Olympic white jazz with a difference

[SpondonBassed]

43 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

i did, and he not very clearly states the (non standard) distance to lug. Norris has kindly  offered loan of his curved chisels 

i will not neg the seller, but will review the product stating that whilst llight the pickup cavity won't take a standard bridge pup. Its something I would have wanted to know. 

It's refreshing to see such a well reasoned reaction in this age of consumerism and litigation.

It is also great to see another example of BC camaraderie.

[discreet]

On 17/04/2018 at 08:23, Geek99 said:

If you can’t see the pole pieces  how on earth Will any talent seep in ?

Have you considered the talent may also seep out..?? 

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's refreshing to see such a well reasoned reaction in this age of consumerism and litigation.

It is also great to see another example of BC camaraderie.

well, he isn't clear, but its my fault for not asking more questions. The lug distance is 30mm according to him, and standard would be 28mm - so its my fault for not checking the lug distance when I checked the cavity size. I can't neg him for that, however unhelpful he has been, he isn't actually wrong. 

Norris works on the next floor to me. He has been very helpful. 

 

 

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, discreet said:

Have you considered the talent may also seep out..?? 

Have you even seen an engine with no oil to seep out of the sump? Analogise my stockpile of talent to that oil. 

[discreet]

2 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Have you even seen an engine with no oil to seep out of the sump? Analogise my stockpile of talent to that oil. 

Hee, hee. Well... I don't like closed covers. Not on this bass, anyway. They look good on a Spector, though.

[Geek99]

I tried a different piece of wood today, which has a slight coating already just like sanding sealer would be. I shook the can all the way into work and shot a quick stripe over the test piece once I arrived. Results were better, pictures at lunchtime as it was too wet to judge fully 

Picture 1

left side untouched, right side two thin coats 

Picture 2

thin grain filler, unsanded

Edited April 20, 2018 by Geek99

[Geek99]

Its going to need a second dose of grain filler to fill in the little pin holes and a small trench on the back that I didnt see. 

Also a rounded sanding bit to tidy up the lug hoes. 

 

I'm on holiday at Bass central in Florida so things may go a bit quiet. 

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Also a rounded sanding bit to tidy up the lug hoes

*splutter*

[SpondonBassed]

Sorry.

Good work.  I know lots who would be in too much of a hurry to go the extra layers.

[Geek99]

Ok I do know it’s been a while

ive finished grain filling finally and I’m sanding off the residue 

one trick I’ve learned is to wipe white spirit over to show the grain and highlight spots that need more filler or sanding. 

Monday is final sanding and sanding sealer 

 

 

[Geek99]

okay well that was a touch optimistic. Every time you look at the body, you spot more flaws, and you just know paint won't hide them. 

I've learned some things:

1.  when you look over the body, use a soft pencil to draw inside the full extent of the flaw. You're going to grain fill it and then sand it anyway so the pencil marks will not stay 

2. Use a phone torch or somesuch at a perpendicular angle to spot flaws more easily, even in daylight

3. Wiping white spirit on with a tissue raises the grain and so its easier to sand smooth then. 

[Norris]

When I built my telecaster it took longer to get the finish right than it did to build it from scratch. If you're a perfectionist (and not an experienced builder) it's never right. At some point it will become right enough. Just don't rush it at this point. 

Having said that, it'll probably pick up a dint first time out anyway 

[Geek99]

I’ve got some 80grit to clean it off quickly 

 

 

and some fine 

 

[Geek99]

well, you see this "wet and dry" sandpaper that I bought; I think it may prefer dry usage.

My reason for thinking that is that the moment, the very moment I put it in water, all the sand fell off.  Ho hum

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

well, you see this "wet and dry" sandpaper that I bought; I think it may prefer dry usage.

My reason for thinking that is that the moment, the very moment I put it in water, all the sand fell off.  Ho hum

Internet purchase?

[Geek99]

57 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

Internet purchase?

Home bargains - I mean I'm going through a lot of sandpaper and the backing looked pretty convincing, that's still in one piece but the (sadly no longer) sandy bit shed black liquid sand right into the wood and I'm still trying to sand it out. 

Almost there, just got to tidy up the sides now 

Edited June 8, 2018 by Geek99

[Jimothey]

2 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Home bargains - I mean I'm going through a lot of sandpaper and the backing looked pretty convincing, that's still in one piece but the (sadly no longer) sandy bit shed black liquid sand right into the wood and I'm still trying to sand it out. 

