Disaster FS-1 build restoration salvage attempt HELP

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Ok....this might hurt a lot of people eyes. let's not dwell on the details on how I got to this point. This was put together...hastley. It's all about how it can be made into less of an embarrassment.

Pretty much everything was going fine until I stained the body and realised the binding had a million cracks that the stain seeped into. I've seen this on a couple of bindings on this forum with people thinking the cracks are already there and can't be seen until the stain is applied.

So I pretty much lost heart in the build after that which can obviously be seen with the gloss,neck...etc etc

I have now finished another build which went great so I'm now revisiting this monstrosity.

Everyone was so nice on this community with advice and help with my other build so I'm reaching out again for so more to salvage something from this. Any ideas are much appreciated.

So far I am thinking of sanding down the whole body back down to the natural wood and hoping the grain has popped out a bit more with the stain, if not, I'll put some black grout on and sand back again.

The cracked binding nothing can be done so I am going to go for the aged/relic look for the whole thing. I can source some acid so I'm going to treat the silver hardware.
I will possibly blowtorch parts of the body and neck depending on how it looks when sanded back.

None of this is set in stone so any other ideas are welcome.

The main issue I have no idea about how to fix is the glue that has leaked at the back of the neck. Any way of tidying it up? I used an epoxy glue.

Many thanks in advance

Sanding will remove that glue just wrap some 180 or 200 grit around a bit of wood and have at it. A small bit of fine sand paper folded over and over till its stiff will work like a small but flexible file to sand the f-holes and get rid of much of the stain, you could even paint the binding.
That is very salvageable

Hi Freaky, bummer your build turned out the way it has. I think your plans are the only way to go I would sand it all back and have another go at staining and finishing it.
As for the glue on the neck heel if you have an orbital sander I would sand off as much as you can trying not to touch the body binding. Rest you will have to clean up by hand with sandpaper.
As for the binding you will have to go the relic/vintage look otherwise needs a re-binding is a huge job.

To sand the body top you will need to remove the bridge/tailpiece bushings

best of luck and sing out if you need any more advice as you go

I really like the though pattern of the relic work plus the blowtorch distressing you talked about.

Its not a total loss, you may find that once you clear the glue off, and give it a bit of a sand back that it doesn't look quite as bleak.

YES! This is what I need. Encouragement! I'm starting to feel renewed optimism for it already.

This weekend is going to be full of sanding. I'll send a snapshot with the results. How do I get those bloody bushing out? They are in there tight!

Thanks folks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakystyley

YES! This is what I need. Encouragement! I'm starting to feel renewed optimism for it already.

This weekend is going to be full of sanding. I'll send a snapshot with the results. How do I get those bloody bushing out? They are in there tight!

Thanks folks!

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take a piece of ply or pine 10-15 mm thick. Drill a hole in it big enough for the bush to pass through, pad the underside with rag or similar that will go against the guitar body. Find an allen bolt or a hex bolt that will fit the bushing thread, put a single wrap of plumbers tape around it.
Using a thick washer that the bolt will fit through but that will sit over the hole in the Ply/pine, slowly wind the bolt into the bushing through the ply and tighten it down to the washer. If you continue to tighten it against the washer it should start to lift the bushing out of the hole.

The alternative is to use the bolt to pull the bushing out with a pair of vice grips. That can be fraught with danger though.

Alternatively, you can just tape over the ends of the bushes and try to work around them very carefully.

Freaky here is a method of removing the bushes on Youtube or Frankie's method will work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ppKxEIF1M

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

Freaky here is a method of removing the bushes on Youtube or Frankie's method will work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ppKxEIF1M

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essentially the same method, slightly different execution. I'd probably still prefer a more substantial end against the body surface than a PVC pipe, Just in case the bugger was really tight.

yes I agree Frankie, wood with a hole in it would be easier on the finish than PVC pipe

personally, if you are staying with dark colours, I'd just mask them

You could always buy a knob and bushing puller. http://luthierssupplies.com.au/produ...oducts_id=2730

I've got the very same one (though bought in the UK). I used it on my Gibson Les Paul when I changed the hardware over from gold to nickel and it worked very well, didn't leave a mark. For knobs, the butterfly nut should be OK, but for bushes you'll probably need to use some grips on it as well to get enough leverage.

I had the same issue and used a variation of the technique mentionned above, with bits of wood, an M8 bolt and a large washer.
See: http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...l=1#post102014

I used an M8x40 bolt, and because it was quite long, and my wood 'spacer' not very thick, the bolt was actually pushing on the bottom of the hole as well as pulling from the washer.
Worked very well and the washer came out without any issues.

Lazy way out would be a solid colour all over including the binding but it would need to be rubbed and sanded back first to get it nice and smooth.

Deddy's idea about gently sanding the binding may work, just depends how deep those cracks are? Presume they will have varying depths as you move around from gentle to tighter curves.

I have the same issue with binding cracks on an ES build. Essentially I am scraping the binding as best I can and the cracks stay as character. I'm not going to relic or anything like that, but my colours are sort of like an old violin, so it should all work.

Freakey, the stain seeping into cracked binding actually happens quite a lot. I have never seen anyone on the forum actually "fix" it or come up with a solution. Everyone I've seen just does what you are doing and changes their vision for the guitar to a relic build. Its actually a pretty cool effect which you cannot replicate. I bet Dedman is chomping at the bit.

