A family matter.

[ozzbike]

She is all done.....and sounds nice too.

[ozzbike]

piccies......

[ozzbike]

Last few.....

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Great. Love the high gloss finish. I wish I could do that too =)

[ozzbike]

Great. Love the high gloss finish. I wish I could do that too =)

Sand to 180 grit…pore fill…I used timbermate…sand 240, 320, 400. Stain.

Aerosol oil based polyurethane. This is the one I used…

https://cabots.com.au/product/cabots...oil-spraypack/

3 coats ten minutes apart. Hang for two days. Wet sand 600 grit. Wet sand as flat as possible. As few shiny bits as you can get.

Spray and then 3 coats after wet sand at 800, 1200, 1500, then hang for 7 to 10 days to harden. Then wet sand to 2000. Then I used 4 coats of a car paint cutting paste…then four coats of a liquid compound, 4 coats of a scratch remover, then carnauba wax.

Laborious task by hand, but I find it relaxing.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Sounds so easy when you write it down but I know I'll never get results like you do =)

[ozzbike]

Sounds so easy when you write it down but I know I'll never get results like you do =)

Yes you can.

It took me a long time to find a method and products that works well for me. I have done Tru oil, wipe on polyurethane, spray paint, wipe on oils and waxes, and then I found aerosol polyurethane.

Read what others have done here….try a method that appeals to you and make it your way.

You will do fine with time.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Ha. I am on guitar #5 and my finishing is still really bad. At least numbers 1-4 sound nice and play well. So I can't really complain.
I think I'll try aerosol poly on the next one. I still have 3 undone kits here

[ozzbike]

Ha. I am on guitar #5 and my finishing is still really bad. At least numbers 1-4 sound nice and play well. So I can't really complain.
I think I'll try aerosol poly on the next one. I still have 3 undone kits here

I love your dedication.

Many here swear by Tru Oil, others spray paint, and then there are wipe on and spray Polyurethane. Last of all is the oils and waxes.

I honestly would implore you to find some dressed/finished timber and try various finishes available to you in Germany. The key to your success is comfort. You will do a better job with a finish if you are happy with it, and applying and finishing it.

First is the preparation of the surface. Honestly, the most important stage. Look at what you have to work with and the end result you would like to obtain.....a little working backwards in your planning never hurt.

Then start at 80 grit sandpaper and sand the cutting, routing and finishing marks away from the body and neck. I stay away from the fingerboard, be it maple or Rosewood.....80 grit is pretty rough on soft wood. I usually tape up body cavities, the neck pocket and the fingerboard of a Rosewood fingerboard neck. (In Australia we have a 3M low tack easy remove painters tape normally a blue or green colour.)

I then use 120 grit sand paper, then 180 grit sandpaper.

I personally then apply a coat of Timbermate in a colour I choose to either raise or highlight or just change the colour of the figure and grain in the wood. I use this on all guitars regardless of body wood. Ash and Mahogany really need it as they are open pore. Supposedly Alder, Basswood and Maple not so much. But I use it on all of them that I am not painting.....another story.

I then let the neck and the body hang overnight and then I sand with 240 grit. I then use a fine bristle paintbrush or air compressor and blow the dust off. I then make choices from here with the finish as to the direction I wish to take.

Lately with the aerosol polyurethane in a can, I have been doing this.....

I sand to 320 grit and 400 grit....dust off again. Use a wipe over with Wax and grease remover....I personally use it as Acetone can eat the binding on guitars.

Then I apply the stain I am using......have yourself all set up....lots of cloths....lots of paper towel. Watch some videos for ideas on You Tube....this guy is great I actually email with him and he helps me a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/user/thebigdguitars

I am presently watching some of his videos on using Angelus leather dyes.....and my purple, red and blue guitars are the output from them.

Once my stain is applied I leave the body or neck overnight.

Staining is best done in one session....so if you use a stain that does not run or sit on the wood...do both sides. Or do one side and then do the other the next day. But, one session and one session only. You will get tide marks or lines on the surface if you keep trying to work on the stain over multiple occasions, and the more you put on the darker it gets.....drowns the grain and figure in the wood.

Water based dyes have been really hit and miss for me. Alcohol based dyes have worked well, and the Angelus dyes are alcohol and some other solution based dye...but they have worked the best for me.

Wiping stains on the body like BIG D advises above gives the best results. I find that keeping the dye moving really helps to stop blotching and hard lines from forming.

A little goes a long way with stain.

Your final coat for shine, cover and protections is where you can get thick and heavy. Now onwards.....

Then I start spraying poly on the body. 3 coats 10 minutes apart....leave for at least 2 days....wet sand to 600 grit....3 coats 10 minutes apart....hang for 2 days...800 grit....3 coats....1200 grit...3 coats...1500 grit...3 coats....hang for at least 7 days...gloss will require 10 days or more. Then wetsand at 2000 girt.....really stay away from sharp edges here....I use thin strips of the blue tape around the edges if I am really worried.

Then I do my auto finishing products once I have a completely flat no shine surface.

4 x coats of light to medium cut auto compound paste
4 x coats of meguiars ultimate compound liquid cutting compound
4 x coats of meguiars scratch x 2.0 liquid swirl remover
4 x coats of a local manufacturers paint prep and cleanser
2 x coats spaced about 1 hour apart of a carnauba wax
1 x spray of wax sealant

Then after hanging overnight.... 1 x spray wax sealant and then lots of hand rubbing with a big fluffy cloth.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

A wholehearted huge thank you for taking the time to write this!

So far, I have gone through everything that can be wiped one, from Tru Oil to polyurethane, shellac, everything, but I wasn't super happy with the outcome. You give me confidence to try rattlecan polyurethane soon. And I think you have a great and clean workflow. That would be something I need to work on. I don't have a dedicated work space, just a small corner in my office. So I also get dog hair anywhere and this annoys me a lot.

Thanks again so much for the details of your workflow. I have saved it in a doc and I will refer to it from now on!