First Build - JBA-4

[Simon Barden]

As Phrozin says, 400 grit is really too fine for sanding before staining. The wood surface needs to be a bit rougher to absorb the stain evenly. 180 grit is about as fine as I go if I'm staining. Sometimes you just need to try with a few more stain applications to help level things out. Saying that, your stain finish is only very slightly patchy IMO, and I've seen far worse stain jobs. Sometimes the wood itself has areas with cross-grain patterns in it that absorb the stain in a different way (sometimes more, sometimes less) than the surrounding areas and there's not much you can do about that.

You've also got an ash body and a maple neck, and with the same stain, ash and maple will end up very slightly different colours as the wood colours are that bit different.

So if I'm staining, I often lightly stain, and then use a tinted clear lacquer of the same colour to provide most of the finish before putting clear over that. That generally helps even things out, but it still can't counter some odd grain pattern in the wood that reflects light differently to the wood around it, making it look darker or lighter from some angles.

If you were a big manufacturer, you'd probably chose to paint wood like that with a solid colour, and only chose the best wood bodies for clear/translucent finishes. But when you've just got the one kit and you're set on finishing it a certain way, then you just have to make the best job of it you can and accept small imperfections.

[Mathew]

@Phrozin
@Simon Barden

Thanks both for your advice. For me, if I end up with something which looks good and is playable, I'll be delighted. While I don't want to approach this as a 'trial' project, I've already ordered either kit to apply some early lessons learned. And as Simon pointed out, I had in mind a finish before I even saw the body. So in time, it will be good to be confident enough to work with the wood, rather than use the wood as a canvas for the finish I want to end up with.

[Mathew]

The perils of rushing...

I gave this two coats of gluboost, which I thought l had sanded reasonably flat. But I don't go too hard with the sanding as I was paranoid about sanding into the dye. Alas, I didn't sand enough and the first clear coat revealed a lot of rippling in the glue. So, I think I need to let cure, sand back nice and flat (hoping like heck I don't bite through the dye) and start the clear coating again.

[christodav]

Apply another coat or two of glue and sand out the high spots. The trick is not to sand through the glue.

Cheers Chris

[Simon Barden]

As the GluBoost is basically clear CA, in theory you should be able to ignore the ripples and just keep on adding your clear coats. You may need a few more coats of clear than originally planned because of the ripples, as when you sand back flat you’d really want a surface that’s all clear coat, with no small flattened ridge of GluBoost that’s poking through. Whilst the GluBoost is transparent and should polish up just like a clear coat, it’s reflective index is probably slightly different to the clear coat so it may show up as a very slightly duller or brighter patch (though it may not).

So I’d just add more clear until you’ve got enough depth to endure that you don’t sand through to the GB ridges and leave those covered with clear.

The GB filler was probably not the product to use on a stained surface just as a filler as you should really should sand the surface flat after applying, which means you are likely to sand off some stain when doing so. I’d assume it’s meant more for use on bare wood. If you applied enough GB to sand it flat without breaking through to the stain, then you’ve got enough protection to just polish the GluBoost to a shine and not bother with a clear coat. Though if you are applying decals to the headstock you’d want clear over those for protection.

If you sand off some stain, then that means the wood should be exposed and free of GluBoost in those spots so it should take up more stain, but it may look a bit patchy around the edges of that area where there’s a mixture of exposed and partially GB covered wood. It may depend on how saturated the wood was with stain to begin with. If the wood was stained until it didn’t get any darker, then in theory, you should be able to stain and stain again and achieve the same colour. But theory and practice don’t always match, so I’d take the less risky route of just applying clear.

[Simon Barden]

However, if you want to attack just the ridged areas to start with, I suggest you use the scraper and strip sand method described in this StewMac video (after the initial chip filling section). I've used it successfully myself.

[Mathew]

Crisis averted.

I sanded back to the dye, relaid 3 coats of gluboost (so much easier 2nd time), sanded flat, and laid down 5 light coats of clear coat.

I'll let cure, spray the edges black, and then more clear coat.

[Simon Barden]

Good news.

I'd sand the clear back flat as much as possible before spraying the edges black. It will make like so much easier when sanding the final clear coats. You'll also want the surface to be slightly rough (say P600) so that the fresh clear will adhere to the cured clear. There's no strong solvent in acrylic, unlike with nitrocellulose, so the new layer won't melt into a cured layer, it will sit on top. If it remains shiny, there's not a lot for the finish to grab onto, and it can delaminate over time or if knocked. So a sanded surface is much better for the acrylic to grip to.

[phrozin]

Good news.

I'd sand the clear back flat as much as possible before spraying the edges black. It will make like so much easier when sanding the final clear coats. You'll also want the surface to be slightly rough (say P600) so that the fresh clear will adhere to the cured clear. There's no strong solvent in acrylic, unlike with nitrocellulose, so the new layer won't melt into a cured layer, it will sit on top. If it remains shiny, there's not a lot for the finish to grab onto, and it can delaminate over time or if knocked. So a sanded surface is much better for the acrylic to grip to.

No, I would leave it alone Simon, I'm expecting the black not to work as he's using a black rattle can for a burst I would put 6-7 coats of clear before the burst so if he has issues he can recover the clear with light sanding ideally not spraying a burst with a rattle can as I've never seen a burst look ok with a rattle can, doing a burst is really experienced builder territory with spray gun or airbrush, if he has used a filler with wood putty why does he need a gluboost i have heard of gluboot but isn't it just a clear CA glue I use CA a lot as a grain filler if I doing a colour finish i think Mathew has read so many versions that he's a little lost with this one but I get what he's trying to do with this build, I guess if it goes west on him he could sand it all off and start again but I think for this one with his dye would have been better with tru oil on this one as its almost fail proof

Matthew trying to do his best and he's learning and he's asking the right question

[Mathew]

Damn weather...

I have paper templates cut to spray the edges black. If the weather is good tomorrow, I'll flatten the clear coats with 600 grit, spray the edges, and spray the burst. Then more Clearcoat, and onto the neck.

Loving this project. Loving being part of this community too!

@Simon Barden
@Phrozin
@Curtis5000
@Christodav
@Juz
You guys are amazing.