Thread: Build #2 - Single Cut Jnr

Originally Posted by jeffhigh

But if you look at yours carefully you will see that the ridge for the G string is in front of the B string.
This works for a wound G
For a plain G which is most of the electric sets now, the g string saddle ends up behind the b string.
What you have will play fine if you like wound G srrings but very poorly with a plain G
That is why I showed the alterative bridge.

You're right...I did notice that. Well a wound G will have to be. Not much else is authentic so I may as well do that the old way. )

A bit of recent progress.

I managed to round over the edges of the body.



An finally set the neck and glued.

Whilst that sets im going to experiment with stains and effects on some scraps.

Cheers
Manny

The neck set pretty well and Im happy with the join, the angle and the levels.




Grabbed some 2 mm BBQ scewers, drilled some holes and did this:



Ended up sanding and getting this:



Cheers
Manny

The neck and body have been sanded up to 600 grit.



I went to Bunnings and bought some materials to start testing finishes.

I was disappointed to find out that my local Bunnings had removed Minwax products including Wipe on poly from the shelf. They did introduce a new spray can range of polyurethanes and the can I purchased was the British Paints Poly. I thought if Im going to dabble in spraing a burst on this build, then I may as well learn to spray the top coats as well.

For colour, I chose a stain from the Wattyl range (in a small metalic red can) in - Rosewood. Fossil Fuel based not Water.
A small 30ml container of Black.
I also bought a small can of the stain thinners to experiment with tones.

Now, bare with me Im still learning about these finishing techniques so there's a good chance I may be doing something wrong, so yell out of you read something weird or if you can suggest anything constructive.

First I wanted to test the finish on the neck, so I grabbed a scrap from the neck build and applied a conservative but even coat of black. I immediately wiped away the excess as I didnt want the neck test piece to be too dark. The grain popped slightly after about 2 minutes and I sanded off with 320 grit.So far so good. Seems I did learn something from what I am reading about staining and finishing. The sanding cleaned up the black leaving only a little black in and higlighting the grain figure. After a few moments of drying I applied an even coat of the Rosewood stain. The finish was a little dark for mine, so i thinned by 20% and got the following result which is almost acceptable - Keep in mind the poly over the top will darken the colouring slightly.



For the body I tried a full strenght application of Rosewood stain with no black pigmentation. The Blue gum body is finer grained and darker than the Meranti Neck, so I may decide to go a little lighter as the poly definitely locked in and enriched the colour and its probably a little too dark for the finish Im after.



The pictures dont show it but Ive also shot (from a can) a black enamel test burst.

Ive applied 2 coats of poly 8 hours apart as per the instructions. The first sealed the colour in and was mainly absorbed by the grain. The second went on a little rough, but after wet sanding and leveling with 600grit, the third shot on a little smoother. i figure the wet sand in between coats will even the buildup and the 4th coat seems to be more even than the previous so I think Im doing the right thing.

After 48 hours the important things to note are:

A) No colour variation through leeching or adverse reaction between stain, black enamel and poly.
B) Light wet sanding to level between coats does wonders for the next top coat application.

More later,

Manny

The time has come to start coloring in this thing.

Firstly I applied one coat at 70% onto the front of the body and the sides to get a feel for how it settles and dries. A light sand and I have the base for the lightest part of the burst. The idea is to apply a heavier second coat working more in away from the centre and finishing with black over the edges to complete the burst.

First coat sample:



The grain has popped up nicely, and although fine, you can see the "herring bone" type of pattern.

I thought Id start on the neck next, as this will be trickiest to get the result Im after. Firstly, the front of the headstock will be your average black gloss finish. On the back im going to attempt a neck burst as well.

Firstly a coat of the black stain, to pop the grain. As teh neck is lighter than the body Ive gone 100% strength with a medium application and more on the back of the headstock and base of the neck where the burst will transition.



Next a light sand to lighten the middle of the neck and even settle the grain on the ends.



You can see the grain has been accentuated pretty well.

Time for some colour.

I started with a 70% coat to test the finish on this lighter timber with the black base coat.



Yep. Confirmed again my thoughts. One more coat at full strength should do it.



Bingo. Thats the shade Im after. Keeping in mind the poly will lock that in and darken it ever so slightly. Thats it for tonight. Slow and steady as Im learning.

Cheers

Manny

Looks good manny. Keep it up bud

Originally Posted by floody_85

Looks good manny. Keep it up bud

Cheers. Getting there mate.

OK....I am bursting to get this done!

I drew out the profile of the burst on paper, cut out and set up over the Les Paul Template I had for a test attempt at a black burst.










Test run looked OK so I prepped over the real thing and off I went.



Managed to finish a couple of passes across the front and the edges of the body and allowed to settle for a minute.



After initial drying after a couple of moments, I hung her up and checked for runs and the overall finish. Glad to say finish was OK, and I think the result of the burst will be to my liking.



Tomorrow we tackle the back and transition to neck. Then we can start thinking about clear coating this thing.

Cheers

Manny

I need to feather the sharoness out of the burst edges.

For this I use a 340 grit sanding sponge. The beauty of using an enamel for the burst is whilst its still tacky, you can feather the edges with the sanding sponge. Use dry, apply small circular sanding strokes and dull and blend the edges.

I used this:


To dull teh sharpness and feather the edges.





A quick spray to sharpen the edges and were almost done

I finished a LP recently, I'm well pleased with it. As well as from collecting a few Les Paul books I followed 2 blogs on LP builds: "The Accidental Luthier" and "Luthier Than Thou" both very helpful. Paul Balmer's "The Les Paul Handbook" is also worth a look, got mine from Fishpond.
Did a Jnr double cut last year which gave me the confidence to tackle the carve top.
This is my first post so I don't know how to upload pics, any advice welcome.

Started the initial clear coats of Poly. Results are OK, but I prefer wipe on to spray can.







edit: 3 coats in now -


Cheers

Manny

Well, Ive been convinced by some here and on other forums and Ive decided that there's too much black in the finish, and Ive stripped it and will reapply the burst using dies I can control the strength, rather than paint in cans.

I deviated a little too far from the intended finish.

Good news, is it only took me a couple of hours to strip the finish and with a bit of finer sanding I can start re-applying. I will be rubbing in the burst as opposed to spraying it.

Good move Mannym! I was a little concerned but was waiting for the the final outcome. Anyhow, youve made an executive decision.
Spraying bursts are best done by hand, getting the feel for it can take a little practice but you can get excellent results I wouldnt let your first attempt deter you.
Even staining bursts also requires practice and good technique.

Originally Posted by Groundhangers

Good move Mannym! I was a little concerned but was waiting for the the final outcome. Anyhow, youve made an executive decision.
Spraying bursts are best done by hand, getting the feel for it can take a little practice but you can get excellent results I wouldnt let your first attempt deter you.
Even staining bursts also requires practice and good technique.

Well mate, I reckon after reading a tonne and trying it on a few scraps, without an airbrush gun, rubbing teh burst gives yoe the control.

We'll have a crack over the weekend.