Good luck mate I'm sure you'll get this build back on track.

If the binding is like that right around then keep it and tell yourself it is a deliberate marbling effect (from what I've seen so far on your guitar I quite like the effect). Some one, can't remember who, successfully dyed the binding black after this happened on their guitar.

You might try a scslpel blade to clean the binding. My RC4 A build had a major mishap in staining, and I'd also scratched the hell out of the binding so that black stain was all jammed in it. I used the edge of a very sharp scalpel to scrape across the surface of the binding as you would rolling butter on a knife. Rolled a thin layer of the plastic, taking the scratches and staining with it leaving the binding perfect.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andyxlh

You might try a scslpel blade to clean the binding. My RC4 A build had a major mishap in staining, and I'd also scratched the hell out of the binding so that black stain was all jammed in it. I used the edge of a very sharp scalpel to scrape across the surface of the binding as you would rolling butter on a knife. Rolled a thin layer of the plastic, taking the scratches and staining with it leaving the binding perfect.

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That technique worked great on my TL-1, but not at all on my LPA-1.

Definitely worth a try though!

Thanks for all the help guys. I got the bushings out with some help from a friend who basically wielded a a screw that fitted the bushing on to a metal pole.the pole has a weight on it which can move up the down the length of pole and at the top a stopper. There is probably a name for the tool but I don't know it.
Anyway, screw the pole into the bushing and tap the weight against the stopper at the top, bushing comes out.

In other news I've sanded a good bit of the guitar but ran out of paper. Hopefully I can get it all finished next weekend. Gona be fiddly around the neck and f holes.

Now thinking about aging the hardware. Anyone any advise or ways they have tried? Can u use chlorine? I don't want to shell out for relic hardware.

Nice idea! The tool you describe is called a 'slide hammer'

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andyxlh

Nice idea! The tool you describe is called a 'slide hammer'

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THANK YOU! That had been bugging the hell out of me since I read the description Freaky wrote. I could see the damn thing in my head, my father had one in his toolbox, I just couldn't assign a name to it.

i havnt read the whole thread but that is salvageable the binding i would rub the binding with some thiners then get a sharp blade and scrap it it will come up if you want to do a nice job of it if you relic it, it will still look as a bad stain job. the guitar is not that bad you can fix it up just take a bit of elbow grease

Having said that i buggered my 1st one as well the first time but theres a lot of guys here who know what there doing and will help you through the repair

The salvation attempt is also being resurrected.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d135441ed4.jpg

It has been sanded and in some parts the veneer has been sanded through

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...979596ff0d.jpg


Patched them all up and filled the bridge holes that won’t be needed

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1c8bb66fa3.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a6c9560270.jpg

Tried to patch up where the wood cracked off at the neck pocket but it is a little messy, needs a lot more sanding and tidying but it’s a lot better than what it was.

As you can see I’m going the lazy route, sanding the whole thing down and spraying it solid including the binding, so plenty of sanding and spraying primer to see what parts need re sanding so the binding can’t be noticed.

I am going to go for sherwood green and gold hardware if everything works out.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...89fd8cda8b.jpg


What does everyone think? Anything I’ve done wrong any advice? I’m just going with the flow with this one as it nearly ended up as firewood!!



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I like the colour idea. I like the solid colour, and green and gold go nicely. I'd scrape the binding back and keep it, you will have problems hiding the edge of the binding where it doesn't quite match the level of the timber sides. You can see this inthe photo of the neck joint. You can still do this by scraping back the primer you have put on with a scalpel blade. It might look a bit odd with a solid colour and no binding, even if the finish is good on the edges.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a0f2f708b7.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5916a610ee.jpg

Prime Time!

Couple of problem areas where the binding can still be seen so I reckon I will have to sand back on those spots and reprime


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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4c1f080708.jpg

2 coats. More silvery than expected


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That looks great, the silvery tone makes it loads more interesting to look at than a solid green

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f24cc31b08.jpg

The lacquer has been put on this and cured for a month or so. Anyone any tips on sanding back before polishing? I seem to always sand through the paint at the edge. This was with 2000 grit.


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When painting I usually do the edges, then the body, then the edges again on each coat, it assures plenty of "elbow" room for sanding. other than that, all I can suggest is slow cautious sanding on the edges.

Go very slowly with the sanding, 2000 grit, also sand wet if you can and keep wiping dry to check when you have the surface smooth. you only need dampness not pots of water, and you can manage the water on the surface so it doesn't get where you don't want it to be.
Don't sand the edges at all, they don't need it, if you are patient you won't need to as you will get close.
Keep the sandpaper clean, make sure you don't have any grit between the paper and the surface. After you have the surface matte and smooth, then use cutting compound to bring up a shine.
You can hear surfaces scraping when you have something under the sanding surfaces if you listen carefully
Again, make sure the cloth is super clean with no sandpaper bits in it or you will end up with swirls

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...774ba8d12f.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6d9c2dbc6d.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6c4283ede0.jpg

Finally finished this

Sherwood green nitro
All stock hardware. Terrible finish but it was the best I could do at the time. Plays very well. Sound is very average...


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Mate that’s a great save! I love your logo inset in the headstock, that’s brilliant.

Do you think the sound might just be a pup adjustment needed or a pup changeout issue?

Yeah! That's more like a resurrection than just a salvage!

Nicely done.

Woah! Great work Freaky - what a turnaround!