Printable View
Build #2, thanks to the 3rd Anniversary Specials: an LP-1SSL lefty spalted maple LP.
I nearly didn't buy one, but the spalted "siren" kept calling me back...
I'm quite pleased with it. The spalted maple veneer is very thin (0.5mm?), so I'll be very careful sanding back the tape/glue marks.
Some quick, bad photos out of the box are attached.
Early thoughts on finishing:
(Blonde?) shellac for the spalted veneers to keep sanding to a minimum, and retain as much character and contrast as possible.
No idea for the mahogany! Three very different pieces of wood (pale, "normal", and quarter sawn/figured).
I'd like to keep it "natural", but somehow even out the differences without hiding the wood.
Shellac may be an option (garnet?)
I need to do a "wet" test to get a better idea of how it will look, and how thirsty the mahogany is.
Hi ozzie,
Wow man, some really nice figure there! This is going to be one amazing looking axe.
Personally, I would recommend getting some "goof-off" glue remover for those glue spots on the veneer. It may not remove all the glue, but it will definitely reduce the amount of sanding you need to do and reduce the risk of sand-through. On my current LP build I used 3 passes of the stuff on each glue spot and I was really impressed with the results. Anyway, something to think about.
cheers,
Gav.
nice stuff mate, I got a spalted leftie as well, hope it's as good as this one....
chances are it will get put away for Christmas....
great spalt on that one!
Thanks, guys.
That "Goof Off" stuff sounds great, Gav; I picked up a small can this arvo.
I ordered 125g each of de-waxed white (granulated), and de-waxed ruby (flake) from The Wood Works, and diluted it with Digger's methylated spirits (95% ethanol.) I started with a 1lb cut (approx. 30g shellac in 250ml of metho), but switched to a 2lb cut (60g/250ml) to build up the finish more quickly. Foam brushes work well but can shed a few crumbs.
"White" shellac is really a very pale yellow, but is as close to clear as you can get. I'm using it for the spalted maple to maximize the contrasting colours, and as the sealing coat on the mahogany. I may also use it as a top coat, as it's supposed to be a little harder than other shellacs, and will let me add more coats without the colour getting too dark.
"Ruby" shellac is dark red, though it looked very yellow/gold when I first applied it to the mahogany; it's getting better with each coat. Fortunately, it rubs off the bindings fairly easily with a bit of steel wool. (Garnet - dark brown - may have been closer to the colour I had in mind, but ruby is growing on me.)
I started shaping the headstock in the traditional "open book" style, but was having a lot of trouble with it; I decided to leave it as a flattened tombstone shape. (I may revisit it in the future, but I'm pretty happy with it.)
There were a few light dings in the fretboard closest to the nut, but they steamed up very easily; I've oiled it with Fret Doctor.
The shellac has brought out some nice figuring and chatoyancy ("flame") in the timber; I've reversed the neck to show how the light and dark patches are a trick of the light. More coats are required (particularly the ruby), but it's getting there.
Thats looking like a million bucks
That looks amazing! I love the pattern of the spalt!
Gav- question about the goof off - no issue with the glue holding the veneer? Too late for this kit, but would be great info for future projects.
Lovely spalty goodness! Coming along nicely
nice finish Oz, very natural look on the timber
looking great Oz, keep applying the coats and this will look real nice
I've switched from applying the shellac with a foam brush to using a traditional French polishing "rubber" due to tiny bubbles in the finish.
Some forum posts suggest they may be due to warmer temperatures - the shellac dries quicker than the alcohol can evaporate. Rubbing back the finish with steel wool and reapplying didn't help at all.
Hand rubbing shellac is much slower than brushing, but seems to help in cutting back and filling the bubbles, slowly. We'll see.
will take a while, but you can get great results. i have a table at home i french polished, 100 coats, on blackwood, looks great
"100 coats"?! *weeps*
on a table top it only took a weekend, by the time you get to the end of the first coat (doing small circles), then rub back, you are just about ready to start again, it drys quite fast
beautiful finish
The closer I get to an awesome shellac finish, the worse the problems become. Dafuq?!
Not happy.
what issues mate, and perhaps some pics will help
Thanks, Stan - and apologies for venting.
The attached photo isn't great (it's very "kind") - but still shows the worst of the bubbles problem.
There are lots of tiny bubbles on the top and bottom "planks". The bubbles are most obvious closest to the "flash"; but extend across the upper and lower "planks".
The middle "plank" has a different (boring) cut. It was unaffected by tiny bubbles - but the large blisters are much worse.
Thats weird.. Never had that happen..
Wonder if it is caused by water in your Shellac mix?
I will ask a few old timers I know to see if they have an answer for you..
Thanks, Dingo.Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
I've tried varying the "cut" of the shellac, but without any noticeable effect.
"Rubbing" levels out the worst of the bubbles, but it will need many "layers" (shellac on, shellac off) to fix the problem.
If the problem is purely temperature-related: (i.e. heat dries the shellac skin before the ethanol can escape),
I guess I can wait until winter for a "final coat."
If it's purely a finish problem, I guess now is the time to glue in the neck... "How hard can it be?!"
Too hot (summer) and too thick seems to be the answer.
I removed most of the bubbled shellac by painting on metho, waiting a bit, then wiping off the goop with a rag. A scraper blade can help remove bulk goop on the back (flat), but can "relic" the finish. When the bulk goop was removed, I used a mouse sander with the finest grit (P240) to smooth out any rough patches. Cleaning the sandpaper frequently to remove the shellac dust is a good idea, before it "blobs" and scratches the surface.
I think at that point I painted on some metho to dissolve any remaining bits of goop, but didn't wipe it off; it looked pretty good apart from a couple of dull patches.
My new plan is:
* paint on a single layer of shellac with a foam brush, and let dry.
* paint on some metho to smooth out the shellac (ridge lines, touch up defects etc.)
* sand it back with wet 'n' dry to knock off the ridges (no overall build up - fill the valleys.)
* repeat
* Ideally, cut 'n' polish back with Micromesh pads (1500-12000).
I'm glad that I applied the "white" shellac to the spalted maple front first; any runs of garnet shellac can be carefully sanded off without damaging the veneer. (I may need to apply some more coats to play it safe.)
Getting there!
Looking good Ozbird.
It has been a while since my last post, but I've been experimenting with ways to get a decent shellac finish.
My current experiment: a mouth atomizer.
It's not perfect, but with practice you can apply a neat coat of shellac without the streaks/ridges of brush/pad application.
Intriguing......maybe a tutorial for us sometime?
By the way, welcome back Ozbird:o
i agree with the assessment of to warm a day and too thick a finish - had this exact thing happen to me using acrylic clear. I also think is may have something to do with the colour beneath being heat affected, or even the moisture in the timber surfacing on a hot day