Djp-fs1

Whilst I am waiting for the finish on my ongoing Flying V build to properly cure - I've started an FS1 kit with a flamed maple top that has been on the shelf for about a year.
I had shared some pictures of it previously when I queried some worries that I had with it. i.e. It looks nice, but has a small problem with a piece of broken binding at the neck pocket (now snapped off), and a pretty scruffy cut to the pocket. It also appeared to have a glue spot. When I noticed this I was initially a bit underwhelmed - but chatted with some folks on the forum decided its not a deal breaker, but an opportunity to have a go and learn a bit more about repairing different things.
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OK. So - I managed to pop the grain very nicely using some black timbermate - diluted and applied thinly.

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However I was mistaken about the glue spots. The flamed top which had not looked bad – actually has the most dreadful glue spots. Entire areas of veneer seemed completely saturated in parts (I think I missed a big one when checking as I was not expecting such big areas). I’ve been down the route of using goof off and a wire brush – carefully for a long time but that really has only helped with one or two areas.

I wanted a black finish. An application of black Keda Dye shows the issue. All the light areas around the cut away areas at the neck and aroind where the pots will go are glue spots. Also around the top of top f hole, and also a fair bit around neck pick up cavity and neck pocket.
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White spots show up against black.
I rubbed back the black stain coats and was left with a nice tiger stripe. Applied a blue dye - looked better - but still really "spotty". Spent time pooling dye on areas of glue and applying wire brush again. A little improvement - but still very spotty / patchy.
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At this stage - I was close to sanding off cap - but spotted a comment on forum (when searched on glue spots in veneers) mentioning might hide such things under a burst. So I thought - put the sander away and try a black burst.
Never done a burst ... can always get sander out again if it fails.

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Ok. Its not perfect. But actually looks really quite nice when wet and shiny. Applied loads of coats of dye and again occasionally applied wire brush over gluey areas between coats. Oh ... and very careful application of a sharpy helped when one of the pieces of dark figuring with grain fill got blitzed out by a glue spot. Might leave sander in cupboard. Not sure.

Quite an improvement over the initial photo, and quite a good recovery, but it's just a damn shame this continues to be an issue that seems to plague every veneered top kit these days. :(

I know others have had success using acrylic paints to camouflage stubborn glue areas. May be worth a shot.

The tiger maple looks nice. I would keep persevering with top and sharpies.

Back and sides are looking better than top.
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From a certain angle ... in a certain light
It can look great.
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In reality. It really is crap.
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Sanded back.
Have not taken right off yet.
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There is a tiny sliver of cap left. You can see the glue at the edge where the cap was thin and saturated.
Before I sand any more I am toying with the idea of trying an Indian ink finish for the top. I did one on a build before and noticed that the ink - which unlike a dye sits on the surface - preserved the grain texture. Like this ...
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So - am wondering if it could rescue a bit of texture in this top.
I guess I have got nothing to loose. Can always just flatten and spray black if does not work.

Can I suggest that if you like how the back turned out, you could fully sand the veneer off the front and stain the wood you find underneath. Its pretty much a lucky dip on what the grain looks like, but if you're willing to roll with it, you should end up with a great looking guitar. Here are two projects of mine, in which the veneer stain ended up no good so I sanded it off and worked with the substrate grain instead:

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=12020 - started life as a spalted maple veneer.
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=12001 - was originally a flame veneer.

I can't guarantee that you'll be happy with it - all I can say is that its paid off for me 2 out of 2 times. Again, I had to be flexible and willing to accept whatever grain was underneath the veneer.

Thanks. Those are lovely results. If the wood is decent beneath the veneer I'd be hoping I could achieve something similar. They really look great. Removing the cap completely was exactly what I planned originally and suspect I will actually end up doing. But first - I'm thinking its probably a chance to experiment at no real cost other than time. Might be something in it.

Never done one of these before. Really pleased with result.
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Just hope I do not mess up the painting !

Next job ...might replace fret dots with abalone ones.

I’ve replaced abalone dot markers with back plastic ones in the past on a maple board because I found the contrast too low and they were very hard too see at a playing angle.

That is a very good point Simon. Thank you. I will have a look at them and if they are a bit light will probably save them for another build. I am pretty sure they are regular and not dark abalone dots. The fretboard is pretty bland though - no flame in it - just a bit of horizontal grain (in my last maple fretboard project I was lucky enough to get a kit which had beautiful flame- which looks lovely).

Flame looks nice but in reality a straight grain maple neck is stronger. It certainly won’t make it dangerously weak, but a flame maple or birdseye maple neck won’t be as rigid over time as a straight-grained neck will be. Whilst not the most aesthetic choice, it is the better engineering one.

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Originally Posted by DJP

Never done one of these before. Really pleased with result.
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Just hope I do not mess up the painting !

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Looks great.

Headstock look fantastic!

