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Ah yes that would have been it! It's been so long since I've sprayed anything that the technology got away from me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
I've already done 3 coats as per Bakers advice above. At worst I need to scrape back in a day or two, fix it up, and do it again.
I'll definitely try and locate another nozzle thingo for the next few coats, good thinking!
It's been 4 days since I put down my last coat of poly. Only 2.5 more weeks to wait until I can wet sand, polish, and assemble.
Attachment 41462
I've never played Hungry Hippos.
Ah. I believe in the UK it's called Happy Slappy Fatty Chappies.
I've seen it advertised on TV ages ago.
http://youtu.be/xJlKLC-nMJ0
I was 17 when it first came out, so beyond their target market.
"Happy Slappy Fatty Chappies"
What ever you do... DON'T Google that!!!!
Oh no.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
I'm totally gonna google that though. Or as they say in the UK, Googly Woogly Searchy Wearchy.
Why, yes! Yes we do!
Can't believe it's been a month since I finished the finish on the body, and three weeks since the neck was sprayed. Honestly thought I'd be dead before it cured.
Spent the day wet sanding going up through grits, starting at 800 and getting to 2000. Only blew through a couple of small spots and almost the entire back....
I think I'm just going to leave it as is and move on.
Installed the locking tuners and screwed that up, slightly out of line for one or two. Go me. Considering epoxy filling and re-drilling. Also considering leaving it.
Unpacked all my hardware and started test fitting. The pickguard design is too "busy" and needs some reshaping to fit the control plate and neck.
Have ordered a new solid black pickguard from pitbull, as well as a bone nut to replace the plastic one on the neck.
Overall I'm... happy?.. with how its all come out. About as good as I expected for a first guitar.
Oh, and I found a guitar case on the side of the road (verge side rubbish day for the win), and I restored it. Just waiting on a drawbolt lock to finish it.
Pics to come when I get back to my pc
Here's a shot of the top, trying to catch the light to show the finish.
Attachment 41640
The headstock came up okay, but I went through in two spots on either end of the contour. I'm considering hitting those two small light spots with some black enamel paint to cover them up.
Attachment 41641
The neck came up really good, I'm quite happy with it.
Attachment 41642
This is the diameter mismatch between the control plate and the current pickguard. The light in this particular room makes the guitar look more green than blue.
Attachment 41643
Same terrible lighting making the colour look weird, but you can see what I mean about it all being too "busy", nevermind the pickguard needing to be filed out to fit the neck and control plate. I'll sort it out with a new all black guard.
Attachment 41644
While I have your attention, is 12mm too high for the fretboard (highest point of the fretboard radius)? I'm worried I'm about 4-5mm too high. I'm not sure how that's happened, I probably measured the neck depth incorrectly when routing it.
Attachment 41645
Attachment 41646
Your headstock-type sand-throughs are where I reach for the black Sharpie. Apply, then a bit of finger smudging, and you're normally looking fine.
Brilliant. I'm doing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
This may give you issues when you try to set the action. It's going to depend a bit on how much adjustment you have in the saddles and also the height of your fretwire. As you are aware, typically for Fender type guitars we shoot for around 9mm from top of guitar body to the centre of the fretboard radius. My strat neck pocket was a bit shallow and I was only just able to set the action where it needed to be before I would've needed new grub screws. I'll grab a ruler and see what my measurements were. My intention in the future is to deepen my neck pocket a couple of mms but it's playable for now.Quote:
Originally Posted by ross.pearson
Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
Thanks Woltz!Quote:
Originally Posted by Woltz
Yeah, it appears the Pitbull necks are designed to fit a 20mm deep pocket, not 5/8" (15.8mm). That's where my 4mm of difference comes from.
Before I re-route the neck pocket I'm going to check the scale length. If the scale length of this neck on my body don't match up with the bridge pup route then I'm in real trouble. At that stage it's either new scratch body or new scratch neck time.
Scale length seems to check out, so I'll route the 4mm off and should be good to start assembly, at least with my "busy" pickguard, I'll just have to finesse it a bit with some files.
Since I've removed everything from the body now it was a good time to weigh it. Comes in at a hair over 2kg, 2.026. That's before removing 4mm from the pocket, so it will probably be right around 2kg (4.4lbs).
That's not too bad I don't think. About average for a tele body. I wonder how much weight was shed from the contours, I suspect about 500-600g.
I love the finish on this. Quite the journey to get to that look.
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If you are thinning the neck depth, then double-check the length of your neck screws. You don't want them poking through the fretboard!
Thanks Dozy! I know I'm taking forever haha. I just want it to be over at this stage. Hopefully next weekend the final parts arrive and I can get it done.Quote:
Originally Posted by dozymuppet
Good thinking! I've got a pitbull neckplate, so it should work fine but I'll definitely double check that. That would have sucked!Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
I did the old super glue and masking tape trick to fasten some old melamine cupboard doors to use as a base and to protect the finish. Unfortunately I didn't have a flush trim bit that would work, i.e. short enough cutter and long enough shank to reach, so I had to free hand the whole thing. Extreme Pucker Factor.
