I have reached the stage in the current build where I have to do the finish; my least favorite of all the build activities.
I am hoping for advice, and trying to remember the Einstein adage "Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler."
So here are my questions for finishing an ES style body. My idea is to do a solid color top (lots has been filled in...veneer is not salvageable). I thought I would do natural sides and back where the veneer looks pretty good, although the back will need a little fill right up against the binding in a couple of tiny places.
So the more I read the more I get confused. I don't have any great preference about how I want it to come out. I'd just like it to look presentable.
It's summer in Florida where I live, which means hot and humid, and I will be working outside. I can't avoid rattle cans for the solid color, but would like to avoid them for as much as possible.
I have heard that I can seal and grain-fill with Tru Oil. I have also heard that I should seal and fill first before using any finish. I am also not sure how to do the sanding. So many different approaches on youtube!
So I am really interested in what folks think is the best way to do this for someone in a hot, humid area with no spray gear...
What is the order and grit of
Sanding
Sealing
Filling
Painting
Clearcoating
Products?
I own a bit of Tru Oil but am not married to its use if there is something better, though I have done enough testing with it to know that the three different spraypaints I have tried (Rustoleum Painter's touch 2x, MTN 94 [acrylic] and MTN Black [Nitro]) will stick to an undercoat of TO and a clear coat of TO sticks to these paints.
I have used auto paint (Duplicolor) in the past with it's primer and won't do that again. It chipped easily and did not even stick well to its own primer... Used a Duplicolor clear coat with it. Took forever to cure.
Would be happy to be pointed to any good sites, tubes or threads ;-)
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