Build #2 - PSH-1 (Redux)

[dbeltrami]

Hi folks,

I'm after some advice before I start the staining process.

The neck is maple. It's nice and smooth. I have experience with a maple neck on my Tele kit, so I think I am in good shape there.

The body is basswood, which I have no experience with. The back is very smooth - happy with that. But I am probbably going to go over the sides of the body one more time as I think some of the end grain is not quite as smooth as the back of the body.

Can someone offer some advice on grain filler? My Tele kit had an ash body. I used a dark wood filler and it produced a lovely effect on that body. I'm not sure about basswood. Does it need grain filler?

Also, what are your thoughts on the use of sanding sealer? My plan was going to be that I would apply a coat of sanding sealer after the stain and before the finishing oil. Is that a good process or should I apply some sealer before staining? And what about the Flamed Maple veneer - do you use a sealer on that?

Thanks for your help.

[Trevor Davies]

Hi dbeltrami,

Basswood is fine grained and does not grain filler. I would probably treat it the same way as the maple. The body would still need a good sanding.

For sanding sealer: I have not had any success with sanding sealer and then staining - maybe it is the brand of sealer I used! I'm not sure if there is an advantage in using the sanding sealer after the stain as you will not be able to sand it smooth in fear of sanding through the stain. For my AG-1 build with a basswood body I stained and then applied tru-oil finish.

Flamed maple - I have not heard of others using a sealer.

My understanding is that sanding sealer is great to use on open grain timber as it fills the grain, and then you can then sand it flat, then stain, then add finish coats. My problem is that for my tests, my sealed timber does not take stain (water or spirit) well.

Maybe it is worth trying/testing on some offcuts!

Hopefully others will add more.

[mrpearson]

Hi. I just sanded the basswood to 240 grit then stained. I found it hard to get stain to take on tight curves on the side. To get a super smooth finish I applied truoil using the slurry method which filled any grain. Then just layered clear coats.


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[dbeltrami]

Ok, so here is my update on staining the body and neck.

I *thought* this kit had very little in the way of glue spots. I was wrong

Most of the glue was around the body binding, neck binding and some on the body top and back. Goof Off did basically nothing but I'm no expert and probably didn't use it correctly.

Here's a couple of photos after my first stain coats:



As you can see, the veneer has some pretty bad marks. But I am oh so happy with the figure!

Here's a few of shots after my second coat of stain and attempt at addressing the glue marks:



I'm pretty happy with the back of the body and neck. I was considering sanding both back - to create a bit of a burst effect on the body and to try to get the figure in the neck to pop a bit more. But I think I will leave it. The body is basswood and the pieces it is composed of are noticeably different.

The top still needs more work. I do want to sand it back a bit more to get it a more pronounced burst effect. But the main issue is trying to hide the glue marks as best I can.



The stains were from TLC Guitar Goods - Charcoal Black and Zombie Grey. When applied to the basswood and maple they gave off a touch of blue/purple colour which I quite like.

I had just finished the second stain coat on the top when I took these photos so it still looks a bit saturated.

[McCreed]

Most of the glue was around the body binding, neck binding and some on the body top and back. Goof Off did basically nothing but I'm no expert and probably didn't use it correctly.

There is markable improvement in your progress. Can you explain your process using the goof-off?
It definitely requires more than just wiping on and off with a rag.

[dbeltrami]

I wiped on the Goof Off using kitchen paper and then rubbed it in a bit. Then I took to it with a small brass bristled brush I purchased from Bunnings. I had no real way of detecting whether it had removed any glue.

You can see, especially on the far sides of the body, that the glue marks extend almost the length of the f-holes. It looks to me like the glue has penetrated through the veneer and there is no way I'll get rid of all of it as it is not just a surface thing. I could be wrong.

I have used water-based markers to try to hide the marks and blend it in with the stain. It is helping but still a way to go. I'm sure I'll get it to place where I am happy. If all else fails I could always relic it

[McCreed]

I wiped on the Goof Off using kitchen paper and then rubbed it in a bit. Then I took to it with a small brass bristled brush I purchased from Bunnings. I had no real way of detecting whether it had removed any glue.

You can see, especially on the far sides of the body, that the glue marks extend almost the length of the f-holes. It looks to me like the glue has penetrated through the veneer and there is no way I'll get rid of all of it as it is not just a surface thing. I could be wrong.

I have used water-based markers to try to hide the marks and blend it in with the stain. It is helping but still a way to go. I'm sure I'll get it to place where I am happy. If all else fails I could always relic it

Hmmm... sounds like you took the right approach with the brass brush etc (that's what I have used also). It's a tricky situation given the thin nature of the veneer and proximity to the plastic binding.

Admittedly my veneer topped kit was from 2018, and whilst it did have glue spots that I had to deal with, the glue issues I've seen on the forum the last few years seem to have got exponentially worse. To the point where I don't think I'd order one now.
Sorry, I know that doesn't help, but you look like your making progress despite the challenge!

mrpearson recently went through this avenue of hell and had good success using coloured markers, so there's still hope!

[dbeltrami]

Here's a photo after a few hours of drying. Not sure when I'll get back to it but just a final sand and final stain coat before I spray on sanding sealer and get to the finishing stage.



I'm much happier with the water-based stains over the DT oil stains. But truth be told the biggest issue was the final oil step with DT. So I'll see how I go with the finishing oil from TLC. I am going to take my time!

All of my hardware and replacements parts have arrived so I am set to go.

I just need to work out how to make white binding look like cream

[FrankenWashie]

Bro, that is stellar work!

[dbeltrami]

Bro, that is stellar work!

Thanks FW. I'm pretty happy with how it is shaping up so far.