Shortscale and sparkly. On a budget. By a Beginner

[FuNkShUi]

Didn't have as much time as i thought i would this weekend, but on Sunday i had about 90 mins between coming home from one trip, and going out for another.
Seeing as my kid had fallen asleep in the car and it wasn't raining, i decided to take the opportunity to do some stripping with the heat gun on my front lawn so i could hear him if he woke up

Here's the venue


Here's the before



So my plan was to methodically, and slowly move the heat gun up and down whilst then using the scraper to remove the poly once it was hot enough.
My first issue, how do you know when it's hot enough? I didn't know for certain.
So i kept moving the heat gun until the paint started coming off.
I applied a bit of downward pressure and held the heat gun at about 45 degrees, and moved it in horizontal strips of about 20 cm. Like so...



As i was doing this i thought maybe i should start using the heat gun "vertically", in the same direction the fretboard runs. (tuners to bridge)
Truthfully, i don't know if this made a difference, but in my mind, as the grain was running that direction, that made sense, so that's what i did.

After finishing the front we had something that looked like this



Now, as you can see, on the right hand side where the controls wood go, the wood looks a lot more bare.
I wasn't sure If this was what was meant to happen, or if i'd gone too deep.
I left it like that and started working on the back.

Now i don't know if the poly was thinner on the back through wear or if it was just thinner in the first place, but first pass on the heat gun yielded different results.
Maybe i held the heat gun longer, or moved it slower? It wasn't apparent that i had, but here is what the back looked like after about 5 minutes....



As you can see, it's right down to the wood, with burn marks on some sections.
A couple of things learnt. I hadn't gone deep enough on the front and I had moved the gun too slowly on the back (i guessed that is what caused the scorched bits).

So i moved back to the front, and tried to move the gun a little quicker....



Still not quick enough
I think because the top layer had already come off, i should have moved the gun, quicker again.

Nevermind! This is all trial and error. Now i have sanded the burnt areas and they look much better, but i wanted to show how i had burnt it, so the mistakes are clear to anyone thinking of having a bash at something similar.
Slow and steady is the way to go, so that you're not literally scraping the paint off. But not too slow. If the paint "blisters" you've probably held the gun on one point too long. Need to find the "Goldilocks speed".
Will post a picture of the naked and sanded down bass once i have stripped the sides too. Hoping to get that done tonight.

I've ordered the flake i want, and the base, primer and clear sealant. Will then start on a test piece to see how it looks before committing to using the paint a shake on method .

More soon...

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1477904256' post='3165069'] Great stuff . Look forward to seeing the results. My wife has reminded me that it is a method of spraying pottery glaze onto pots that can be done the hand blowing method. I'll try to dig out the details in case the shaker approach isn't any good. [/quote]

That'd be good. This is every chance my shaker method won't look and i'll need to explore other avenues

[Norris]

Just an idea - I'd practice shaking your glitter over a large area. If you put an A4 sheet of paper in a cardboard box, you could have several practices and recycle your glitter. I think the most difficult part (apart from building up lots of lacquer afterwards) is to get an even distribution

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1477907418' post='3165105']
Just an idea - I'd practice shaking your glitter over a large area. If you put an A4 sheet of paper in a cardboard box, you could have several practices and recycle your glitter. I think the most difficult part (apart from building up lots of lacquer afterwards) is to get an even distribution
[/quote]

Good suggestion. I'll definitely do something along those lines.

[Andyjr1515]

I think you've done well for a first attempt with a heat gun. 'Finding the Goldilocks speed' is a very apt phrase . Small scorches are usually sand able even with plain wood finishes so with glitter it will be no problem.

Go carefully with the sides, though. Much easier to scorch and/or dig in, particularly round the cutaways and at the corners. Patience is definitely a virtue for this bit

[FuNkShUi]

Yeh the scorches have come off.
After i swore a bit, i thought i'd see if i could fix it. And the scorches were gone
Just wanted to be truthful with how it originally went. I'll post the cleaner shots after i've done the sides.
But yes, "slow and smooth". I'll be repeating that mantra

[Norris]

"Warts and all" build threads are the best ones

[Owen]

I want to strip a guitar down so this is top info!

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1478035134' post='3166299']
I want to strip a guitar down so this is top info!
[/quote]
Glad it can be of use to someone.

I did the sides yesterday. That was far more awkward!!
Firstly, i had to find a way to stand the body on end. So i used my tool bench as a kind of clamp. You can see what i mean in the picture below.



Ideal? No. But it did a good job of it actually.
It was tricky because the scraping tool i had on the end of the heat gun was a little too big to fit in the upper and lower horn section of the body easily. So it took a fair bit of moving around in the "vice". A few swears were made when i picked the body up and it was still hotter than the surface of the sun. But i got there in the end.