Attachment 41651
I got as close to the edges as I was comfortable with, leaving a small amount behind to pare out with a chisel by hand.
Attachment 41652
That didn't take long, then it was time to fit the neck and make sure it was all good.
Attachment 41653
It was all good! 9mm proud now, right where I want to be.
Attachment 41654
Next it's time to screw the neck on and get the bridge alignment done. Two jobs I'm apprehensive about and positive I'll stuff up, but they gotta be done so I'm gonna do em.
That's the majority of the "hard" work then I think? Just waiting on a new pickguard and bone nut, then the rest of the hardware can go on.
So I ordered a plain black tele pickguard from Pitbull to go with my TL style neck from Pitbull.
It's a cheap guard so I'm not worried about cleaning up the machining on the edges, that's pretty expected. But I wasn't expecting to have to re-cut it to get it to fit. It will just not fit around the neck at all, which is weird as they're both Pitbull TL kit items.
I'll reshape it easy enough and it will look and work fine, but I'm just wondering if this is standard for these kits?
I think you'd find if you had got it all in one "kit" it would have a better chance of fitting without modification..even then, there is some fernangling to do on most little final touches like this on most kits to get them to sit perfectly the way you want them to.
Rightyo, that answers that then. I hadn't considered that they would pair each item in the kit for best fit, but it makes sense. I assumed everything was CNC'd so there would be tight tolerances.
Like I said, more of a curiousity than an issue. I've already reshaped one guard for this neck, not super hard to do.
I got a bone nut too, so when I get time I'll hopefully get this thing finished up and actually playing.
I've had Fender Licenced Allparts pickguards that still required adjustments around the neck pocket.
Unbranded pickguards like you find on eBay, Aliexpress or what come with the kits will be hit or miss. However, I've also brought no-name ones that fit perfectly. It's all just part of doing this stuff IMO.
Ha!Quote:
Originally Posted by ross.pearson
Old templates and hand routing is the best you'll get. A lot of these government-owned Chinese factories are all about giving full employment to their masses. So everything that can be done manually is done manually. The best way to do it would obviously be to use CNC machines, but you'd need to employ far less people, plus you'd need to invest heavily in the machines themselves.
Obviously there are areas like electronics where you need a lot of automation in order to churn out vast quantities of products at really low prices with a quick turn-around to compete/dominate in the global market, so they do. But where quantities are smaller and the product less technically demanding, manual labour is preferred.
Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
All of the above makes sense, yeah. Don't know what I was thinking! Thanks fellas!Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Shielding paint?
Shielding paint.
Everyone is sold out of shielding paint. And it costs a lot anyway. And waiting for shipping sucks.
Let's make some shielding paint!
Is it going to be as good as purpose made stuff? Nope! Is it going to work? Hopefully! Is it going to be easy to do and at least look good? Maybe!
I bought some graphite powder and raided the kids paint box again. This time going for the super vivid gold metallic paint. Thoughts on this were that it would be easier to ensure I got a good mix because the gold will stand out like the proverbials. The second reason was I thought there was a chance it would end up looking rad.
Attachment 41694
Mixed in a good amount of graphite and got this stodgy, sticky, metallic silver looking hot mess, with some tantalising metallic flakes visible.
Attachment 41695
First coat done, will definitely need another. Looks pretty flat and graphitey.
Attachment 41696
And a close up. Will do another coat tomorrow morning.
Attachment 41697
I think I've convinced myself to completely re-finish the back. The blowthrough on the finish is more than I'm happy with, so I'm going to take it back to wood, re paint and then spray poly rather than wipe.
Attachment 41698
EDIT: A word on the shielding paint that most of you probably know already. It sticks to eeeeverything, but cleans up easy enough with denatured alcohol (methylated spirits). I'd keep it the hell away from bare wood you don't want it on though.
Quick multimeter test to see what the resistance is like before doing another coat?
Great idea! I've got a multimeter I never quite figured out how to use, I'll blow the dust off it and get some readings. I've already done another coat, my day job got me into a steam-blowing mood so it's a good time to crank angry tunes and be productive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Also started hand sanding the back... back. Almost to bare wood, will hit it with 220grit orbital mesh tomorrow to finish it up, then re-paint and put the first poly coats on.
Attachment 41700
Looks like another month at least before this thing makes any noise. In the meantime I've got a camel bone nut to install and a crappy pawn shop guitar to practise fret leveling on.
Plus a guitar case to make, considering I've got it floating around in a bass case currently.
Seems hard to get a consistent reading but between 1.2 and 1.4kΩ resistance an inch apart. I don't really know what I'm doing or looking for, but it seems like there's some resistance even if it's over 1kΩ, which probably isn't terrible. I know proper RF shielding paint or copper tape would be preferable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
At the end of the day, it's better than nothing and it makes the cavities at least look presentable. I'm still not 100% sure on what to do for shielding entirely, so I'll hit up some videos.
