LP #1 Build

[tonyw]

The melting point of wax is far lower than the melting point of abs (the plastic used in the bobbins). As long as you don't heat the wax to an unnecessarily high temp, the pickups will be fine.

The plastic may buckle, not melt, its melting point is 105C

instead of hijacking this thread i will do an experiment, i have a pickup nearly ready to go, pity if it buckles.

[Salo]

Thanks wokka. I've got a blue shed near me and I'll hunt out a wire toothbrush. Re the HB, I'm pretty sure they are potted as I can see traces of wax on the base plate. Tonyw, does it help to pot single coils, I thought you only need to do that to HB.

[tonyw]

Tonyw, does it help to pot single coils, I thought you only need to do that to HB.

Yes mate single coils are microphonic as well, majority of the potting i do is singles.

Heres a Tele bridge bubbling away in my pot, when the bubbles stop its right to go.

[Salo]

I've applied the second coat of DingoTone. I'm not impressed with the result of the beta trial colour.

If you compare the LP alongside my TL finished in Lake Placid Blue lacquer, it's not even close. So I've decided to sand it back to a base where I can do a Nitro Lacquer. But I'm having a hard time of it because I cannot sand the DingoTone off. It just clogs the sandpaper. All I've got is Dingo Poo all over it.
I've used a razor blade to scrape it down to this.

Has anybody taken off Dingotone to bare wood or can you apply a sanding sealer over it as it is and then apply a lacquer.

[wazkelly]

Hi Salo, try using 400 grit wet & dry by placing sanding block in a bucket of water so that the surface to be sanded ends up really wet. After a few rubs place in bucket to wash off the muck and go again. If you really want to rip in you could use a coarser grit. I discovered this by accident as after using 0000 light steel wool whilst finish was still green it rolled up into small gummy balls of muck and the wet & dry took more off than what I bargained for without really trying too hard. Reckon it would strip back in no time at all compared to sanding back dry as I also tried that and it just ended up clogging the grit paper far too quickly.

[gavinturner]

Personally, if you are going a solid lacquer color I would just sand it flat as-is.

cheers,
Gav.

[Fretworn]

I've applied the second coat of DingoTone. I'm not impressed with the result of the beta trial colour.

If you compare the LP alongside my TL finished in Lake Placid Blue lacquer, it's not even close.

It's not a bad colour though. I understand it's not what you want, but I could see some people wanting to use that colour.

[Salo]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll get a smaller grit number or use a wet/dry block. I agree with you fretworn, I liked the colour, just wasn't what I was after.

[Blueshound]

I've used a razor blade to scrape it down to this.

I quite like the colour. I also really like the relic look of the right side of the guitar after it's been scraped down. The flames in the top combined with the bare wood showing through make it look like the surface of a lake.

[wazkelly]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll get a smaller grit number or use a wet/dry block. I agree with you fretworn, I liked the colour, just wasn't what I was after.

Onto my 2nd build and colour of this one and my first are nothing like I first envisaged but still OK and have grown to like the colours the more I look at them. From what I gather for noobies like myself it is a bit of a lottery as to how it all works out and that is all just part of the journey. Bit like building houses in that you never quite achieve perfection but get closer each time you do it.