H's TL-1Q, first build.

[wokkaboy]

Hey H, I would as you say lightly sand back the affected area with 320 or 400 grit till it's smooth. If the rest of the neck is ok I generally give it a light rub with super fine steel wool. Next coats try and apply thin coats and wipe off any excess.

[UpperCaseH]

Thanks Wokka, with a tiny little bit of sanding at 400 the lumpiness disappeared. Rubbed the rest down with steel wool, got the second coat on nice and thin, and it looks like it's come up really well.

I didn't realise how little final neck coat it'd need per application the first time. I read "a little bit" and I thought I'd understood, but it's way less than that. I think I've got it dialled in now though - looks like "once you pick up the neck coat onto the cloth, the cloth should be just barely damp" is the right amount.

[wokkaboy]

yeah that's it H the maple necks don't need much stain or clear on them at all, once the first coat is on subsequent coats need even less !

[UpperCaseH]

3rd stain coat on the body with plenty left over for the headstock. The glue marks I failed to get out properly are now nearly invisible unless they're directly under the camera flash or viewed from an extreme angle.



Moment of panic when I was rummaging through the box of parts to have a look at the scratch plate, and couldn't find the neck pickup - "how the hell can I lose a pickup from a closed box?" - but there it was... stuck to the bottom of the bridge pickup.

[wokkaboy]

Hey H that red is really looking vibrant now, are you happy with the depth now ? It should darken slightly with the final coats. Think if you want it darker 1-2 intensifying coats will nail the colour.
The magnets in the pickups have got me looking for springs and screws that I thought I'd lost in the past

[UpperCaseH]

Yep, happy with the colour as it stands, but if it darkens a little I'll be just as happy. Really looking forward to seeing how the intensifier and final coats work. Neck's looking good now too with the second final coat, might even only need one more after this.

[wokkaboy]

sure H, I think see how it looks after one intensifying coat, should be ready for final coats after it's cured.
Can't remember what the neck looks like is that natural with stained headstock ?

[UpperCaseH]

Yeah, natural finish on the neck, body colour headstock front. Haven't started on the headstock front yet because I'm getting the clear finish on the sides done and cured first.

I just had a thought... I'm supposed to wait for each stain coat to cure for 3 days (or 7-9 cold melbourne days) before going to the next one, right? That's not just from stains > intensifiers and intensifiers > finals, correct?

[FrankenWashie]

Moment of panic when I was rummaging through the box of parts to have a look at the scratch plate, and couldn't find the neck pickup - "how the hell can I lose a pickup from a closed box?" - but there it was... stuck to the bottom of the bridge pickup.

Heh Heh, i was messing with magnets to attach cover plates and I set the little stack of neodymium Magnets down on the bench top. I didn't see them roll off but i heard the "Click!" as they attached themselves to something metal. After pulling all the wood, wood scraps tools and other associated stuff out from under the work bench I still couldn't find them. Then I looked up at the metal edge of the bench frame....

[wokkaboy]

H, 3-4 days curing should be enough for stain/intensifier/final coats. After your last final coat DB recommends to let it cure for 3 weeks but that's on the safe side - before you start any polishing and buffing