It looks like you are almost there. Now is the time to take your time and get the guitar as flat as you can. More sanding LOL.
You can refill just those areas with more glue and re-sand just those areas. You'll be amazed how well the Gluboost blends in and fills into itself. I wouldn't rely on the final clear coats for filling. Get it flat with the glueboost. At least that's what I did. I did about 3 coats of glubloost from memory. You can even start sanding at 400 first and then down to 600 for the final sand. If you feel that you are getting too low, do another coat of glue.
You will also be quite amazed at how much glue actually goes on from such a seemingly small application. You can sand it back more than you think without harm. I just made sure that the dust coming off wasn't blue. Just use a tack cloth a microfiber cloth or even just a vacuum cleaner before another coat of Gluboost and when you are finished.
Here is what I wrote in one of my earlier posts on my build:
Sanding and more sanding - this is the step I always rush. If I had have done a better job in the beginning, then the dye would have been a more even colour. getting the sides and corners right is important at this early stage; something I didn't do.
2 x applications of ebony Timbermate - sanding in between and more sanding until you are happy with the grain
2 x applications of blue Angelus Leather dye - light sanding and drying time between (at least 24hrs)
light sanding and/or steel wool and then let completely dry for a week or so. This step all depends on the desired tones of colour etc. Given that it is solid ash, it can always be sanded back and dye re-applied. However, the Timbermate may be sanded out if you sand too much, so you have to balance things out.
Several applications of Gluboost fill n finish and sanding to fill and flatten the body. I used this as a filler and sanding sealer to lock in the dye and fill any of my terrible sanding or lack of especially on the sides of the body. It is easy to also create more trouble at this stage as applications can cause more bumps and imperfections rather like Tru oil does. It's a balance of applying enough not to sand through it, but not too much to cause more pain. The cool thing about this is that you can always re-apply and the dry-time is pretty dam quick. Minutes. You can also stop and polish the Gluboost as a final finish, but the finish is not as strong as an acrylic clear. I sanded it to 600grit. It was mat but a bit washed out. Gloves and mask is really required as this stuff is STRONG. The smell dies down quickly, but without a mask, it can almost knock you out.
Then the SCA clear just like Phrozin applies it. I used a mask, but it isn't a strong toxic smell like the glue or other finishes. I went thick with this stuff and it went on pretty well.
The next step will be 2000grit and polish and hope for the best. LOL
I hope that helps?
For the final clear, read what phrozin suggests and you can't go wrong. If you need me to find his post on spraying the SCA clear, please let me know.
Chris
Last edited by christodav; 14-10-2019 at 07:23 PM.
Thanks for sharing your tips Christodav, I've been following those pretty much and going well so far.
I worked out most of the sanded gluboost dust that had collected in some wood grain I had missed filling, with a toothbrush as Sonic had suggested. Few small ones left but hardly noticeable.
I've done the decal (used a laser decal paper from Dr decal and Mr Hyde). Decal came out a lot thinner than I thought it might, which is great.
I've started on the sca acrylic clear coats, progress pics attached.
I have 2 finish questions I'd love some advice on:
1)I have applied a bit too much clear coat spray in one section and have a small run now. That was the 7th coat(also rained right after that so only got one coat on). Is it better to sand it now and try work it out, or keep building up to the 15th coat and try to work it out then?
2) I'm using truoil on the neck, I vaguely recall someone mentioning mixing with meths for final coat/s, does this improve the gloss, or have some other benefit? if so what is a good mix? I'm up to coat 24,decal went on at coat 15,the layers I'm doing are on the thinner side.
1) Either will work. If that's seven layers of clear, then I'd be tempted to do a sand now. Either way, I'd just leave it a couple of days now for the thicker layer of finish in the run to dry properly. I don't think you'll really need fifteen coats of clear. Phrozin does 15 coats overall including primer, colour coat and clear coat. Certainly do enough layers to allow you to sand back flat, but you don't want too thick a finish.
2) I used gum turpentine (artist's turpentine) for thinning TruOil. It lowers the surface tension so it fills in any dips better. TruOil has a high surface tension so tends to follow the surface undulations. The more of the dips you fill, the less sanding flat you have to do before polishing.
Phrozin normally sands back flat after each separate layer, so the overall result is a lot less than 15 layers thick. If you put on 15 layers and just sand back at the end, you'll end a up with a lot thicker coat. You want enough on to be able to sand back flat (no 'orange peel' effect) and have enough finish remaining to protect the body, but too thick so that the finish stops the body wood from resonating.
On a more guitar with more humps on the body (like the top of a 335 kit), I'd probably add a few more layers as it's easy to sand through on the top of the humps. But on a basically flat-bodied guitar, then you can get away with a few less, as long as you use a sanding block to even out the pressure. Don't use anything coarse on the edges and only sand them directly with the finer grades of grit, say 1500 and above, unless you've got a run or other roughness than needs dealing with. Even then be very careful.
On dealing with runs, I've seen a video where the run and an area around it is covered in Timbermate up to the thickness of the run. Then when you sand down, you sand down the run and the Timbermate, rather than catch the finish around the run. Get it as flat as you can with a dry coarser grit (say P240) until the Timbermate and the run has just about all been removed, then use a wet rag to remove the Timbermate (it's water-based so comes off easily from a gloss surface when wet) then you can wet sand the body as normal. This should work on curved surfaces as well, though it's always going to be that bit more tricky.
You are probably finished on the clear. I'd also follow what Simon suggested and wait a while for the clear to dry and then sand it back with 1200 and get it all flat after dealing with the runs. Once it's flat without any dips etc, you are ready to cut and polish.
Don't forget, you have a layer of Gluboost on there too! The clearcoat doesn't need to be super thick. I would think that you have plenty to work with to sand back flat now.
I never mixed the Truoil with anything personally. I just experiment with different rags to apply it and sand back with 1200 and re-apply etc. Do lots of thin coats and a few coats with 3-4 hours between each coat and then sand after a full day and do it all over again until it is flat and polish like mad. Micromesh pads work really well as well. The first few coats can go on a littler thicker and you'll start thinning it out as it stays shiny on application. I sand back the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool when it's all done to get a satin finish. I did the maple fingerboard with very thin coats of Truoil. Apply too much at a time and you'll regret it! It's the headstock that I apply a fair bit to.
the clear coats in the seemed to trap small bubbles in some layers,i managed to sand most out, and buff out the balance with meguires compound, after having done the 2000 grit wet sand. Came out not too badly for a non spray booth clear coat.
I wanted similar spec electronics to my other guitars,so ordered a loaded control plate from atlantic custom guitars on ebay. If i remember this correctly it has: 4 way oak grigsby switch, cts pots, orange drop capacitor, 22 awg cloth push back wiring, switchcraft jack, reverse wired.
The loaded control plate was not too much more than buying each of the components separately. Unfortunately though, the distance to the jack on a std tele must be shorter, so i had to cut into the neatly wrapped, heat shrink tubbed, wiring and extend it with some of my ham handed soldering efforts.
Pickup wise i reused a 1991 us tele neck pickup i had,and got a second hand '51 fender custom shop nocaster pickup. Wired it up today, sure was great to hear it working! Something wrong with the switch though, same sound on all 4 settings, bridge and neck combined.Sounds great all the same.
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