Strat au naturale (ST-1L) - First build, WIP

[ozbird]

Pretty ballzy going for an all natural finish first up as you've really got nowhere to hide but it looks like you've pulled it off beautifully, great job so far.

I like "ballzy" - it sounds better than "n00b". ;-)

[west0288]

[ozbird]

I'm calling the neck finished. Glossy at each end, and satin in the middle (less coats) for easier playing.

The body is nearly there; two steps forward, one step back. As soon as I can get an even, glossy finish - it's done.

I had a small dull patch on the top from wet-sanding with P2000 to remove embedded fibres from when the Tru-Oil "turned". You're effectively starting from raw wood with those. :-( There's no quick fix - just lots of thin(ned) coats until it glosses over.

Update: Fortunately the Tru-Oil with a bit of turps is holding up okay. I've repaired the front, and have just given the back a final(?) coat to bring the gloss up. I'm getting the feeling that Tru-Oil on basswood gives a great "relic" finish - just wait a bit... While a bit frustrating, I did achieve my original goals: a natural, gloss finish which brings the best out of the wood, and a "vintage blonde"-like colour. I'm happy with that.

I haven't thought about a decal for the headstock; I don't want to hide the "tiger stripes", so maybe I'll put something on the body instead. (I'm not that fussed, really.)

[ozbird]

After some more drying time, it definitely needs another round of 0000 steel wool and Tru-Oil. (Nooooo....)
The gloss is there, but not the smoothness - it's very close though. I've switched to a different fabric to apply the Tru-Oil; not quite as soft, but less likely to drop fibres. *touch wood*

Is there a video guide on how to drill and fit the ST-1 (vintage Strat) bridge? Fender has a good video on how to fit the bridge, but not on drilling the holes (they're factory drilled.)

[ponch]

Check out the video guide section on the site mate.

[ozbird]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from andrew on October 10, 2014, 22:35
Check out the video guide section on the site mate.

I did, but may have missed it; can you link to the specific ST-1 bridge fitting video? Ta!

[Nickosaurus]

Ozbird there's also a really great guide on Stewmac here:

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online..._it_right.html

[ozbird]

Thanks Nick - that makes things a lot clearer.

One thing that I've (belatedly) noticed is the holes drilled in the body for the neck are off-centre - or drilled at an angle. It looks okay on the back, but on the front they're noticeably closer to the top of the neck pocket.

Any suggestions on how to fix this? :?

My main concern is drilling the screw holes into the neck might punch through or split the neck.

I don't have a drill press, so straightening the holes is risky - but I really don't want to stuff up the neck.

[ozbird]

Three years ago? Wow.

I dusted off the Strat au naturale again tonight; the Tru Oil finish looks better than I remembered. Nice!
I now have a bench drill, which should make drilling the neck easier?

While avoiding drilling the neck, I've been distracted by this spalted maple Les Paul kit:
http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=4191

I wonder if you can Tru Oil over shellac? (I'll have to buy some more to try it.)

[Simon Barden]

Yes, people here have Tru-Oiled over shellac without issues.

Just be aware that PBG aren't doing LP kits at the moment (and maybe never again) due to the big G getting all legal on copyright issues.