I started on my ST=1 today and Im so lost. I have no wood work skills or mechanical skills whetsoever however I can do simple soldering and know a bit about electronics.
I sanded with 240 concentrating on pitted spots and smoothing sharp edges at the corners and rounded areas. I went to 360 and finally to 1200 until the body is completely smooth and doesn't look misshapen anywhere.
I still don't know what kind of finish to put on. I want to do something simple but nice. I will go to Bunnings tomorrow and hopefully talk to someone about what would be the best finish for a noob to woodworking to try.
I did varnish a piece of furniture once and liked the look of that.
Any helpful suggestions are most welcome !!!
Well for a start, sanding to 1200 is too fine. You need it a bit rougher so the finish will have something to grip. I think 180-240 is what you'd want.
As for the type of finish is really up to you and depends a bit on your setup, and how long you want to take (drying time, number of coats). If the wood has nice grain then go for a stain and a clear coat. Automotive paints are also often used for guitars.
Agree that 1200 is much too fine. I sanded to 400 and used danish oil with no problem. I like the look of “natural” finished guitars and actually prefer a stained look.
It sounds like your in a experimental phase and it may be worth holding off and doing some research on the forum or for some examples of what stains people have used in build diaries. Otherwise if you like the natural wood look you could simply use a danish oil to build up some coats on the body, this will impart some colour and also does build up over several coats to protect your body (although not the hardest finish). It’s very easy to apply and there is a heap of tutorials on YouTube where it has been applied to DIY guitar bodies or other types of wood.
If you want to impart colour to your body, don’t get to attached to the colour on the jar/can of the stain as each wood will effect the final colour and outcome. And in this instance a wipe on poly may be a good top coat option. Again very easy to apply and lots of example or how to’s on the YouTube on guitar DIY bodies.
Yes, I worked that out. I went with the DingoTone and the instructions called for 400 git so I re-sanded to that grit before applying. Im am stuck after applying the first stain. It had a couple of spots where the stain would not soak it. I have let dry and re-sanded that area twice and re-applyed the stain and every time it just got worse. I have a thread going in Dingotone called 'Dingotone boo boo for the full details of the issue. Im currently thinking I need to sand the edges back to a lighter finish and try to make the changes more gradual. Wish me luck.
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