TLA-1 Build

[c0ffinspire89]

Hello all,

Despite working on 3 projects already, I purchased a TLA-1 build several moons ago. I decided to finally get moving on this one as I need to take a break from another build lol. This will be my first attempt using an ash body, so I want to do it as properly as possible. Below is my plan, if do-able, and would love some feedback as you're all much more experienced than myself!

-Grain fill first. I am hoping to use white grain filler to have lighter lines in the grain, and then use either phthalo blue or royal blue. Would that just turn the applied white grain filler blue? Or could I stain first and then grain fill?
-Stain next
-Sanding sealer
-Finish

Mahogany is the most grained wood I have used so far, and I have typically left them open grained, but want a nice glassy finish for this build.

Thank you to everyone in advance for any assistance! I forgot to take pictures last night, but will update once I have some ready to go!

[Simon Barden]

All the grain fillers I know of take up stain, so I don't think the grain lines will stay white. And if you stained the body first, I'm not sure how you'd sand flat the grain filler without sanding off some of the stain from the body in patches.

If it were me, I'd probably go with the 'TV yellow' method. First sand the body as flat as possible, so there are no ripples or dips in the surface (apart from the grain lines). Then spray the body with several coats of a clear blue lacquer. Then use the white grain filler (being careful not to overdo the sanding back) Then clear finish over the top of that.

Hopefully others will have some different suggestions.

[RocknRolf]

So if I got you correctly: You want the grain to be as light as possible. Then stain the guitar blue, without it affecting the grain filler too much?

Maybe I am just going to say crazy stuff now, and I have never tried this and I would try it on an off-cut first. But what if you could make the white grain filler saturated with a neutral/repelling substance like acrylic clear-coat, -mix, -apply, -sand back, -stain? Maybe this would abstain the filler from taking on too much of the stain.

Good luck!

[c0ffinspire89]

Sorry for taking so long to thank you both for the helpful answers! I've been re-upholstering a chair and removing the 3 trillion staples holding it together has my hand a little sore, so guitars took a back seat for the week.

RocknRolf, your idea definitely seems like it has some merit! Like you said, it needs to be tested on an off-cut piece first, but definitely worth an attempt.

Simon, your idea also seems like a really solid one too, the only issue is lack of area to paint. The set-up of my apartment really limits that ability, but the blue lacquer sprays I saw looked really cool, so once I have an area to do something like that, it's on the checklist!

I'll be working on some test pieces to see how I can make this work, but I may change the idea a little bit also to get this project moving. Simon's mention of the "TV Yellow" made me think that this body could look great with ebony grain filler and a yellow stain on top. That would solve the issue of the light grain filler with a darker stain and not having to worry about the color bleeding through. Still debating though, we'll see what the tests bring!

[McCreed]

I'm bit late to the party here, but there is a technique known as "Ceruse" or Cerusing (aka liming, I think).
IIRC, there have been a couple PBG builds here that were finished this way.

HERE is a link to one thread I found, and the first time I learnt of the process. Maybe it could get you where you want to go with your original plan...

Edit: Do a web search for "Ceruse" and you'll find heaps of other links.

[Trevor Davies]

I'm bit late to the party here, but there is a technique known as "Ceruse" or Cerusing (aka liming, I think).
IIRC, there have been a couple PBG builds here that were finished this way.

HERE is a link to one thread I found, and the first time I learnt of the process. Maybe it could get you where you want to go with your original plan...

Edit: Do a web search for "Ceruse" and you'll find heaps of other links.

+1 for ceruse.

[c0ffinspire89]

I'm a little late coming back to my own thread...

McCreed and Trevor, thank you both very much for the feedback! After doing a little more research on cerusing, wow, what a super cool effect! Unfortunately for my build, the grain pattern doesn't seem interesting enough for that kind of treatment, but that will be tucked away in my back pocket for the next build

I decided to go with a simple ebony grain filler. I'm still debating between phthalo blue, or yellow, but want to darken the grain for more contrast. This is my first time working with grain filler, and I think I may have made a mistake along the way. Below is what I have after 2 coats of grain filler:



It seems like the filler is not penetrating as deep as it should. The grain filler I chose to use was Goodfilla Wood Filler. It is labeled as a wood filler, but can be used for grain filling, it just requires thinning it with water. My assumption is I did not thin it enough to fill all the grain, but was hoping for other opinions in case my thinking is incorrect.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

[McCreed]

That Goodfilla appears to be our Timbermate's American cousin!

IME a single application with this kind of product is not enough. On my Ash tele (in avatar and Photo Gallery) I had to do at least 3 applications (and I think a 4th in some areas IIRC). I also used ebony on that guitar, but it was Timbermate brand.

Edit to add:

re: thinning -
I don't know about the Goodfilla, but Timbermate (also water based btw) recommends thinning to a consistency similar to toothpaste (???).

[c0ffinspire89]

Thanks, McCreed, for the helpful answer. That's a good piece of info that this filler is the cousin to Timbermate! I've heard many people on here say that Timbermate is the way to go, but I basically had to buy it in a bulk size that made little sense, or a small bottle of Goodfilla, so Goodfilla won out. I will say it's been extremely easy to use, and for many different purposes.

That's good to know on the number of applications. I didn't have a ton of the filler, so wanted to check in before buying more. The consistency could definitely be part of the issue. If it's supposed to be similar to toothpaste as mentioned above, mine was a little too thick at the time of application, but gives me a good jumping off point for the third application!

[McCreed]

That's a good piece of info that this filler is the cousin to Timbermate!

FTR, that's pure speculation on my part. It's just the description on their product page is very similar to Timbermate as well as it's appearance.

I just had a closer look at their instructions and the only remarks I saw regarding consistency was "Add up to equal parts of warm water to GoodFilla to get a slurry." If this was what you used as a guide, my gut feeling is that could too wet/loose.

Another thing that caught my attention was "Smooth with a damp cloth or sandpaper when dry."
I don't know what your process was, but if it were me, I would use sandpaper only. I think a damp cloth could potentially pull out filler you've just put in.