The Team will be complete.

[Bakersdozen]

Good luck, you know we will all be watching

[ozzbike]

Good luck, you know we will all be watching

Gotta hate pressure.

Well I have sanded and shaped with fretsaw, rasp, file and 60 and now 80 grit.

I am about to go over the whole neck with 120 grit.....then mask up the fingerboard and do some timbermate to fill her pores.

The design is very traditional FIREBIRD but with little changes....length...width....shape near the nut.

[ozzbike]

Sanded to 180grit.....then she has has been slopped with mahogany timbermate and then hung to dry for about 90 mins. Sanded to 240grit now. Hang up tonight and see how she looks in the morrow.

[ozzbike]

I cannot believe how much jumps out of wood when you drop a little TRU OIL onto it.

Mahogany neck and headstock.

Little bit of figure on the middle of the neck...but the normal Mahogany spots really show through.

I think that may be enough for now on the face of the headstock until I receive my ordered marquetry veneer pack....but I can keep oiling the neck.

[G-Axe]

Wow, you're not wrong about the Tru Oil bringing it to life. It's good stuff!

[ozzbike]

WoooHooo got an email...my pack of veneers is on the way.

I have been watching some You Tube tutorials on marquetry. It looks very involved and deals with minute sections of veneer cut to shape and size.....nice. Bring it on.

But...my question. How detailed does a beginner try to be with his first pickguard and truss rod covers????

Maybe a little reserved may be the answer for me.

I am thinking of trying to find distinct grain in the veneers and making a fan shape like the tail of a Lyrebird or the pickguard.....a mix of colours would be nice too.

The headstock face and truss rod cover will just need to be a contrast to the mahogany and each other.....perhaps a darker headstock veneer and a lighter truss rod cover.....sort of reverse to traditional.

I am rather challenged at drawing so may have to try some other way of getting the possible designs down.

I like the nature of darker image attached....the fan nature of the tail....flame in the wood could be cut and arrange to produce the shape of each tail feather.....and cut and segmented and laid in a fan to produce the effect. I know Tru Oil will really lift the grain and figure.....so maybe food for thought here.

[DarkMark]

The top right image was the most immediately recognisable picture when my eyes past over them.

[ozzbike]

The top right image was the most immediately recognisable picture when my eyes past over them.

Yep that is the one I am leaning towards.

Just how to make the fan feathers....may have to take some artistic licence.

[Simon Barden]

I'd say that it's down to selecting a veneer that's heavily striped and let the wood do all the hard work for feather representation.

[Andy40]

Ha ha Lyrebird... very cool OZ very cool