Andyjr1515

Oh...and in case you were wondering, yes... the headstock's fine now

The good news is that I've probably done the last gloss coat. After it's fully hardened, I am hoping it will be able to be polished to a high gloss: The bad news - and it's a bit of a shocker - I think I may have to abandon Ronseal No doubt for the good of the environment, the Ronseal Hardglaze changed its formulation around a year ago. It went from 'Very High' volatiles to 'High' volatiles. The difference in use appeared to be subtle and manageable - a little thinner; a little more prone to creating little bubbles. But I've come across the showstopper. It appears to be much less compatible with thinning with white-spirits...essential if using a wipe-one approach. This effect, mentioned and explained earlier: ....always a small issue if the coats were too thick on an un-roughed substrate, seems to happen regardless of the substrate - and to an unuseable degree with the way I work - the more white spirit is used to thin. I was applying the 'final, final very thinned ' coat and it started pulling away like crazy. I brushed it with a very fine laquer brush that had been in some white spirit and it literally globuled. I had to immediately wipe it off. As such, the above hasn't had the final final - although I think it will polish up just fine. Bit of a beggar, though. I will do a few trials on an old body with Rustins Gloss Polyurethane, which I often use as an alternative. It's the same sort of stuff but is a different formulation - even in its lower volatiles version. I think I've used that relatively recently and not suffered the same issue. I'll check it out. I'll also have a try of Chestnut Melamine - can't remember who it is here that uses it but one of our Basschat colleagues does with fantastic results. In the meantime, the EB-3 is ready for the final steps

Personally, I put Tonerider Classic IV's in all mine in preference to p/ups 2 or 3 times the price. But...it depends what sound you are after....

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1476049244' post='3150891'] What I have found strange in this build is my obvious mistakes. All have been foreseeable but have still happened. I am working on getting it right 2nd time as I regain long lost skills. [/quote] I find that with the more builds I do, I don't necessarily reduce the number of silly and foreseeable mistakes as much as I simply get better at fixing them afterwards

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1475958487' post='3150142'] Photos tomorrow [/quote] Great - can't wait

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1475955505' post='3150113'] Slow progress, the day job uses time up. Tidied up the 'bad router day' issues. Sliced up various bits of mahogany into 2 / 3mm slices, bandsaw and file to fit the divots. Epoxied in and then routed flat. Started on the bridge, ebony slab planed and chamfered. String holes carefully measured and subsequently drilled. Today's lesson is - if you need reading glasses for close work, you should wear them. I got the measurements and hole locations spot on, not quite that good using the pillar drill making the holes. I should be able to 'lose' the slight misalignment issue. Next up, routing the 3mm bridge slot, have had several trials on this, still not really happy with the quality of what I can attain. [/quote] Any photos, 3below? Don't worry too much about slow progress. Every part of a bit of a job done is a part of a bit closer to finishing

Close...but no cigar, yet. Looking quite good full on: ...but when you look at the reflection, there are too many furrow lines showing: What I DO know, however, is that is is quite close. A further full flattening, followed by progressive micro-web down to around 6000 grit, and I'll try a couple more 'last coats'

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1475910973' post='3149635'] Mine has been gigged most weekends since I've had it, and it's been brilliant. I was a bit worried to take it gigging because of how pristine it was. Once I got over that, it's seen a lot of gigs, and gone through the usual wear and tear. No problem at all. Doesn't dent or damage easier than my other bass. In fact I think it is still completely undamaged. So it's fared well! Always have comments on how "pretty" it is too [/quote] Thanks, Kert (phew!) In terms of the present one, each coat now is 'could this be the final one?' But to be honest it often isn't. This has just been done and is wet, but the reflections are cleaner than previous coats. Trouble is, as it drys, any imperfections start showing through. Now then - for anyone even mildly interested in finishing with polyurethane-type varnishes, sprayed or wiped on - there's a VERY important reason why I'm covering this bit of the process in a bit more detail, and that is [b]the fundamental difference between nitro finishes and poly varnish finishes.[/b] Many of us have seen clip after clip of the buffing down to the final finish. [b]Warning - this absolutely does not work with polyurethane varnish finishes![/b] The difference is simple chemistry. Each new coat of nitro 'melts' into the previously applied coat. As such, the finished coating - maybe 20 coats in all - acts and behaves as one homogeneous layer. Here, therefore, you can then buff, sand and polish down to your desired high gloss finish. Polyurethane coats do [b]not [/b]melt into each other. Therefore, if you do need 20 coats (or 3 or 5 or 7) you will have in the final coating 20 bonded but separate layers. If you then buff or t-cut past the final layer, you will end up with contour lines of each of the layers you are cutting into...and they will not polish out. Therefore the trick is to get the sub surface as smooth as possible and then finish off with a couple of thin top coats that provide the final gloss. Yes - you can polish - and use very mild cutting polishes such as Meguiers Ultimate Compound (t-cut is too abrasive) because that final finish, once cured, is very tough, but the polishing will be of that very top layer. Don't know if that makes sense but it is something that finishing tutorials and discussions often miss full explanations of - and I suspect many attempts have been binned with people buffing, suffering the above effect and thinking they've done something wrong and irresolvable....

