My first build: DTL-1

[DarkMark]

Isn’t there some biblical reference to ‘casting the first stone’? I like the sound of stonecaster. I’d go with it.

[gpjt]

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone", if I remember rightly -- which, considering the multitude of sins that will be covered up with the bridge, is kind of nicely ironic ;-)

Tried using punches to spell out the name on the headstock offcut, then filling the letters with a sharpie and wiping off the excess. I kind of like the effect:



...though I should have used a jig to keep the line a bit straighter. But while it's a pretty cool rustic effect, I think it's too rustic for this build. Better to go for a decal, I think.

Does anyone know of a good provider of waterslide decals in the UK? I don't have access to a printer due to the lockdown.

[edit] Aha! These guys look like they should be able to do it: Rothko and Frost.

[gpjt]

Hmm, on more investigation it looks like decals are unlikely to work on an oil/wipe-on finish.

What do people tend to use with finishes like that? I know a lot of people use Tru-Oil, which sounds like it would have the same issue with decals.

[gpjt]

Now I'm confused, the site I was considering getting the decals from say that they won't work with finishes like Tru-Oil, but the TDPRI forums seem to be keen on it.

Any thoughts from experienced people here would be much appreciated!

[Simon Barden]

They'll work fine. You'll have problems with true 'oiled' finishes that just use an non-polymerising oil that remains greasy, but TruOil sets as hard as any synthetic finish. So once it's been on for 2 to 3 days, you'll be fine. You'll need a few coats on first before you put the decal on, and you're best sanding the finish flat enough to remove any bumps that will be under the decal, then polishing it up before putting the decal on. So you'll need to leave the first few coats for a couple of days to give it enough time to harden enough to polish.

The solvents in the Tru Oil may loosen some of the toner on the decal when applied on top, so you don't want to apply it and keep smoothing it out with a rag, as this can smear the decal a bit. Not a lot, just a bit. So I'd just dab the first couple of coats on and let each of them dry well, not just touch dry. The rest can then be applied normally. Or you could first spray the decal (on its backing sheet) with some clear poly (if you have some) to give it a protective coat, then you shouldn't have to worry at all. Poly and TO go fine together.

You'll need quite a few coats of TO over the headstock to hide the slight bump in the finish caused by the decal.

[McCreed]

Really good and thorough advice from Simon there, and I was going to suggest the spray poly trick as well.
I think that's what a lot people do when using Tru Oil with waterslide decals just to eliminate the chance of any smudging.

This is slightly off-topic, but hopefully someone finds it interesting...

First I'll point out that the name Tru-Oil is a little misleading. Whilst one of the ingredients is linseed oil, is not a pure timber oil. As Simon mentioned, is has a polymer in it (some form of polyurethane) and also a solvent component (likely a form of turpentine). Birchwood Casey are very secretive of their recipe.

On a side note, I have read numerous posts about making "homebrew" Tru Oil by mixing equal portions of the three ingredients "known" to be in Tru Oil (boiled linseed oil, polyurethane, mineral turps). I tried this thinking I could save a bundle of cash, but it just did not work well IMO.
It just did not have the the same build quality nor dry in the same time as the real deal stuff.
I tried varying the ratios and multiple coats and the results did not improve (this was over a few days time as I really thought I could crack it). The only thing I succeeded in was something that smelled just like Tru Oil!

In the end I suspect Birchwood Casey have some special drying agent in there because boiled linseed oil is notoriously slow to dry.
After all the experimenting, I decided either genuine Tru Oil or my DIY wipe on poly is the way to go for non-sprayed finish.

[gpjt]

Sorry, guys, I was inadvertently misleading -- I'm not using Tru-Oil, I'm using Wudtone's finish. However, it's also a wipe-on -- some kind of oil-based colour coat, and then a clear top coat. For both of them they say to wipe on with a cloth and to soak the cloth afterwards with water to prevent spontaneous ignition, so probably it's got some linseed oil or something similar in there. However, the finish once the base coat has dried for 24 hours or so is not at all greasy to the touch, so it sounds like your advice holds just as well for this as it does for Tru-Oil. Will give it a go. They recommend polishing with steel wool after the colour coat, before the clear, so that should be a good time to smooth the places where the decals will go.

I've bought a "made in..." decal for the back of the headstock and a simple "Stonecaster" for the front -- the one on the back should be a good one to test that it works and that dabbing on the clear coat as per Simon's advice doesn't smear things out. Will report back...

[Simon Barden]

Small bits of rag aren't worth bothering about with soaking. It's large quantities of rags that have been soaked in the stuff and left all bunched up that can be an issue as the heat given off by the curing linseed oil builds up and as the rags are insulating, it gets hot in the centre. Fill a trash can full of the stuff and you can get fire. One small piece of rag on its own won't even feel warm to the touch.

But the clear poly spray is the safest method if you are unsure or can't test on a spare decal beforehand.

And I'd still put the decal on over at least one clear coat, otherwise you will trap some of the 'satin' finish under the decal, and any clear parts of the decal will show the finish below as a slightly different shade.

[gpjt]

Small bits of rag aren't worth bothering about with soaking. It's large quantities of rags that have been soaked in the stuff and left all bunched up that can be an issue as the heat given off by the curing linseed oil builds up and as the rags are insulating, it gets hot in the centre. Fill a trash can full of the stuff and you can get fire. One small piece of rag on its own won't even feel warm to the touch.

Thanks! I didn't realise that, and had been being super-careful with tiny rags, rinsing them out and leaving them outside to dry.

But the clear poly spray is the safest method if you are unsure or can't test on a spare decal beforehand.

And I'd still put the decal on over at least one clear coat, otherwise you will trap some of the 'satin' finish under the decal, and any clear parts of the decal will show the finish below as a slightly different shade.

Many thanks, that sounds like a very wise plan. I'll do that.

[gpjt]

Decals acquired:



Keeping it simple with them -- "made in" on the back of the headstock, "Stonecaster". I think I'll write some message or other in the neck pocket too.

So anyway, I've now learned why builds go dark at about this stage. Getting a good finish does take quite a while!

Eight coats of the base coat on the body, which took it to the colour I wanted, then six of the clear top coat.





Looks good, but maybe a little shinier than I wanted; although the bottle says satin, each coat makes it a bit glossier, which is understandable. Maybe a light rub with some sandpaper (1000 grit?) would make it closer to what I want? If so, perhaps a few more coats of top coat would be a good idea for protection, then a final satinisation...

Only six coats of colour on the neck, and so far one of the top coat.





I think I'll give it another top coat before putting on the decals, then a bunch more to protect it. Here I do want a nice smooth finish, for obvious playability reasons....