First build DJT-1 bk

[Christian_cgs]

A little update,
did the grain filling and the first coat of black dye, I like where this is going, pretend to go much darker.
Decided to shape the headstock of the faulty neck anyway, I could use some practice. New one should arrive soon.

[dozymuppet]

That grain is looking amazing. Nice work.

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[McCreed]

That's great Adam let you keep the original neck. If you've not done fret work before, it will be a good opportunity to do a trial run on it before doing the replacement.

Looking good too.

[Christian_cgs]

thanks a lot!
so, a small problem, im going to sand down the body and do a couple more coats of grain filler cause some grain was not completely covered. I was using 180 grit to remove the filler excess, maybe im going to use a finer grit now 240 (?).
Any recommendations about sanding grain filler and dye will be grate.

What grit should I use in between dye coats?
should I go finer than 240 before clear coat?

About the clear coat, found some wipe on water base lacquer on a local store. Label says “fully dry to touch in 48hrs, none yellowing”
Another option is an acrylic varnish (Montana spray).
Not sure what works better, going to make some tests during the weekend

Yes, will practice on the faulty neck for sure, new neck arrived and looks better than the other one, yessssss!
Cheers everybody!

[McCreed]

I was using 180 grit to remove the filler excess, maybe im going to use a finer grit now 240 (?).

180 is pretty coarse IMO. I wouldn't go coarser than 240. It may take a little more effort (and paper) but it won't scratch the timber between the grain as severely as 180 will. Scratch marks will be enhanced when stained/dyed.

What grit should I use in between dye coats?
should I go finer than 240 before clear coat?

Once you start applying the dye, only very light sanding with a very fine grade of sandpaper should be required. The dye will raise the tiny fibres in the timber and just need to knocked back. I DO NOT recommend using steel wool for this. I DO recommend synthetic sanding pads, or if not available, a fine wet/dry paper like 800-1000.

On a related note, read my post (post #31) about sandpaper grades and country/region. HERE

About the clear coat, found some wipe on water base lacquer on a local store. Label says “fully dry to touch in 48hrs, none yellowing”
Another option is an acrylic varnish (Montana spray).
Not sure what works better, going to make some tests during the weekend

I have not used either of those products and the decision is yours. Testing is a good idea if practical with costs.
A lot builders here and in the USA use spray cans or wipe-on polyurethane. So whatever the Chilean equivalent should be a safe tried & true route.

[Christian_cgs]

Thanks a lot McCreed, you've been really helpful!

[Christian_cgs]

Hi every one!
its been some time since my las post, but I've done some progress.
Grain filling was a pain in the A! had to do it three times and still didn't came out 100% perfect, want to blame the product I used, but guess my inexperience is punishing me jajaja

Body has four coats of acrylic finish on (three light coats and one wet) have some stuff to fix like some pinholes, runs out and some gentle orange peel, but its coming out better than expected. Any advise on leveling pinholes? maybe super glue or just try to put some finish on it? im using a rattle can finish btw.
Neck has 25 coats of tru-oil and I like where its going. Decal has only 8 coats over it. Was wondering how many coats people do before leveling the decal?

Cheers everyone!

[dozymuppet]

Loving that headstock

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[robin]

Like Dozy said, love the headstock, but I also love the singature decal and the body looks stunning. Great job all round so far Christian.

I usually put about 20 coats of wipe on poly or Truoil on the headstock, but even then the decal is usually not buried.

[Simon Barden]

If your 'light coats' have been going on dry, then that could be a cause for pinholes and orange peel. You want each coat to go on wet enough so that it glistens, but not too deep so that it runs. With a dry coat, you get very small droplets of the finish that only make contact in a small patch of the droplet, so are barely sticking to the surface. With say a nitro finish, the solvent used is strong and the next wet coat will blend everything together. With a water-based acrylic, that doesn't happen. So you really want each coat to go on wet.

The only time you want a dry spray that I can think of is for doing a 'mist coat', a very light spray used so that you can sand the surface and see where any dips are, as the paint will remain there.

My experience of pin-holes is with nitro. They are probably caused by small drops of grease or something else that the paint won't stick to on the surface of the wood. I've had mixed results fixing them with my nitro, by using thinners on a brush, and brushing the thinners on until the finish melts and the holes disappear. However, spraying over the top of these can often see the holes reappearing. It's then a question of sanding the finish back, respraying and hoping they don't reappear.

Not at all sure about pinholes and acrylic. I'd give it one go at a wet spray over the area, but spray paints are normally far too viscous for the paint to fill small holes, which is why just using thinners can work. So you could try superglue. You'll want the thin or extra thin stuff in order it to run into the holes. Normal superglue is probably too viscous and may cover up the top leaving a bubble underneath it. You'll need one f the very thin application nozzles to fit on the normal one, because thin superglue is very runny indeed, so you want something that only allows a drop or so out at a time. Otherwise it will go everywhere. Leave for at least a full day to harden before sanding back. I'd avoid using a hardening accelerant spray because it can cause the CA to 'pucker up' and become rough, and it may pull itself out of the small holes.

I probably apply six wet coats of clear (dry coats will be thinner) before sanding back and polishing (unless you are doing a satin finish, when I'd sand back flat to remove orange peel and then spray a final satin coat). You need a decent depth of finish to give both enough depth to allow you to remove all the imperfections in the surface, and also to provide protection for the body.