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475875497' post='3149518'] Thinking about it a bit more I'd have drilled the one for the varitone switch since it will have the large surround with the position makers on it which might help disguise any finish blemishes around the hole. [/quote] I could offer a reason why the edge one is better....but it would probably be luthier bulls**t

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1475863486' post='3149391'] Thank you, I had a lovely time reading through that thread again. Lovely outcome there! Do you use a cloth to apply it? [/quote] I use the cheapo microfibre cloths you get in Homebase / Sainsbury's / etc - 4 for £2.00 or something like for applying the ink and the varnish. There's a detailed article on how I go about the varnish [url="http://www.projectguitar.com/tutorials/finishingrefinishing/bedroom-builders-wipe-on-varnishing-r67/"]here on projectguitar.com[/url] [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475861067' post='3149365'] That finish is looking amazing. I see you have drilled a single hole through the top from the control cavity. Why just the one at this stage? And why that particular one? [/quote] I've just finished off the routing of control chamber depth to finished thickness before the (possibly) final gloss coat. I prefer to varnish without the pot and jack holes because you tend to get streaks as the cloth goes over the holes. However, I also prefer to have at least one through hole before I route the chamber down to 5mm thickness just in case I have my datum or level wrong. It's a lot easier to confirm the thickness when you've got a hole there rather than using calipers or similar. So, the compromise is to have one hole, at the end where a streak shouldn't be too long or obvious. It's the jack hole.

The varnishing is going well. It's a bit unpredictable at this stage - I stop when I think "that's OK" . Sometimes that is after very few coats and sometimes more. It is certainly at least possible that one more coat (ie after just one flattening) might do it. This is the first coat of the top after the first flattening: ...and here's the back after the first coat following the first flattening: What often happens is a smudge, or a sanding mark, or a dust bunny, in which case it will need another flattening and then at least another two top coats. It is at least possible, though, that the varnishing will be complete by the end of the weekend....

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1475836046' post='3149064'] Looking great. Love the finish on this too. Trying to find a reason/justification for another build..... [/quote] Always happy to talk about builds.... By the way, with reference to 6v6's question above, Kert, how do you find the ruggedness of the varnish on your single-cut? You are actually a good point of reference because I know you regularly gig it...and much more than I gig my own (For those of you who didn't follow Kert's single cut build, this had the same Ronseal finishing approach, albeit on unstained wood:

I use standard Ronseal Hardglaze or the Rustins equivalent. I don't think it gets close to the absolute rock hardness of a modern commercial poly or uv cured acrylic finish but I find it certainly fully giggable

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1475786439' post='3148827'] I was wondering whether you could give a little bit more information about how you apply the ink for the colouring? Do you like thin the ink down or anything? If you already have a thread with this in, could you point us in the right direction. Thank you [/quote] Hi, Myke I generally use the ink straight out of the bottle. I've done a number of threads - I'll try to find the best one. In the meantime, quite a comprehensive one was the westone refurb I did for allighat0r (Bryan) here http://basschat.co.uk/topic/246859-thunder-jet-yesanother-westone/page__st__30 That thread covers the way I do veneering too if that's of any interest to anyone

But, actually, this is dry: Not quite there, but not bad for the small number of coats and one interim flattening. However, bodes well for the final finish - provided I don't cock it up (which is always on the very edge of probability )

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1475766957' post='3148614'] Eh... we... u.... One of the most stunning finishes I have ever seen. [/quote] Well - that's when it's still wet. When it's dry it'll probably look more like this:

