A little refinish project…

[Silky999]

This was a little new black left handed short scale £85 Harley Benton which is going to be my 6yr old nephew’s birthday present. The only problem is his mum wants it in green and you cannot get a left handed short scale in green for less than £500 new and none second hand. Good old uncle Silky is in the process of a nitro refinish in Emerald Green.
 

I have also levelled the frets, rolled the fretboard edges, dressed and polished (it is an £85 bass after all so what can you expect from new). It is turning out rather well!.

 

Handy hint for a cheap painting jig……I have used an old disco lighting T bar stand with wood batten bolted to it to screw the body onto. It’s fully height adjustable and you can spin the body on its long axis by loosening the Allen bolts on the bracket. Puts the body at just the right height however tall you are.
 

 

Edited July 28 by Silky999

[Richard R]

Nice colour.

How did you prep the surface?

[Duarte]

Great colour! And an amazing gift.

[Silky999]

12 hours ago, Richard R said:

Nice colour.

How did you prep the surface?

I I didn’t go back to bare wood on the majority of it. Harley Benton use some sort of poly to seal under the paint so I left as much of that as I could.
 

I went over the whole thing with Rustins grain filler and their sanding sealer. I wasn’t so impressed with the grain filler and would try Nitorlack next time as it doesn’t go on very well even when well thinned. 
 

it’s the second time I have tried Rustins and both times it wasn’t great. I’m open to any suggestions from the wise as to a good and easy to apply grain filler?

Edited July 29 by Silky999

[Mediocre Polymath]

Good call on the lighting stand. I've got some painting to do soon and it's given me an idea. I don't have a lighting stand but I do have a similarly sturdy and be-tripodded bike maintenance stand.

 

I've always used the W S Jenkins grain filler that Tonetech sell. Not sure if it's good or not really as I don't have much to compare it to, but it's another option if you need one.

[Silky999]

2 hours ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Good call on the lighting stand. I've got some painting to do soon and it's given me an idea. I don't have a lighting stand but I do have a similarly sturdy and be-tripodded bike maintenance stand.

 

I've always used the W S Jenkins grain filler that Tonetech sell. Not sure if it's good or not really as I don't have much to compare it to, but it's another option if you need one.

I think any sturdy tripod type stand with a bar would work if you are prepared to do some drilling etc. I will look at the Tonetech filler as well. 

[Silky999]

This js my homemade spraying jig(mk1). I had it poking into a couple of cardboard boxes taped together with an old fan blowing out the garage door. 
 

I am about to build a proper mdf booth with someone’s used hydroponics extractor fan, lights and some proper ducting to sort the overspray

[PaulThePlug]

The use of one of those mini plastic green houses has been mentioned as a spray booth. Mate had one in my garage for painting bike tanks and side panels etc.

[Silky999]

The green machine is all finished. It started as  black and is now a gorgeous Emerald Green as you can’t get that colour in a shortscale left hander 
 

 

[Richard R]

I hope your nephew appreciates he has a one-of-a-kind bass.

[Stub Mandrel]

Nice, lucky lad!