I repainted the back today. Decided to try something different and combine the metallic gold paint with the black.
Attachment 41705
Followed the same process I developed for the front. Cover entirely in black, then once that's dry enough put down the gold with a fresh piece of cloth and rub back furiously. It pushes the black into the grain, and mixes the colour that's left on the surface.
Attachment 41706
The gold is subtle, which is what I was hoping for, but when you get it at the right angle it really pops.
Attachment 41707
And then three coats of spray poly over 30 minutes, which I'll then leave for 3 days and then do three final coats. Then 3 weeks to wait. I still don't have the hang of it so there's overspray. I should be able to sort it out when I'm wet sanding, but spraying "light" just feels like it's doing nothing so I add more and invariable get a run or two. I need to trust the process more.
Attachment 41708
Well that looks better than it did in post #146! ;)
Nice job.
Thanks McCreed!
I'm regretting not doing it before I buffed and polished the body actually. Obviously there's overspray onto the edges and the front, so I'm worried about how that will react with the wax I used... hopefully it all cleans up nicely.
I'm also regretting not installing a bone nut when I first got the neck. I'm definitely compiling a list of tips and tricks from this build.
The plastic nut did not come out gently.
Attachment 41719
Despite scoring along the finish on all sides, it still took some paint from the headstock side. Fortunately that's a completely black area so touched it up later with a sharpie, and will mask off and wipe on some poly in the future.
Attachment 41720
The bone nut fit perfectly. Just a tiny amount of sanding to get the width exact. I used a really small amount of wood glue to adhere it, just to keep it from moving during low bends etc, as the friction fit is really tight.
Attachment 41721
There are fine gaps around the nut that I'd like to try and fill, I think I have some maple dust in a container that I might be able to make a filler from.
Hey all, I guess people come and go on this site all the time. I came, I went, I'm back again =)
Since I've been gone I've started a new job and had a lot of things going on, so no time to work on guitars or really do anything hobby wise.
I've just repainted the body for what feels like the 10th time, hopefully the final clear coats went on today. I kept blowing through the clear when sanding, it was driving me insane. I'm planning to take a lot more care this time, but we'll see.
I missed having this ready for my friends bucks, that's been and gone, but it should be ready for the wedding. I'm sure the bride will be ecstatic about the gift. I should probably make something else as well. =)
Another guitar. His & HersQuote:
I'm sure the bride will be ecstatic about the gift. I should probably make something else as well. =)
Only if they delay the wedding by another 12 months at the rate I work, haha.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
I wired it all up today, got noise from the pups and the selector and knobs work as intended, so that's good. No strings on it yet. Aside from string trees and strap buttons, the last job is to fret level and dress, plus filing the nut, all of which I'm really not looking forward to. But also kinda looking forward to. Mostly because I think my gibson really badly needs a fret level and dress, so if I don't screw this tele up, that guitar is next.
I'm on holidays, so I'm very tempted to go get another lump of vic ash from Austim and make a start on #2. Will definitely make the neck on the next one, just because.
Had the suit fitting for the groomsmen today, and coincidentally I finally got strings on.
I cannot recommend the Guyker locking tuners. I really, really cannot recommend them. You're better off just getting a good set of standard tuners. High E and B can't be locked. I prefere a light guage, so I've loaded it up with D'Addario XL 9-42's. The 9 and 11 just will not get grabbed by the locks in the tuners at all, so those strings are essentially standard wound.
Aside from that glaring issue, there is a ridiculous amount of play. There's at least a 1/5 - 1/6 of a turn of play if you change tuning direction. i.e. if you tune sharp and then need to wind it back a bit, there's a significant amount of play in the tuner before it starts to grab in the other direction. Enough that I initially thought the stings were somehow binding in the nut.
I completed the string level and crowning last week. I think I could have done a better job, but I'm relatively happy with it. I should have spent more time on crowning, but it plays and sounds just fine.
The action is okay but could use some filing at the nut. The bridge is intonated. Made some minor tweaks to the electosocket to keep the cable more firmly secured.
All that's left is string trees and strap buttons and this thing is in the bag. I'll see about a demo video tomorrow, it actually sounds pretty decent.
I'd send the tuners back if the returns window hasn't expired. Standard guitar tuners will be better than dodgy locking ones.
The tuners are one of the key string contact/anchor points and they need to be stable and well attached to get the best out of the guitar.
yeah definitely past the return period unfortunately. Can't afford replacements at this stage so they'll have to do. I'll see about replacing them in the future though, I'll be seeing this guitar pretty regularly.
No spare kit tuners lying around?
That's what I was thinking also. Presumably the Guyker were an "upgrade" (or not so much) the stock tuners should still have been included in the kit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Despite the kit tuners being regularly labelled as "cheap" they'd be way better than the sloppy ones you've got now.