Just a slight diversion for those of you who have followed some of my previous explanations of how I personally do wipe-on varnishing (I'll repost a link if I remember to!). (The "why" by the way is that I don't have the facilities to do a decent job of spray finishes and for my own guitars and basses and - with full prior explanation of the advantages but also shortcomings - generally for other folk's instruments, my preference is wipe-on polyurethane varnish.) Anyway, back to those who may have tried - one thing I can't remember if I covered in my previous 'how-to' explanations. If you remember, every two or three coats and before the final coats, I lightly flatten with c 800 grit used wet. This serves to:[list] [*]flatten off any ripples in the finish, that can become cumulative with too many un-flattened coats [*]take out any dust bunnies that, again, will cumulatively create a hill of accumulated coats around them [*]take out any runs, etc [/list] But - and this is the bit that I don't think I've covered - it sorts out this: I've purposely left this like this to illustrate the point. What it is NOT is brush marks (actually in my case microfibre cloth slub marks). You could run over this with the finest lacquer brush and these lines would still appear. So what are they? And how can you prevent them? Well, what I THINK is happening is that the sloppy wet varnish, applied on top of three coats of shiny and hard varnish, is bonding better to itself than to the surface that is being coated. So it is creeping away in fairly random places, aligned to the direction of the application. I say that because:[list] [*]it is probably a total guess from someone who is completely ill-informed and wrong (what moi? ) [*]the same thing happens to my wife's pottery glazes if the bisque fired pots have a composition or firing issue [/list] The cure is the flattening - in fact this isn't, in my view, a bad way of judging when to flatten. The flattening roughs up the surface as well as the above things and allows the wet lacquer to adhere to the surface more strongly than to itself. This is the body - exactly the same number of coats applied at the very same time with the very same bit of microfibre cloth but I had flattened this before the coat: I'll try and remember to add a paragraph onto my 'how I do it' thread....

[quote name='Bottle' timestamp='1475582261' post='3147046'] Have now started the wood working class. First couple of weeks were being tutored on different aspects of using workshop tools etc but should be clear of that now and can concentrate on the build. Wood ordered today so should be here in a couple of weeks. Next two weeks I shall be prepping templates and the like. Have got a few designs in mind - just need to commit them to paper..... [/quote] Excellent! Can't wait

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1475609234' post='3147400'] Stunning finish [/quote] Thanks, White Cloud. That it's a nice bit of wood helps...

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1475602397' post='3147327'] Ruined any more rugs recently? [/quote] No To be honest, since establishing my cellar work bench, the thrill of being on the edge of domestic disaster has dulled somewhat. The other day, I dropped a newly opened bottle of truoil that, in the past, would have resulted in frantic but noiseless cleaning up operations followed by swift rearrangement of the furniture. As it was, I just mopped it up off the workbench. Not quite the same. Still, putting newly varnished and still wet basses on the lounge furniture does compensate maybe a little...

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1475581738' post='3147040'] Is your middle name "Danger"??? [/quote] No - when tackling MrsAndyjr1515 (or worse...being tackled by her), my middle name is usually more like 'Mouse'

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1475580869' post='3147034'] Looks great - I hope it was dry before you put it on the chair! [/quote] Well....the back and sides were...

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1475563157' post='3146869'] Oooooo exciting. Still gigging mine every weekend and loving it. [/quote] Great When I'm asked which build I'm proudest of so far, my answer is still unhesitatingly 'Kert's' gelfin and I are at very early stages of discussion but his is going to be SUCH a different style. Very exciting

Just been clearing the loft. It's embarrassing how large some of the items are that we have 'lost' and replaced and that have now been found..... The reason I've been able to do stuff like the loft is that I'm onto finishing proper - the final wipe-on Ronseal coats...and that leaves a decent amount of time where you can't even tiptoe round the workshop while the varnish is drying Just done the final coat of purple tinged clearcoat (Ronseal, some Purple Chestnut Spirit Stain and a drop of white spirits, wiped on with a cheapo Homebase micro-fibre cloth.) The colour never comes out right on the photos but in the flesh it's taken the slight pink tinge off: The 'face' still shows through, despite it being a little darker nowadays: It's now onto clearcoats. I'll do a couple of clear before the first flattening - don't want to flatten away the purple tint! Thanks for the encouraging feedback, folks

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1475528478' post='3146735'] Well we're finally talking about a new build now. [/quote] We certainly are....and WHAT a build!