Hi all, I think there is confusing info out there on sanding neck to prepare for finishing. Do I take it to 400 grit or 1200 prior to staining?
Cheers.
240 at most but 180 is better. You really only need to get the surface flat before staining. Too high a grit and you can burnish the wood surface in places, causing uneven stain take-up. Save the finer grits until after you’ve put your finish coats on. Just nake sure that you’ve removed all the sanding marks from any coarser grits you may have used to start with, as scratches will absorb more stain and show up as darker lines.
Yes, I thought something along these lines might be the case. I swear I saw a PB video suggesting to take it to 1200 grit first. Anyway, would you sand with finer grits between layers of final coat or before any final coat is used?
General experience here indicates that 240 is most reliable. You may get away with 400 but it depends on the wood. 1200 really is risking it being a patchy take-up.
I don't really differentiate between neck and body finishing, though the neck is normally a lot smoother to start with than the body.
But it really depends on what you are using. If doing a stain with just clear over it, then it depends on what the clear is, Tru-Oil does benefit from intermediate sanding from time to time, but get a few coats on first, maybe 8, before sanding as the first few will soak into the wood and not build up any depth. After that, a light sand every 4 coats to remove any dust and grit that's almost certain to build up.
Spray coats - probably no need to do intermediate sands unless there's a lot of dust or grit or flies stuck to it. Just build up to a reasonable depth and sand back, Depending on how flat the resultant finish is, which depends on how much sinkage of the finish into the wood you get, you may want to then spray another few coats and sand flat again.
Wipe-on finishes - not sure. I'd suggest only really if necessary. Any big lumps/runs, then wait a couple of days before sanding back as they take a lot longer to dry hard enough to sand. Sand to soon and you risk causing a pit in the finish as the solvent trapped in the lump also softens the layers below and you drag those out when you sand if not properly dry.
Solid colour finishes - certainly after each step, primer, colour and any clear coat.
But if you are using a tinted lacquer for your colour, then that sits on top of the wood, so you can sand finer if you want to. But it really is wasted effort IMO as all the really fine sanding comes at the end. The first level of sanding is to remove and machining marks and to get the surfaces as flat as possible (with the exception of any veneer surfaces). I don't mean smooth, but flat, with no dips or humps. The wood can feel nice and smooth, but if it's all hills and valleys rather than all level, it won't look that good when polished. It's often worth spraying a very light/dry mist coat of a dark colour onto the wood, so that you can see where you've sanded flat, as the valleys will still have the paint speckles in it.
Thanks For clearing it up, Simon.
I have clearly not sanded sufficiently on my first build. But I have gone ahead with the Dingotone series and waiting on the final coat to dry. I am probably going to give it a light sand once cured and the wax and polish. See how that goes.
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