Important to note that the flamed tops on Pitbull Guitars are very thin maple veneer (less than 1mm) and do not take much sanding before you break through them.
Important to note that the flamed tops on Pitbull Guitars are very thin maple veneer (less than 1mm) and do not take much sanding before you break through them.
Build 1 - Shoegazer MK1 JMA-1
Build 2 - The Relliecaster TL-1
Build 3 - The Black Cherry SG AG-1
Build 4 - The Sonicaster TL-1ish
Build 5 - The Steampunker Bass YB-4
Build 6 - The Howling Gowing ST-1
"What I lack in talent I make up for with enthusiasm"
Deja Vu!!Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
That's exactly what I've used on various fret-pulling exploits.
cheers, Mark.
Sonic mountain makes a very good point. Be very careful sanding the cap. Apply black before doing any sanding. Use 320 grit and go slow. I sanded through the 1mm cap on my second build and had to go with solid colour because I was impatient and used 120 grit. I learned my lesson the hard way.
0.5mm to 0.6mm is more like the veneer thickness as they come on the kits, so any sanding has to be minimal. You really have one go at it. So I wouldn’t do more than one fairly thin application of black otherwise you won’t be able to sand back to expose natural bare maple again before sanding through the veneer. Different if you’ve got at least a 2-3mm thick maple cap, but you haven’t. If you don’t expose the maple (the figuring will take up more of the black), you just end up with a dull, dark version of the main colour. Even some darkening of the figuring will give very nice highlights to the grain. Just don’t expect to get some of the more extreme figuring achievable with thick maple caps.
So inks work better than dye for the black? That would make sense, going over the dye with more dye could pull some of the first application out.
I might have to see about getting some stamp ink or india ink.
1. GS-2Q
2. EXM-1 custom
3. GMS-7F
Yeah I tried both and the stain was the one I sanded through. Ink seems to not penetrate as deep but brings out figuring nicely.
If you google "blue burst Les Paul" there is YouTube video of a guy doing his LP using black then blue ink.
That was where I got the idea from for my first build and came out awesome.
There is also a YouTube video of a guy doing a sunburst LP with several different colour inks and blending that helped me on some more adventurous finishes.
Thanks for all the reply's, I went ahead and glued the neck in tonight so, just going to hope that my neck issues wont cause any playability issues, Im sure it will be fine, have decided to go ahead and accept this kit as a learning tool so if it don't come out perfect then that's fine, Ill post pics once I dye it.
Ok so quick question what should I use to clear the guitar with? I have stained it didnt get quite what i wanted but actually like the results so far.
I would do tru oil. I love how it really brings out a 3d effect when layered on. Need 10 to 15 coats and long cure time.
You could use clear coat in a can from the auto shop. This is a quick way if you're itching to get playing sooner.
Or wipe on Polly. Min wax brand if you can find it. Harder wearing and less coats needed than tru oil.
Danish oil.
There are heaps of YouTube videos of people doing any of those finishes that show you in detail how to go about it.
Doesn't matter which one you do as you will soon be building more guitars and trying all those methods. Guitar building is more addictive than crack 😛
Tru-Oil is an easy to apply choice, but you may want to coat it with a couple of coats of some some spray shellac first before any Tru-Oil goes on to seal the stain in. It's quite easy to move some stain around when rubbing the first coats of Tru-Oil on, so a spray is a good way to stop that happening as there's no physical wiping action. Shellac is compatible with almost every finish, so there won't be any issues with Tru-Oil. Some people will put 30+ coats of Tru-Oil on if they want a smooth glossy finish, less if you want a more satin look. Each coat is very thin, so you need to apply a lot more coats than you would if you used a spray can (which add a much thicker layer). Then again, it's something you can do inside when its cold and damp, unlike spraying.
So many ways to finish a guitar, none of them wrong, just some are more appropriate for the available workspace and the sort of final look you want.
Reply With Quote
