Look at this thread for details on replacing the truss rod on a Squier Strat. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9146
Looks like you may need to take the board off and the skunk stripe out as well to do it properly.
Look at this thread for details on replacing the truss rod on a Squier Strat. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9146
Looks like you may need to take the board off and the skunk stripe out as well to do it properly.
Headstocks - an approximation. Otherwise buy a production guitar! Fret files aren't expensive, I got mine from PBG with my first kit.
Love the sail battten thing, I've stuffed a lot of those into pockets in a time gone by!
I may have missed it, but what are you doing with the body, from what I can see you lucked out with the grain. Looks like a fantastic piece of wood! OK, I scrolled back - look at the SteweMac amber and try to find something local.
I looked at the thread. That looks like an extensive piece of work!Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Still, if I finish this guitar before the lockdown ends, then I may as well have a go.
This one came from a windsurfer I think!
I've been trying out different finishes on a bit of oak flooring, which is slightly darker. Did one bit with wipe on poly (home made) and the other with Danish oil. I really like the Danish oil look to be honest, just can't decide if I want the ash au naturelle or with a little bit of darker staining. Spent the weekend, amongst other things, sanding the body and I've got it up to 240 grit. Took ages to get rid of the machining marks, especially in the cutaways! I've got a random orbital sander but obviously it's only good for the flat bits.
Having said that, it's quite therapeutic sanding and I quite enjoyed it.
Wiped some white spirit on the body to see what sort of colour I'd get and I think I'll probably go with that. Next thing is to put some grain filler on, probably two lots with sanding. I think I'll probably start with the neck and go for Danish oil on that (and the fretboard) as I don't like glossy necks. Then make a decision for the body after that.
Slow but steady progress.
(Delayed posting, should have been two weeks ago!)
First mistake, as when I put on the grain filler, I didn't wipe it off enough - consequently when I came to sand it down the following day, boy it was rock solid! Took ages!
However, managed it eventually, and it feels fantastically smooth. Made a huge difference. It's enhanced the grain slightly....
.... I'm happy with the colour and want to keep the light ash colour, so no stain I've decided. Decided to go with wipe on poly, so I mixed some up and away we we go. Kept it fairly thin - 50/50, more or less....
Difficult to see, but it seems to be going on ok. First coat in the photo I think.
Looking good. You really have some beautiful grain there.
So, after two weeks and 10 coats of wipe on poly, I'm happy that it's enough. Difficult to show properly, but it seems ok. Few little dust nibs but I intend polishing it, after it's cured.
(The line up the body worried me, till I figured it was the reflection from the floor!) The recommendation seems to be to leave it to cure for three weeks, so set the date on the calendar and hung it in the study, so I can smell it while I work from home!
Now it's the neck's turn, which I've just got a few more coats to do then that can cure as well.
If I was organised and knew what I was doing, then I'd have done it alongside the body and it would be ready at the same time. However I'm not, so I didn't, and so it won't be! Oh well, luckily I'm not in a rush. I'll know for next time.
Looks good. You could even hold off doing the body until the neck's ready to do, or just shortly before, so that you can polish them in sequence. I find that necks are a lot easier to sand back and buff-up than bodies. Probably because of all the curves, so it's a lot easier to apply pressure when sanding and polishing.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 02-05-2020 at 06:07 PM.
That's an idea, thanks.
I have to say, so far it's been great fun. The government should promote these as a way of making lockdown more interesting!
Another delayed posting.
More time passed in which I managed to complete the neck with around seven coats of wipe on poly. For the maple fret board I decided to go for a Danish oil as I have rather a lot of it lying around. For whatever reason i didn't take any photos of it, not sure why.
After between two and three weeks I did some level sanding on the body, working up the grits and then finished with some polish (T Cut actually) and buffed it. However I'd obviously been a little too 'vigorous' on the sanding and sanded a little too deep into the finish and consequently some of the polish (which I'd also used too much of) stained the finish. The green patches just below the tummy tuck. (The T Cut was a nice fetching green colour! It was metallic, so I thought it would be slightly less abrasive) I was also a bit too 'heavy' on some of the edges too, more difficult to see on the pic.
Oops. Back out with the sander and had to take it down again and then apply three more coats of wipe on poly with associated drying time. Little bit annoying but I suppose it's all a learning curve. One benefit was that it all dried around the same sort of time, so I could take advantage of Simon's advice above and do them in sequence.
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