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phrozin looks like you have some good advices for my case.
How do you know that i'm using enamels? At the instructions the say for the primer and clear, recoat after 30 mins and for the color recoat within 1 hour or after 24 hours.
You think that i should do more coats and if so at which point of the process? Primer, color or clear?
Thnaks a lot mate!
I am with Phrozin on this one, while acrylic won't spray glossy straight out of the can, with some time and effort you will end up with a far superior finish. just my two cents worth.
At last a good shiny day in Greece!
So i came up with a working bench for the guitar painting.
Attachment 19258
And i did the primer. 5 coats pf it just to be in the safe side.
I'll let it dry over night and tomorrow i'll do the sanding!
Attachment 19259
George, it looks like you've masked off the neck and control cavities. However it's important that the paint extends into those areas by a few mm, rather than stops right at the edge. If you don;t continue the paint over the edge by a short distance, the paint won't stick to the sharp edge properly and you'll get it peeling or chipping off. I'd move the masking tape down a little bit and make sure you get some primer and then the colour and clear coat so that it goes over the edge.
I see you live in (or around) Athens. Have you seen the new SNFCC building (opera house and national library)? I was part of the engineering design team on that, although I never got to go and see it as it was mainly handed over to local consultants once the building work started.
This is what can happen if you don't take the paint over the edge a bit. http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...l=1#post122369
Will do Simon. I've left only a little gap. I'll make it bigger. Thanks!
Yes i've seen it and in fact i'm gonna have a walkthrough in the national opera next week from my colleagues sound engineers. I used to work for the national opera. It's a beautiful build and what i like most is that it's not just another concrete structure. I mean it's environmentaly friendly and the surrounded trees and nature where not stripped of and in fact more where planted!
You have to visit this place it's magnificent!
And from what my colleagues say the engineering for the national opera stage and pit is crazy! Everything is movable and you can adjust the stage anyway you want! The rigging possibilities are endless!
Glad you like it! I've seen lots of pictures and I knew it was going to be a good one. I've worked on a few other opera/cultural centre designs - like the major refurbishment of Royal Opera House, London, back in the late '90s. Also some that never got built, like the Cyprus Cultural Centre in Nicosea, that was put on hold when the 2008 depression hit and finally got cancelled in 2013. Doing them makes a change from the normal office blocks.
It was fortunate that the construction money for the SNFCC came from Stavros Niarchos, otherwise that was another one that would never have got built. Plus I'm sure its construction put some much needed money back in the Greek economy.
Looking good so far George. Black is difficult shade to get right - every flaw in the finish will show up - so take your time, do not rush and be careful - you should get a great looking guitar
Stan thanks a lot! I'm trying my best!
Simon i agree with you 100% for the economy boost that this project gave. I just hope that now that the hole institute got in hands of the state will be used properly... The first president resigned just 3 days after he took on saying that he was under pressure for untransparent procedures (hiring stuff and project asignments with no contests and so on)..
That was always my biggest concern, George. Opera on that scale needs a lot of public funding to keep going. Hope it sorts itself out and settles down. And enjoy your trip around the building!
So today i bought a new Fender nut for my build. And i've just noticed that the nut hole is bigger than the nut. I taken off the old one.
But there is a noticable gab when i fit it in the nuthole. Enough gap so that the nut won't stay in the hole.
Is this a major problem? Or will the glue fill the gap and it's ok????
Made some measurements and the nuts both old and new one are 3mm wide. And the nuthole is 4mm wide. I guess i have to find a 4mm wide nut?? Or 3mm is universal width for stratos and i have to come up with something else??
From what i've already seen the 3mm width is standard for fenders.. :(
Most replacement bone ones I've seen are around 3.3mm thick, which is normally slightly thicker than the slot width, so you have to sand it down a bit to fit tightly - which is how it should be. Length can vary but 42mm or 43mm seem to be the two normal lengths for Fender style guitars. I tend to buy 43mm ones and if necessary, then take 0.5mm off each end.
It's not a good thing to have a bigger slot than the nut. You only want to use something like PVA/white glue to hold it in place. That's great if you've got a tight fit, but you don't want 1mm of PVA glue as it's not really hard enough and will deaden the string vibrations.
I'm not sure if you'll find bone or other similar material nuts with a 4mm thickness (though a web search did thor up some 4mm brass nuts). so you may have to get a bone (or another material like Tusq) blank and make your own nut. You can use the replacement as a guide for the width and height and cutting the initial slots, and you'll just have to sand it down so its the correct thickness.
Have a look on eBay for a 4mm thick Fender style nut, you might be lucky. Otherwise you should be able to find a blank of suitable material on there.
The alternative is to try and find a 1mm strip of maple veneer, glue it in to reduce the slot width so that the new nut is then a tight fit. I'm not sure how good you could make this repair look (you obviously glue it on the headstock side of the slot otherwise your nut will then be 1mm too far away from the first fret), but if you are careful it shouldn't be too noticeable and if you spray it over with some tinted lacquer first, then that will help hide the line of the maple strip.
Thanks a lot Simon.
I am starting to get frustrated with the routing the factory did. First the neck pocket, now the nut hole. These are the most critical parts and are both crap. I am thinking maybe the neck isn't the pair for the body i got...
And now my build is going to be full of maple veneers...
Anyway, i will try to find a 4mm wide nut. If i can't find one i know now.. Maple veneer is the answer to all wrong routing..
Maybe contact DingoBass - db at pitbull guitars dot com - he may be able to provide some assistance.