Jump to content
Why become a member? ×
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt

Finished! And now for something completely different ...


Andyjr1515
 Share

Recommended Posts

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1485118268' post='3221334']
Bloody hell...amazing!
[/quote]
To be honest doing it this way will never match a professional spray job (and I always pre-warn owners that that is the case) but particularly once polished it comes up pretty good considering you could do it in a spare bedroom...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The finishing is always a bit fiddly and iterative, but this one brought a few challenges I don't usually encounter. The bit that was much easier than my normal method was using an artists fan brush for applying the laquer. With Ronseal's formulation change, the new brew doesn't thin well - essential for my normal wipe-on approach. So this used an artists fan brush (this is an old one - NEVER put a brush on a carpet unless you like dust in your paint :rolleyes: ):


I left the varnish un-thinned and it went on quite nicely (I think the new formulation is thinner than the old, just a tad), and it flattened well with very few drips to sort out.

BUT the natural tint in the varnish, against the light cream, was the devil incarnate! The slightest variation in thickness (such as when you merge the next strip into the one you've just applied) resulted in a colour change :angry:

In the end, I applied more, but thinner, coats and the colour variation is pretty much sorted.

This is pre-polishing - that will be done after a couple of weeks to ensure the varnish is fully cured - but in the greatest test of full daylight:






If it was a car body-shop, I'm sure I'd be given my P45, but for a pre-polish hand-paint job I think it is probably 'fit for purpose'? :) And I'm pretty sure it is the colour Nic was looking for :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've judged that the varnish is now hard enough for normal handling. I also gave it a test light polish to make absolutely sure the final varnish coat was OK before starting the finish tasks. I think it's fine...

Into the remaining tasks. The first one was quick and easy but strangely satisfying - lining the control chamber with copper foil:



It's sticky backed so the joins inside the chamber will be solder-connected to ensure continuity, and also connected to the foil that will shortly be put into the pickup chambers.

The top is also done - note the folded-over connecting tabs to ensure a complete Faraday Cage effect is achieved:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The list of outstanding tasks is getting tangibly smaller :) I'll post occasionally as each gets ticked off.

This is the first lick of varnish on the headstock. When that's had the requisite number of coats, it should tone well with the rosewood fretboard once that's also been finish-oiled:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another few jobs off the finish list. Final levelling and polishing of the frets, oil slurry and buff of the fretboard, slurry and buff (first of a few) of the neck and headstock varnishing.

This is what the headstock is starting to look like:


And the pre-hardware overall look:


This afternoon will be the last crossed-fingers bit - fitting the bridge and tuners and stringing it up under full tension for the first time :o

Edited by Andyjr1515
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='W1_Pro' timestamp='1485960468' post='3228033']
Looking really classy there Andy.
[/quote]
Thanks, Stuart :D

Now....this is where I have to urge Nic to keep hanging onto his patience because [b]"Nic - there actually still is a fair bit to do!" :D[/b]

And the temptation to throw patience to the wind and just blast to the end is with me too...but softly, softly catchee monkey :)

...but this is admittedly very exciting:



Nothing has bent

Nothing has broken

Nothing has twisted

Here's the top end closer up:


...and here's the body closer up:




Of course it's a bit like the first fitting of a made-to-measure suit (or so wealthy people tell me who have experienced such things). Now it's about getting the action height right and that may even need sinking the bridge a touch - I won't know for sure until the nut and neck relief is adjusted. Then there's the electrics and securing the hatches and finishing off the slurry and buffing of the neck....hmmm...well it shouldn't be [b]too[/b] long....

Edited by Andyjr1515
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going to leave it overnight fully strung, but now with the nut and neck relief correctly set, the action gets pretty much down to the level where I personally would play.

Having said that, two of the saddles are at the bottom of adjustment. There is plenty of break angle if the slots need filing down a touch but I won't do that until I know what action height Nic normally prefers.

I had a little flash of inspiration, by the way, when it came to earthing the bridge. Normally, you basically splay out the wire under the bridge, or hammer a little dent for it to sit in but I always worry that either it may not give good electrical contact, or at the other end of the scale, may prevent the bridge from completely screwing down flat against the body.

I then remembered the copper I use for shielding. With a small offcut, I soldered a tab to the earth wire:


Then fed the wire through to the chamber, bending the very thin copper flat against the body:



Result is excellent earth, very strong and with no tone-sucking lumpy bits under the bridge B)

Edited by Andyjr1515
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Talking of magnets, I'm also attaching the control chamber cover with magnets. I don't know how other folk do this, including the positioning, but for what it's worth, this how I do it.

The magnets come in a stick, all stuck to each other
[list]
[*]I drill a hole just a tad less than the depth of two magnets
[*]I pop a tiny drop of thick cyano (I use Gorilla) onto the bottom of one of the magnets and push it firmly to the bottom of the hole
[*]After I'm pretty sure it's set, I open out the edges of the hole a little with a sharp knife:
[/list]
[list]
[*]Then I drop a second magnet in and pop a drop of cyano onto the top:
[/list]

[list]
[*]Then I carefully position the cover in the right place - the cyano has about 20 seconds working time. The cyano sets, attaching the second magnet to the cover and, when you lift the cover off, the second magnet should come with it!:
[/list]
[list]
[*]Repeat for the other holes (I used 4 for this one) and the magnets literally suck the cover onto the back, perfectly lined up every time. Well, much better lined up than if I'd tried to measure and drill locating pegs, which I'm rubbish at! :D :
[/list]

Edited by Andyjr1515
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[URL=http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg.html][IMG]http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae181/gelfin5959/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg.html][IMG]http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae181/gelfin5959/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://s970.photobucket.com/user/gelfin5959/media/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg.html][IMG]http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae181/gelfin5959/Snoopy%20happy_zpsi3rmoywo.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...