Rosewood/Engelmann Spruce 00 - More Photos

Here are some more photos of this 00 model guitar in East Indian rosewood and Engelmann spruce. 

I expect to be in a position to pore-fill and apply lacquer top coats within the next couple of weeks. I'm very happy with the guitar up to this point, and I'm confident that finishing will present few challenges other than it being the usual long, drawn-out process!

Cheers, Pete

A New Model

With a lower bout width of 14.5", a 12th fret body join, and a 24.9" scale length, what else could I call this new model but a "00"?

It's a relief to see the body emerging from its unavoidable ugly phase. The bindings have been levelled and the Engelmann spruce soundboard and East Indian rosewood back and sides have been cleaned up a little for this initial photo shoot.

With plans for an oil-finished neck, I've been able to install frets much sooner than would otherwise be the case; the headstock face and heel cap will be lacquered as usual.

Cheers

Pete

 

For Sale: Claro Walnut/Redwood OM

It's taken such a long time to complete this guitar that it features a body shape I've long since modified. The shape of the heel is very traditional, and the fretboard end is also from a bygone era where my guitar building exploits are concerned. After some initial indecision, I've decided to reduce the price a little.

I'm loving the oil finished neck, which feels super smooth and will be very easy to maintain as the years take their toll.

Contact me for pricing and details.

Cheers, Pete.

SOLD! An Enjoyable Distraction

I had some spare time recently as I waiting for the lacquer I'd sprayed on my current batch of acoustic guitars to cure in readiness for polishing, and as I'm becoming a big fan of headless guitars, I put the guitar pictured together while I had the opportunity to do so.

I've had the maple neck blank and the Queensland maple drop-top cap in my tonewood stash for what must be a decade, so it seemed like a convenient time to put them to good use at last. The mahogany body is comprised of three pieces sourced from the stock of material I'd normally reserve for head blocks on my acoustic guitars.

• Body: chambered mahogany
• Cap: Queensland maple (Flindersia brayleyana)
• Neck: bigleaf maple, with double-action truss rod and carbon fibre reinforcement
• Fingerboard: ebony
• Bridge: Nova Guitar Parts
• Pickups: Kiesel Beryllium humbuckers
• Finish: Osmo Polyx oil

The guitar came together relatively quickly compared to my usual acoustic guitars. I learned a lot through this process, so I'm looking forward to put the lessons learned to good use on similar electric projects in the near future.

Cheers

Pete

Dry Sanding With Super Assilex and Super Buflex Abrasive Sheets

I put this East Indian rosewood/European spruce guitar to one side as I proceeded with my usual process of wet sanding and buffing four other guitar bodies, the motivation being that I wanted to compare wet sanding with the dry sanding alternative.

There was an unavoidable delay as I waited for delivery of the Eagle Abrasives' Super Assilex and Super Buflex papers from Stewart MacDonald in the U.S., but as this particular guitar has been in the works for a number of years I figured that in the overall scheme of things another few weeks' wait was immaterial. This product is usually sold in packs of 25 sheets and is costly in such quantities, so the fact that StewMac sells individual sheets was very appealing given that I'd need a range of grits. Note that the grading system used by the manufacturer identifies the papers' grit with an K prefix, which apparently corresponds to the more familiar P designation.

As the last sprayed coats of lacquer had laid down fairly smoothly, I chose to begin sanding with 800-grit abrasive sheet. Apart from the lack of the usual wet mess, and the ability to dispense with the assortment of towels and rags I usually employ to clear the sanding sludge, I was immediately impressed by the fact that this product quickly levelled the lacquer and clogged to a much lesser extent than the cheaper sandpapers I'd used in the past. When it eventually did show signs of loading with finish, it was easy to prolong its life by quickly wiping it across a scrap of towelling. In so doing, it struck me that the cheaper papers offer a false economy: they tend to clog quickly even when used wet, and I'd bin a significant quantity of it in the course of sanding a single guitar. In contrast, the Super Assilex and Super Buflex sheets were very resilient and relatively long-lived.

I proceeded through 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 grits, alternating the sanding direction between grits as I have in the past in order to more readily identify scratches remaining from the previous grit. With no need to constantly squeegee or wipe away wet slurry, it was pleasing to be able to monitor sanding progress with such ease. With a dry work environment an additional bonus, as I sanded the headstock later I appreciated the absence of water that can seep into tuner holes and potentially cause finish problems.

Having finalised sanding with the finest grit, Menzerna fine compound on my buffing wheels brought the lacquer to a mirror-like shine with much less effort than is usually the case. I buffed the headstock by hand to minimise the likelihood that I'd burn through the edges. Using Meguiars' Ultimate Compound I was able to bring the finish on the headstock to an impressive gloss with very little effort.

Other than the initial expense, I can't see any downside to this paper, and I'm unlikely to ever take the messy wet sanding route again.

Check it out on the StewMac web site: Super Assilex and Super Buflex 

Cheers, Pete 

Some Silent Sanding

 Cheers, Pete

Sanding and Buffing Tips

I'm definitely not the most experienced finisher around, and thought it wise recently to undertake something of a personal refresher course by sifting through some relevant forums and Facebook groups with a view to improving the quality of my finishes. Here's a collection of thoughts on wet sanding and buffing that I've compiled:

• Invest in some good quality sandpaper, not cheap hardware store varieties. There are many good choices; 3M's Trizact is a trusted product, as are many of Mirka's papers.
• Depending on the quality of the final finish coat, begin sanding with the finest grade of sandpaper that will accomplish levelling of the surface. Most recently, I've started with P600, but will begin with P800 in future. Grits coarser than P600 are probably best avoided. 
• Keep your work area spotlessly clean to minimise opportunities for dust and other particulate matter to scratch the guitar as sanding and buffing progresses.
• Wrap sandpaper around a foam or cork block.
• Sand in straight lines rather than in a circular motion.
• Having completed sanding with each grit, put rags or paper towels that have been used to wipe away sanding slurry to one side for disposal or cleaning, then grab fresh ones.
• To more easily identify scratches remaining from the previous grit, sand in an opposing direction when progressing to the next grit.
• Before use, soak sandpaper in a container of water to which a few drops of dishwashing liquid have been added.
• Change the water used to wet the sandpaper when progressing to the next grit. Soak the paper before use, as before.
• As you wet sand, check the sandpaper frequently for any build-up of finish that could cause scratches.
• To guard against sanding through the finish, delay sanding of edges until the finer grades of sandpaper are in use.
• Assuming you have access to a buffing arbor, sand through the grades of paper up to at least P1500, although P2000 would perhaps be a better target. Some builders advocate even finer grades of paper, but the Law of Diminishing Returns perhaps applies in this context.
• When buffing, remove polish residue from the guitar surface frequently to allow the buffing wheel to contact the guitar surface rather than the polish residue, which can impede progress. Removal of the greasier buffing compounds can be difficult; a drop or two of swirl remover rubbed over the affected area, then removed with a clean, soft cloth seems to work well.
• Complete the polishing process with a liquid swirl remover, either by hand, or with a drill-mounted foam pad.
• Be patient!   

As I remarked in the first paragraph, I'm no expert, so if you disagree at all, or care to expand the list, please feel free to comment below.

I aim to experiment with dry sanding as an alternative approach shortly. Stay tuned for a blog post on that topic.

Cheers, Pete