Almost there, just got to tidy up the sides now 

I use the 1000grit wet and dry from Halfords it's quite cheap as well and I've never had a problem with it.......... 

[Norris]

I tend to avoid wet & dry paper altogether. Even the decent stuff leaves bits of abrasive embedded in the wood. I use 600 grit stearated aluminium oxide paper for final prep before finish and for flatting off between coats. Then I use micromesh pads (dry) for the final polishing - frequent wipes on a microfibre cloth avoids clogging 

Think of it this way: it's a constant learning process, and your bass will be really well prepared by the time you've done

[Geek99]

Sanding sealer... applied with a brush

dries quickly, will need a sand and a second coat

[Geek99]

can anyone who has done a transparent spray job tell me what might happen and how to proceed? I know I need to sand with 400 grit, re-seal then sand again but should I keep this dark colour if possible ? 

[Norris]

Any clear coat will tend to darken the wood - except for the finish that @Andyjr1515 used on the Psilos build recently (which contains a hint of white pigment to keep it light)

Make sure the first coat is flattened nicely, then another coat of sealer and gentle sand back should do. You'll then want to apply 2 or 3 coats of lacquer with only gentle sanding between coats. You don't want to burn through to the sealer. Then you can lay on more coats to finish as required.  

What lacquer are you using? Nitrocellulouse is a bit more forgiving because the coats merge together. Poly will form distinct layers so you need to be a bit more careful with the sanding to avoid burning through - you'll see witness lines if you do. Oil finishes such as tru-oil can also be polished up to a high gloss if you have the patience to do so.

Most types of lacquer need careful attention to the health and safety warnings - it's not nice stuff to be breathing in!

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Norris said:

Most types of lacquer need careful attention to the health and safety warnings - it's not nice stuff to be breathing in!

Way back in my youth we'd sometimes see one of the aircraft painters stoned on MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone).  The solvent was used liberally by the paint shop as a general purpose cleaner during the preparation of aircraft components before two-pack paints were applied.  These cure fully in a couple of hours due to a hardener chemical.

The chap concerned was a large Dublin man who could not be told about safety and more to the point; how to do his job.  He was close to retirement.  He'd have a rag that was saturated with the stuff hanging out of his overall pocket while doing the prep.  This had the effect of giving him a vapour rich atmosphere to breath where ever he was.  We reckoned he was displaying visible signs of brain damage like tremors, memory loss and mood swings.

It was the eighties.  Nuff said.  Carry on.

Edited June 20, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, Norris said:

Any clear coat will tend to darken the wood - except for the finish that @Andyjr1515 used on the Psilos build recently (which contains a hint of white pigment to keep it light)

Make sure the first coat is flattened nicely, then another coat of sealer and gentle sand back should do. You'll then want to apply 2 or 3 coats of lacquer with only gentle sanding between coats. You don't want to burn through to the sealer. Then you can lay on more coats to finish as required.  

What lacquer are you using? Nitrocellulouse is a bit more forgiving because the coats merge together. Poly will form distinct layers so you need to be a bit more careful with the sanding to avoid burning through - you'll see witness lines if you do. Oil finishes such as tru-oil can also be polished up to a high gloss if you have the patience to do so.

Most types of lacquer need careful attention to the health and safety warnings - it's not nice stuff to be breathing in!

I just tried some wirewool on one section before I left the car and it left a lovely smooth finish so I will be hand rubbing both coats (1 left to do) . Quite impressed by brushed sanding sealer's ability to fill in little holes that evaded grain filler. I'm using this (but in white). I'm hoping I can use wire wool on it all

I've got a lovely brown tort celluloid plate for it. 

Daughter found above photo on my phone and said "wow what is that?"  Buy is she ever going to be disappointed when she sees my attempt at transparent blonde. 

For better or worse, I'm doing it all in the open air here at work. Basschat's first car-built bass. Woo....🦄

Edited June 20, 2018 by Geek99

[Norris]

Nitrocellulouse rattle cans. Check out Manchester Guitar Tech. Cheaper and good quality stuff

I've heard a few comments about you doing woodwork in the car park

(We work at the same large company)

[Geek99]

Its my brain-out-of-gear-for-a -while activity; there's only so much java code you can write before you need to do something monotonous, like endless <fairy cake/> grain  filling on paulownia wood. "No one else's business" at that same large company

Edited June 20, 2018 by Geek99