Added a bit of ink to headstock.
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Success ! (? :confused:)
Managed to keep flamed cap in spite of dreadful glue patches.
It was a disaster in blue. There was glue in the flamed maple cap. So the dye would not penetrate. Using the idea that ink sits on a surface, and on a previous build highlighted the grain very well - I decided to give it a try with the tiny sliver if cap left. It seems to have worked !
I still have flame and the glue spots seem hidden very well at this stage.
Have burnished with newspaper and I reckon it should look good under some nitro.
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And another shot. I am so pleased.
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With a few clear coats.
More needed - but its already getting there.
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It's certainly getting there. Looking good. Just got to keep going!

Thanks Simon.
I thinks the finish will turn out ok after all.
Top is now glassy.
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I have had to re-coat the back though - I had sprayed and flattened most of it a few weeks back, but noticed a few hairline cracks in the nitro finish - water got through when finishing sanding it with fine grits today and caused some swelling. So I've had to re-spray the back. Should work out though.
Neck and headstock pretty much polished up and finished - now just need to panick about fixing in my first set neck.

Fixing it is easy. Just glue and clamp!

I'd use one clamp for the end of the fretboard, and one for the tenon.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...922/M8vrBe.jpg

Don't forget to use some wood cauls to protect the finish. You don't want to clamp directly to the guitar. I made up a fretboard clamping caul from a bit of MDF and a self-adhesive cork tile cut into strips. It's better if you can clamp on the fretboard wood rather than the frets, as applying pressure in the middle of the frets does try and lift the ends of the frets out.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...923/GSm1Sc.jpg

I used more self-adhesive cork (bought from Amazon and designed for the back of drinks coasters) on other bits of MDF for more clamping cauls that shouldn't mark the finish.

That cork is a very good idea. I had seen someone recommend using some wood to avoid clamping the frets ad the finish - but this will add a whole extra layer of protection. I'm sure I have a cork tile somewhere and I will definitely make up a piece like yours. There is no tennon on the neck of the FS kit - so I will need to be really careful measuring and setting the neck in position. (needed to do that carefully to mask off the neck before finishing - so am part way there).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DJP

That cork is a very good idea. I had seen someone recommend using some wood to avoid clamping the frets ad the finish - but this will add a whole extra layer of protection. I'm sure I have a cork tile somewhere and I will definitely make up a piece like yours. There is no tennon on the neck of the FS kit - so I will need to be really careful measuring and setting the neck in position. (needed to do that carefully to mask off the neck before finishing - so am part way there).

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I have an unused pack of cork placemats somewhere that would do the job nicely, by cutting & glueing varied width strips on a wood block @ fret spacing offsets. Another WDITOT moment!

Peter

The end of the neck should sit just back from the pocket, so that you've got maybe a 0.5-1mm ledge for the front edge of the pickup ring to rest on at the sides of the neck.

I've let the guitar for 2 months to cure. There were a few cr imperfections. So I just did a rework and final polish as there were a few uneven pits I had missed. Having experienced some expansion of the wood cap when I used water as a lubricant previously, this time I repolished it first with 1500 grit lubricated with Meguiars ultimate as a lubricant, then the same with 2000 grit and then switched to Meguars Carnauba before finally buffing. It seems to have worked a treat. Will fix neck this week hopefully.
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I've let the guitar for 2 months to cure. There were a few cr imperfections. So I just did a rework and final polish as there were a few uneven pits I had missed. Having experienced some expansion of the wood cap when I used water as a lubricant previously, this time I repolished it first with 1500 grit lubricated with Meguiars ultimate as a lubricant, then the same with 2000 grit and then switched to Meguars Carnauba before finally buffing. It seems to have worked a treat. Will fix neck this week hopefully.
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Shiny
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Looks great DJP! You’ll be looking forward to get the neck on it and get strung up yeah?

Anyone know exactly what the woodglue that came with the Pibull kit is and how longbI should leave guitar clamped ?

Thanks. It is behaving much better than the flying V I refinished. The finish on that one cracked, and has now re-cracked months after refinishing. It looks like in the same places as far as I can tell. It is bizzare. But this time a nicer gentle "relict look" rather than major caverns. I guess sometimes you do something mixing finishes and then something happens down the line. I had hoped I had completely fixed it though.

I used Simons tip about cork tiles to project frets. Think it has worked.
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Here is the back after the refinishing. A few minor cosmetic fixes at neck joint to do before harware goes on and wiring. On the previous photo you can see where the binding was broken near the neck pocket (in kit when received). It is now firmly reattached and embedded in nitro. But the crack is visible so I will probably scrape back a little see if I can hide somehow.
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I’ve no idea what the Pitbull woodglue is. I was i initially under the impression that it was Titebond, but the original red label stuff is a creamy yellow, and the kit stuff was recently described as white.

But on their website, Titebond recommend clamping and stressed joints for 24 hours (for all their wood glues).