooooo pedantic about sanding it can take a few full days just to get a body right.
1: I never use Roy Orbison sanders, they always leave tiny swirl scratches that can be a bugger to remove. The paper you get for most of the brand name orbos with velcro fasteners is to say the least, crap.
2: Never use paper brought from any of the BSFOS or the $2 shop. It will be crap, even the Norton papers I have brought from the shed was not as good as what I get from a specialist paper supplier.
Maybe it is just my pure hatred for the BGSFOS projecting onto the papers or, as I suspect, they buy the stuff that would normally get binned for not passing QC or stuff that is made just for them. IE: cheap crap because thats all the BSFOS want to sell, cheap crap.
3: The sanding process... I will start with either 180 or if things are really ropey, 120 grit.
Then up through the grits to a minimum of 400.
I hold the body up to the light and stare at it from every angle known, plus I invent a few new angles as well :)
If I can see so much as one tiny line that shouldnt be there it gets sanded again.
Once I am happy with it, I will then go down a few grades of grit depending on the finish I am using.
For DT 400 grit is fine but for Nitro I will go back over it with either 340 or 220 grit. This depends on the timber. Open grained timbers I will go 340, tight or closed grain 220.
I know it sounds counter productive to sand to a high grit then go back over with a coarser one but it eliminates all deep scratches and gives a really nice surface for the finish.
Yes, I am anally retentive. But when someone is paying me 3-6k for a custom Guitar, they deserve nothing less.
Sanding rant over. I need more coffee. :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
That's alright mate, you're right, I probably didn't need to earth the pots, my philosophy is that it's better to have something and not need it than to not have it and need it a lot, I have had guitars in the past where the earthing foil had worn through where the pot mounts through the scratchplate, and caused a bad hum problem, so if you earth the pots together like I've done, the foil can still wear through but there'll still be a good earth connection, of course not everyone will wire-up a guitar the same way, most people will have their preferred method, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I just read your reply to my pm, when the Strat body has dried I might consider giving it a good sand and apply a couple of coats of the neck finish I talked about in my pm.
I still have a couple of sheets of 400 grit sandpaper, and maybe some 320 grit, I might try doing as per your post.
All you will need to do is give it a very light scuff sand with the 400, just level it out and give it some tooth..
Or, you could go supa nutzo and give it a few more days and then wet sand it to get that baby smooth as a babies bum :)
I always wire across the pots Doc, as you say it eliminates any troubles in the future, but i dont go nutzo on the shielding either.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNomis_44
Once you connect the earth to the string claw thats really enough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
It'd be cool if I could get it to the point where it's glossy-smooth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyw
I suppose I probably didn't need to put all that copper foil on the back of the scratchplate, then again it's not really going to hurt anything either.
no harm Doc, at least you know with the copper shielding the pots will be earthed. Page 63 mate you think you can reach 100 pages ?
Later on this afternoon, I'll get to it and do some pics for the Soldering mini-tutorial, in the mini-tutorial, I'll be describing how I go about preparing wire for soldering to a solder-terminal, and my method for making a good solder-joint, so stay tuned for more updates.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy
I'll definitely give it my best shot to get to 100 pages, this afternoon I'll be taking some pics for the mini-tutorial on Soldering, I'll also include a step by step pictorial of how I go about setting up my Strat once it's ready for final assembly.
That should be good for a fair few pages, I only need another 37 to make it to 100.
haha that's the spirit Doc !
Quote:
Originally Posted by wokkaboy
Cheers mate, I'm determined to get to 100 pages, I did say this build diary was going to be an epic one so I'd better deliver....lol.
Geez Doc i am coming after you already :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyw
Lol....I'll have to get a move on and come up with enough material for enough pages to get me to 100 then....haha....*thinks of a really audacious plan*....lol.
*Thinks..."I may need to consult my feline guitar-building guru, he knows more about guitar building than I'll ever will."*
This build thread is already so long that it should be re-told in the Norse tradition of epic saga.
Perhaps an idea for the long(ish) cold(ish) winter darkness in the naughty warehouse? Install a firepit, lay on the mead, ale and meat roasting on a spit and then get our chroniclers Doc (and Shazz) to tell their saga of sand and stain, wire and solder? Horned helmets optional, axes mandatory?
sounds like a good idea Franken !
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankenWashie
Hahahaha....now since I'm a gentleman, I shall do the honorable thing and let ShazzRandom tell her story first as it's a most fascinating saga indeed, she battled on through it but came out on top, and shining, a true testament to the Norse warrior spirit.
Meanwhile, the good Doctor was working feverishly away in his Laboratory located in his castle atop a tall mountain, what was he working on?, who knows?, maybe a replacement Trans-dimensional Stabilizer for his T.A.R.D.I.S.....eh?....er......um.....mumble.....m umble.....*blushes bright red*......sorry...um....I think I picked up my Sci-Fi Chronicles book by mistake instead of my Norse Chronicles book as I went out the door of my house....*epic face-palm, followed by sheepish grin*.
Update:
Just been checking the coat of finish on the Strat body of my guitar, the finish doesn't seem to have that Citrusy smell anymore, what's more, I've checked the hardness of the finish by pressing my thumbnail into it in a discrete place on the body and no marks are being left behind, so, here's what I'm thinking of doing now, give the body a light sand all over with some 400 grit sandpaper as per Dingobass's suggestion (there are some patches I missed when I applied the last coat), and then start applying some coats of DT Colourless Neck Finish Final Coat, I have already checked with Dingobass and he reckons it should be okay to do so over the last coat of DT CG Final Coat, once I've applied a coat, I'm going to hang the body up to dry on the wire coathanger hook.
What's the reasoning behind using the neck finish instead of the regular DT finish?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Muzza
I simply ran out of the regular DT finish when I applied the last coat of it, I have since applied one coat of the neck finish and it seems to have worked without any noticeable issues.
Doc you sure you aren't doing a 'Pest' and drinking the final coat ? haha