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 paper. 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 paper 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 papers 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 

On the Home Stretch

It's a fact of life that events and circumstances can conspire to delay and reshape our plans, and this has certainly been the case where the instrument pictured is concerned.

Given that building guitars is such as passion for me, it's amazing - and even a little embarrassing! - to reflect on the fact that I began this guitar around twelve years ago. With a busy life that revolved around a nine to five job, time to pursue hobbies was in short supply all those years ago, and progress was understandably slow.

In part because of that situation, recalibrating the balance between work and play became a priority for my partner and for me, and we finally made the momentous decision to relocate, with a view to escaping the pace and pressures of city life, reducing our working hours and living expenses in the process.

After the stress and upheaval of an interstate move, we found ourselves renting a tiny cottage in a small village three hours' drive from Melbourne. While we were happy with our decision, and overjoyed to have made the move, other than for a brief period when I had access to a vacant shop a few hundred metres from home I was without a space in which to work, and guitar building was unavoidably put on hold.

We eventually persuaded our landlord to sell us the house, at which point reality set in: after seeking several quotes from local builders, I had to acknowledge that the cost of having a suitable workshop built to my specifications was prohibitive given our severely reduced income. Building with straw bales had captured my imagination several years earlier, however, and, even for someone like me with no prior building experience, building a straw bale workshop seemed achievable and much more affordable given that I'd complete the bulk of the work myself. Fast forward nearly four years, and my workshop was finally completed - previous blog posts show progress.

With that mammoth building project behind me, pent-up enthusiasm and my typical lack of discipline resulted in me commencing a number of new instruments, and it's only now that I begin the homeward run towards stringing this particular guitar up, hopefully within the next few weeks. Assuming, of course, that life events and circumstances allow it!

Cheers, Pete

Level Sanding and Buffing

I'm still chasing rogue sanding scratches and polish residue on this Claro Walnut/Port Orford OM body, but I'm calling it "done" for the time being. I'll return to it shortly with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm.

It's been some time since I last level sanded and buffed a guitar, and I've been reminded once again that a thorough approach to sanding through a sequence of ever-finer sandpaper grits is crucial to attaining the scratch-free finish that I'm looking for. I began levelling the finish with P600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper, proceeding through P800, P1000, P1500 and P2000 papers, using soapy water as a lubricant, before buffing with Menzerna polishing compound on a buffing wheel. Having done so, I'm close to achieving the desired outcome, but there's considerable work remaining before sanding scratches are reduced to what I consider an acceptable level.

This guitar body is the first of five that I'll be sanding and buffing, and I'm aware that if I'm disciplined enough and pay sufficient attention to detail, I can minimise the level of frustration that I always deal with throughout this time-consuming process.

Cheers, Pete

The Long Wait

As keen as I am to string these guitars up and wave them goodbye, I have no choice but to wait several weeks for the lacquer top-coats to cure before I sand and polish them. I know from experience that to give in to my typical impatience is an exercise in futility, so the long wait begins.

Cheers, Pete

The Finish Line

After what feels an eternity, I managed to begin the arduous process of applying finish to this crop of guitars this morning, with a seal coat of shellac applied ahead of the first coats of lacquer tomorrow.

I have three other guitars under construction, but with the inevitability of cold wet weather ahead I vowed to put them to one side and take advantage of our unseasonably dry autumn with a view to finally completing these instruments, some of which I began years ago.

With fresh ideas in mind, I'm well and truly ready to move on from this collection of instruments, and I've come to the realisation that working on a big batch of guitars like this can detract from my enjoyment of the process. A completed instrument would be nice!

Cheers, Pete