A note to anyone who hasn't done this before but is thinking of it..... wear eye protection. When you're scraping the poly off, it flakes off and then flicks up into the air. A piece that goes into your eye would be bad enough on its own, but it is hot too. Feels like when you're frying bacon and the fat spits off and burns you. Imagine some of that in your peepers! I had a piece hit me on top of my cheek. That was enough of a warning for me, so i got mine out.

Like i said, this bit was far trickier than the front and back, and as such i did leave the heat gun in the same place for too long in parts, but after sanding i don't see it being an issue.
If i do it again, I'll make sure to go steadily about it. Do not rush. And potentially buy a smaller tool for the heat gun. Although the problem could have been circumvented by using a separate scraper. Possibly could have been more awkward because of the tighter angles in a shortscale body too.
It's all a learning experience though
I've ordered my metal flake, and some primer spray paint and clear coat lacquer. Once they arrive i will carry out a test on a piece of wood to see if i like the finish.
Until then though, the sanding. Hopefully get a little bit done before band practice tonight.

Edited November 2, 2016 by FuNkShUi

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478075333' post='3166472']

Glad it can be of use to someone.

I did the sides yesterday. That was far more awkward!!
Firstly, i had to find a way to stand the body on end. So i used my tool bench as a kind of clamp. You can see what i mean in the picture below.



Ideal? No. But it did a good job of it actually.
It was tricky because the scraping tool i had on the end of the heat gun was a little too big to fit in the upper and lower horn section of the body easily. So it took a fair bit of moving around in the "vice". A few swears were made when i picked the body up and it was still hotter than the surface of the sun. But i got there in the end.



A note to anyone who hasn't done this before but is thinking of it..... wear eye protection. When you're scraping the poly off, it flakes off and then flicks up into the air. A piece that goes into your eye would be bad enough on its own, but it is hot too. Feels like when you're frying bacon and the fat spits off and burns you. Imagine some of that in your peepers! I had a piece hit me on top of my cheek. That was enough of a warning for me, so i got mine out.

Like i said, this bit was far trickier than the front and back, and as such i did leave the heat gun in the same place for too long in parts, but after sanding i don't see it being an issue.
If i do it again, I'll make sure to go steadily about it. Do not rush. And potentially buy a smaller tool for the heat gun. Although the problem could have been circumvented by using a separate scraper. Possibly could have been more awkward because of the tighter angles in a shortscale body too.
It's all a learning experience though
I've ordered my metal flake, and some primer spray paint and clear coat lacquer. Once they arrive i will carry out a test on a piece of wood to see if i like the finish.
Until then though, the sanding. Hopefully get a little bit done before band practice tonight.
[/quote]
Ah....just spotted - your scraper is part of your heat gun? That will be quite tricky as you say to get the heat right and the scraping right. I use a standard heat gun and decent quality (sharp but still cheap) hand scraper. Makes getting the balance between heat and mechanics just right

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1478076304' post='3166481']
Ah....just spotted - your scraper is part of your heat gun? That will be quite tricky as you say to get the heat right and the scraping right. I use a standard heat gun and decent quality (sharp but still cheap) hand scraper. Makes getting the balance between heat and mechanics just right
[/quote]

Yeh, it's definitely something i would change from the start if i did it again.

[FuNkShUi]

Had about 30 minutes to myself last night, so made a start on sanding.
Started off with 240 grade. Quite rough. But a good starting point.
Again, used my workbench to clamp the body and gave it the once over.
Not sure the pictures show it, but it has made a big difference already....


And the front

Not too clear a picture unfortunately.

Zoomed in a bit here...


Here is a picture of the curved sides....


Again, doesn't really show much of what the initial sanding has done, but it has made a difference.

I have 3 more grades of paper to use, then hopefully it'll be ready for finishing.

Worth noting though, i don't plan on having a smooth finish, so "perfection" is not necessary for me at this stage.

As always, any suggestions and ideas are welcomed

I think my metal flake and paint should arrive today, so at some point over this weekend i plan on do a test run with them, and carrying on the sanding

Edited November 3, 2016 by FuNkShUi

[PlungerModerno]

If you have 80 grit - it'll go a LOT faster.

Only downside is to get it smooth you need a lot of intermediate grades (80 - 120 - 180 - 240 etc) - or you'll be fighting to get the 80 grit ruts out of the body.
Based on the pics I'd say it'll work just fine after some coats of primer & some levelling.
For the finished product - the texturing you are planning on the outer coats will hide a lot of sins at this stage .

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='PlungerModerno' timestamp='1478212287' post='3167670']

For the finished product - the texturing you are planning on the outer coats will hide a lot of sins at this stage .
[/quote]#

That is definitely one of the things that appealed to me

I am going to get some rougher sandpaper on the way home from work today. Probably 80 and 180.

Hopefully i'll have some time tonight to do a test strip to see if i like the flake

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478245895' post='3167772']
#

That is definitely one of the things that appealed to me

I am going to get some rougher sandpaper on the way home from work today. Probably 80 and 180.

