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After umming and aahing on how to tackle the TL1-TB, I decided to put it aside for now and have a go at the ST-1.
Today I sanded for what felt like an eternity before finally trying out a 3 colour burst using furniture dyes.
It didn't turn out exactly how it did with my tester yesterday, but overall I'm pretty happy with the results!
Let me know which colour pick guard you like better!
Looking good. I prefer the black one for sure.
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That's a very acceptable stain burst indeed.
What fretboard do you have? I think I'd go with white for rosewood and black for maple. But both will work for either type.
Great burst work there. Black lends itself better to the colour work you've done on the body I rekon.
Burst looks great.
It looks like you did grain fill beforehand? It might make it harder to get a smooth top coat.
So this project has been put on the back burner for far too long. I finally had a week to myself! No work, wife is back at work, kid is at Nans for the week and the band is on a break too.
So I was back in the shed. This time I started work on the neck. I sketched a rough outline and cutout and carved the headstock. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but half way through I grabbed a carving knife and started to bevel the edges at the base of the headstock. Then I sanded the absolute shit out of it before giving it a once over with some Dingotone Neck Stain. I went with the Vintage Yellow colour. It's now hanging up until tomorrow drying and waiting for the finishing coat! Looks pretty good to me!
Let me know what you think!
I now realise after some more research that I did not grain fill... is this going to be a huge issue? Is it too late now? Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Your burst looks good. I believe the ST-1 is basswood, so you should be OK without filling the pores, because it shouldn’t really have any. What sort of finish are you putting on it?
Great looking burst JD, you can't go wrong with either pick guard. Make your decision when you can see it with the fretboard unmasked.
I would usually agree with the statement, but having a closer look at that body photo (open in new tab and zoom) and there is some significant open grain grain on that IMO. Certainly the most open I've seen on basswood.Quote:
Originally Posted by jonwhitear
I don't have any advice that's not not going to involve sanding it back, grain filling then re-staining. The only way forward from here that I could see is an absolute s**t-tonne of clear coat until it's filled and then levelling the clear.
Whilst that is doable, it's not without its pitfalls. A clear coat that thick will take ages to cure, and could get expensive with the quantity it may require. Maybe a UV-cured poly would solve the cure time issue, but UV-cured poly ain't cheap.
Hopefully someone else will have a different opinion and/or better advice.
Hey Guys! Thanks for the response!
It's actually an ash body! Not basswood, which I am now learning the hard way is a bit more involved than the old basswood haha.
I'm thinking with this one I may just get a wax finish and leave it natural. Maybe bash it up a bit for a "relic" feel. Then take it as a lesson for the next one!
Yes - I didn't look closely enough. I haven't made a guitar with a basswood body (yet), so don't really know what to expect. Edit: Ah, it's Ash.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
I guess that really leaves a key decision, JD - do you want a completely level finish or are you happy for the grain texture to show through?
If you're OK with the grain texture, then you can just go ahead and finish. There are a few production guitars (I think Gibson's "faded" finish, for example) that show the grain, though probably more for a satin finish than a gloss. Either way, jf you don't like the result, you can always sand it back.
If you do want a level finish, then as McCreed says, you'll need to apply your clear coat until it's thick enough to fill in the texture. I have done this with Tru Oil with good results, though it can take very many coats depending in the surface.
Another option might be to try Feast Watson Sanding Sealer. I have used this on mahogany and ash to fill in the pores with good results, though I did so before staining. You could always try it, and if you don't like the results, you're back to sanding again ;-) One or two coats of that will fill in your pores, and I don't think it'll change your colour much. Then you can apply your finish of choice over the top, depending on compatibility. Again, Tru Oil over sanding sealer works well.
To support Jon's comments, I have trialed FW sanding sealer over stain and it did a great job. Just have to be careful not to sand through to the stain when levelling.
Oh that's a good idea! I never thought about using a sanding sealer! Damn. Looks like another trip to Bunnings it is... What a shame...
Also, where about do I get Tru Oil from? I've heard some very good things about that, and also tung oil. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! This certainly gives me a few things to try!
Pitbull sell it, but they're out of stock at the moment. I bought my Tru Oil from Ebay seller ozgunmart. 240ml for $40. The smaller bottle might not cut it ;-)
Yes, ash, that makes sense. Also what I was thinking though I didn't mention in my last post.
As Jon said, ebay or do a search for local gun shops and see if they stock it. It was originally intended for finishing gun stocks.Quote:
Also, where about do I get Tru Oil from?