Unwanted custom bass for me. MMB-5

[ozzbike]

I have named all of my creations...questionable or otherwise. Seeing as this is a five string bass....ladies and gentlemen I introduce to you "The Low Bee."

I have tried the finishing using the Aldi air compressor and touch up spray gun......water for practice and then some water based poly for an attempt on a piece of pine and a piece of laminate.

Sadly my skills suck and I like the wood in this guitar too much...maybe over a stain.

So Tru-Oil has won the battle.

Here is the body with six coats and only one light scuff with 00 steel wool...used the air compressor to clean it up afterwards.

I am about ready to give the body a hit with 400 grit wet and dry using Tru oil as the wet.

The neck has the same...six coats with a light scuff with 00 steel wool. But, I have now attached the water slide decals, and I am going to put at least another six coats over them before I scuff again....or even wet sand.

NOTHING FL4SH is my web presence.....I have a facebook page...youtube channel...and more to come.

I will do things and talk about them....but nothing flash....it will be a positive presence only....no negatives and no finger pointing and derogatory comments.

I have a couple of videos in editing now....and some ideas for quick facebook posts.

So here is the guitar as she stands right now....."The Low Bee."

[wazkelly]

Looking good all nudie natural Ozzie.
I still have some of the borrowed TO and looks like I should drop it back to you as you may end up needing more to finish this one.
Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[ozzbike]

Looking good all nudie natural Ozzie.
I still have some of the borrowed TO and looks like I should drop it back to you as you may end up needing more to finish this one.
Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Mate it is all good....I will struggle on. 😎

[ozzbike]

Thanks for the info and advice WazKelly. I would never had thought you can get such a seriously smooth and bright gloss finish with Tru Oil until I saw and touched your MMB-4. I have only got close to that finish with wipe on poly and lots of meguiars polish.

The mahogany body has taken the Tru Oil really well. I am amazed that the wet sand with Tru oil at 600 grit...few more coats...then 800 grit....finished the pore filling that the timber mate had started. The wide open grain of the mahogany is now a slinky smooth glass film....nice.

These are taken just before I put a second new full strength coat of Tru Oil over the body and neck after wet sanding with water at 1200 grit.

Total of four coats to go on and I may venture a further 1200 wet sand and see if I can get a completely flat finish then progress.

Wow.

(P.S. I think the body was further along than the neck. The neck and headstock has gone a little flat since the wet sand...a few coats of Tru Oil will lift it back up.)

[ozzbike]

And a couple more.....

[ozzbike]

Waz....I got a text from another member.....made me laugh...he called us the Sunny Coast Natural Brothers.

[wazkelly]

Looking good Ozzie.

When you have such a nice slab of timber sometimes a natural finish is all it needs.

I reckon you are just past the half way mark and it does get easier for the next 8-10 coats with a wet sand after 4th then every 2nd thereafter with 1500 and 2000 for the last couple.

Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[Andyxlh]

Wow that does look very nice indeed!

[ozzbike]

Wow that does look very nice indeed!

Andy I did so much reading about applying Tru Oil. I also picked Wazkellys mind....he has made seven with Tru Oil now. I actually held and looked over his MMB-4.

I would never have believed you can achieve that level of finish with hand rubbing a Tru Oil finish. I have not cut the oil down....all coats have been full strength. I sanded really hard up to 240 grit....which was taking the Timber mate off.

Since then I have applied about 6 coats of Tru Oil....then wet sand using Tru Oil at 400, 600, 800 grit with wet and dry paper. (About 6 coats in between each sanding.)

These photos are the first sandings with water as the lubricant. (Four coats only with the change from 800 to 1200.)

Tru Oil gets better and better as a hand rubbed finish.

[ozzbike]

I hate decals. I had sanded, buffed and polished both the body and neck. I had fitted the tuners....glued the preamp module with hot glue into the body cavity...after covering things with copper tape.

Then I thought I would flatten the neck and check the frets....too many not right....so TAPE up and full level..recrown and polish.

I reckon I had at least ten coats of TRU-OIL over the BEE decal...and I did not see that I had put tape on it.....but when the tape came off....so did some of the BEE.

Can you imagine the words used....yep....that one...oh and that one....and that one I nearly forgot about.

I think we do this to test our patience and not throw things around a workshop.

INSERT BIG SAD FACE.