Hopefully i'll have some time tonight to do a test strip to see if i like the flake
[/quote]
Hi, Kert

You're doing well

It's less critical when you are using primer (that usually covers pretty much anything), but the general rule of thumb is to try to get down to bare clean wood so it's well worth the effort with your coarser sandpaper. Certainly if this was going to be stained or oiled it is critical, but previous coating residue can react also with other finishes too.

When you've sanded it down through the finer grades to, say, 250, dust it down (vacuuming it is best) and look closely for any dips or dings - they will still show through even multiple coats of primer and finish. The more aberrations you can sand out or fill and sand back at this stage, the better will be the final finish

Edited November 5, 2016 by Andyjr1515

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1478337263' post='3168459']
Hi, Kert

You're doing well

It's less critical when you are using primer (that usually covers pretty much anything), but the general rule of thumb is to try to get down to bare clean wood so it's well worth the effort with your coarser sandpaper. Certainly if this was going to be stained or oiled it is critical, but previous coating residue can react also with other finishes too.

When you've sanded it down through the finer grades to, say, 250, dust it down (vacuuming it is best) and look closely for any dips or dings - they will still show through even multiple coats of primer and finish. The more aberrations you can sand out or fill and sand back at this stage, the better will be the final finish
[/quote]

Thanks Andy. Appreciate the advice, as always.
Had a hectic weekend, so didn't get much done, will crack on with it this coming week

[FuNkShUi]

Last night i had a quick hour between coming in from work and having to go out again.
So i decided on doing a test sample.
First thing to do was get the flake together, to mix it up.
Now i nearly forgot to take a picture of them before mixing, but i got this ....


It's purple, emerald green and clear iridescent metal flake.

First things first. If you do this, don't mix it on your kitchen table. Lots of stuff gets sparkly, quite quickly too.

Here's how it looks mixed



I am happy. It's pretty much what i expected to be honest.

Now to my homemade device that ensures equal spread of metallic flake over a primed surface....


Yes, a polystyrene cup with pin holes.

Before my wife came home, i took it all outside.

My plan was to spoon a little of the flake into the cup and shake it on to try ensure a even "spread"
Two issues.....the cup didn't work because the pin holes weren't big enough.
If i was still there now, out of the teaspoons worth of flake, 80% would still be in the cup.
Second issue, i need to get a tray or catching device for when i do this properly.
My thoughts were, doing it inside would mean there'd be no wind to blow the flake about the place.
That didn't matter. It still pretty much went wherever it pleased.

Anyway, here is what a poorly executed sample looks like



I do actually like the finish colour.
But i will do a few more experiments on a method of flake distribution!

Edited November 10, 2016 by FuNkShUi

[EBS_freak]

I know it may be against the DIY ethos... but have you tried sourcing a cheap airbrush (probably one of those aerosol powered ones) and flake attachment?

[Norris]

Maybe an old fashioned tea strainer might have large enough holes? Watching with interest...

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1478775313' post='3171493']
I know it may be against the DIY ethos... but have you tried sourcing a cheap airbrush (probably one of those aerosol powered ones) and flake attachment?
[/quote]

I did look at it, but thought i'd stick with the DIY route, mainly to see how i could do, with as little costs as possible.

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1478776972' post='3171517']
Maybe an old fashioned tea strainer might have large enough holes? Watching with interest...
[/quote]

Yeh that could work. In all honesty the cup method will work, just need a thicker pin!!
I'm going to have a go at a few different methods, hopefully this weekend

[Marc S]

Hey Kert, you deleted all the earlier pics already (or at least, I can't see them)
And I wanted to do a before & after comparison

Keep going with this project matey - you'll be gigging with this bass, and wearing matching sparkly short trousers before you know it

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1478796389' post='3171727']
Hey Kert, you deleted all the earlier pics already (or at least, I can't see them)
And I wanted to do a before & after comparison

Keep going with this project matey - you'll be gigging with this bass, and wearing matching sparkly short trousers before you know it
[/quote]

That's really weird. Hadn't deleted them, and they were still on my IMGUR profile?

They should be back on the first post now. Thanks for making me aware of it Marc.

Already bought the sparkly trousers. Years ago

Edited November 11, 2016 by FuNkShUi

[scrumpymike]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478777859' post='3171528']
Yeh that could work. In all honesty the cup method will work, just need a thicker pin!!
I'm going to have a go at a few different methods, hopefully this weekend
[/quote]

Holes punched thru polystyrene will tend to close up afterwards - hot pin maybe?

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1478969489' post='3173058']
Holes punched thru polystyrene will tend to close up afterwards - hot pin maybe?
[/quote]

I'll give it a go!
Thanks.
Too busy to do anything this weekend, maybe get something done through this coming week