Strat au naturale (ST-1L) - First build, WIP

[ozbird]

I've just started my first kit - an ST-1L (thanks PitBull for the lefty special!)

The neck was pretty good out of the box. The maple just needed some 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper to come up nice and smooth. I'll probably finish it with a light coat of Tru-Oil to bring out the grain and mild flame figure.

The rosewood fretboard appears to have been filled and sanded where there is the side of a knot on the underside. Unfortunately, this was done after the frets were fitted - two scuffed frets. :-/ Some 000 and 0000 grade steel wool polished out most of the scratches. The rest was okay, but felt a bit rough; I lightly rubbed the rosewood with steel wool for a smoother finish.

I'd previously bought some Fret Doctor oil (http://beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm) - it's awesome stuff. A little goes a long way. (Postage is a killer; buy a "big" 60ml bottle, and share it with your mates.)

Aa with other oils, apply with a small piece of cotton cloth and reapply where the wood is "thirsty". Working up and down the fretboard several times is probably enough. Buff off with a clean cloth after 15 minutes or so, and again 15 minutes later (until "dry".) A tea towel or similar is better than a soft t-shirt; it helps to polish the wood.

[ozbird]

Before pictures:

[ozbird]

After pictures:



Much nicer! From the Fret Doctor FAQ:

A very frequent comment I hear is that "Fret Doctor darkens my board nicely!" Over time, with exposure to air, light, humidity, and wear and tear, the board faded. The Fret Doctor simply restored it to the original color. (snip) Fret Doctor will bring up the natural color, grain, and patina of a tropical hardwood, making it darker in appearance but not making it black. Ebony will appear blacker because black is the normal color of the wood. Your Rosewood will be far prettier.

[west0288]

Man, you did an awesome job cleaning that up mate. Great work.

[gavinturner]

Hi Paul,
Great work on the fretboard. She looks a million bucks now. Looking forward to the rest of your build!

Cheers,
Gav

[stan]

great to see another lefty!, nice work on the neck, looking forward to seeing the build progress

[ozbird]

Thanks guys!

Sanding the basswood body is going okay so far; I'm not a diarist - so expect a post on "here's one I prepared earlier." ;-)

(I started with 400 grit, but need something heavier to get rid of the glue marks and sanding marks.)

[lawry]

Wow, that made a huge difference. Looking forward to how you do the rest of it.
Love the name too. Cool!

[Gavin1393]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from ozbird on June 7, 2014, 19:48


(I started with 400 grit, but need something heavier to get rid of the glue marks and sanding marks.)

Have a look at this topic for some ideas on the glue....

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/commun...iewtopic&t=242

[ozbird]

Thanks, Gavin; I've got some of those brushes here somewhere.

Thanks for the feedback on the name, lawry; I'm still not sure about it, but I've corrected the spelling so it doesn't sound like a Partscaster. ;-)