PaulKing

And then

Latest ... bursting the back in stages ... masks prevent excessive overspray into natural areas, but gotta avoid hard lines! (Note curled edges..). Cheating really but it works. And suddenly there’s flaming...

Happy Christmas matey! yeah I could see the flame lurking under the cack-brown painted-on varnish. I wanted to let it sing! the back is the same ....

Before / after:

Oh and Maude - thanks for top advice! yeh, Steve at Manchester Guitar Tech had good instructions about cold wet weather blooms... and you know in the end I’ve risked doing it indoors. I get a good seal on the door in the room (bed sheet wrapped around it and a blanket across the bottom), windows wide open, I have a proper vapour mask which is 100% effective... and all the junk in the room (including vintage basses 😱), well it’s only dust. They are getting a little dusting but it is dry and brushes off. My wife ain’t that happy but she’s putting up with me... so long as I don’t spray in the evening. There is a bit of a whiff for 20mins after I’ve opened the door, but it’s very slight.

A Christmassy update. Learned a lot along the way, and I’m happier with this side than the other... but I’m pretty chuffed with this so far:

I'm gonna have to put the tent up in the garden and lacquer it out there. Or we're all going to hospital. Already wearing storm-trooper gas mask while spraying... It's going to take a LOT of lacquer. 2-3 cans for a telecaster? Go figure....

Time to get serious. First squirt of paint.

Look what Bob's Decals made me:

Ha, I shoulda painted at least but sadly that’s beyond me. but if drawn on purfling was good enough in Cleveland factory, it’s good enough for me!! ooh show us the rest of yours...

in for a penny....

Ha yeah I drew the outline ... it was quite exciting!

Rough / quick practice... Wickes ply is a bit more rosy coloured.

So err, quite familiar with ‘that’ bass are ye?! ;o)

Yeh I noticed ...! the 60s King I tried out a while ago (beautiful... see relevant thread .... still for sale) was very gloss. Kings were finished in nitro though. I’ve done a test in gloss and satin to see which I prefer. I’d prefer it to look worn rather than factory fresh, so think I’ll prefer the slightly knocked back sheen of satin finish. Using my Kay as a guide. The Sunburst pattern on early Kings (and Kay’s for that matter) was pretty crude ... I think even I can match that. Now, purfling ... that’s gonna be a different kind of challenge!

Checking nitro colour... nice. drawn on purfling, now that could be a challenge too far. At least it doesn’t bleed under the nitro... big shout to Steve at Manchester Guitar Tech

Wow love that tuba! Day 5:

Loads better, but only on the bottom 3 strings and a bit of the g... the sound is somehow, lighter, almost naked... ;o)

Stripper, 10mins, quick wipe with scraper, wire wool dipped in stripper.

Lower rib, C bout time for work ... turning blonde

Day 2...

No machines involved...

Ha, yeh I havent really started yet. Not like I got loads of spare time!

Never touch the finish on a vintage bass right? Right. Of course. No way. But if someone already beat you to it ... what's the harm in having another go?? 1937 King Mortone (sexy), previously refinished in simple light brown varnish (really quite nice, but, meh). Target: Strip varnish, replace with sunburst copied from original (nitro spray or hand rub TBC), add nitrocellulose top coat (gloss or satin TBC). If I can't get my hands on a glorious '37 King in original factory condition (you know who you are!!) ... well second best is to attack my own. How much of a disaster could it be?? (HA!) Step 1: Will the varnish come off clean? Verdict: Yes. See below (pic 1 of many more to come ....). How long will this take me? Place your bets now. Next steps - Disassemble bass - Complete varnish removal - Light sand - Practice sunburst application on blank plywood (trying nitro aerosol vs hand-rub water-based stains) - Practice top coat (clear satin or clear gloss nitrocellulose aerosol) - Probably no sealant ... wanna keep all those dings. - Sunburst pattern, light sand - Nitro top coat, 2 or 3 coats

Ha, I was moderated!!