Christine Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 Surprisingly the nitro is drying quite well despite the cold and no sign of blooming, very handy as I'm getting more on than I hoped. Today I put on a couple of coats of clear gloss after cutting the sanding sealer back, then had a long walk on the beach before returning to put on the gold metalic, a day earlier than I imagined. I did the edges first after resetting the gun to output a very small amount in a narrow pattern. After they had dried I feathered in the faces spraying onto each corner at 45 degrees, it took two or three passes to get the right amount on. So tomorrow I can spray the black burst on the two Ebony dragons and the red on the Maple to finish the candy apple burst which I think/hope is looking promising 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Spraying again as planned, got the blackburst done but a minor change of plan on the Maple I wasn't too happy with the colour of the red over gold, it was just a little dull so I sprayed a thin coat of silver over the top so it was a gold/silver blend, the test piece looked good so I sprayed the transparent red over the top. I think they are all looking good, the two Ebony ones look as moody as hell and my red one looks very girly Excuse the poor pictures 😦 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 That red looks good, @Christine Watching this with interest. I've always found spraying challenging... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 44 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said: That red looks good, @Christine Watching this with interest. I've always found spraying challenging... I'm sure many will argue but the trick beyond a very basic technique is a good spraygun. Mine is a DeVilbiss SRI with a 1mm needle, it uses about 2 Bar of pressure and a very low air rate, it has a beautifully fine spray pattern no matter how wide or narrow your fan. It has a really nice airflow adjuster that can be used to balance out any adjustment in the needle. It was quite expensive at about £200 but can be used with a very basic compressor. The other problem is extraction for fumes especially with nitro, I no longer have a spray booth so outside is the best for me and then bring the bass inside quickly out of the way of dust and flies. This time of year it's too cold and damp so I'm spraying indoors and wearing a mask which keeps most of the fumes out but isn't ideal. Even with the cold I can still get four coats on in a day (between about 10am and 2pm) easily which is great Honestly a good spraygun is the answer, a good fine spray with no spits or splatters at any flowrate/pressure and it will give an even wet deposit with minimal usage, the overspray is negligable unless you are spraying edges. I think mine has paid for itself with just paint saved from overspray compared to a cheaper gun. Can you tell I'm a big fan of this gun? It is by far the best I've ever used, it's very hard to get it wrong after a little practice just to get a technique 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 It's a joy to watch you work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted November 23, 2018 Author Share Posted November 23, 2018 2 hours ago, fleabag said: It's a joy to watch you work. You want to bring some of that sun over my workshop? It's so ....... cold in there now, I can see my breath when I'm working, I think things might have to go on hold until spring. Shame as I have another build planned soon too, global warming my ......!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 The sun is in my imagination ...sorry !! Dull and wet here in Oxfordshire. Bit like a pot noodle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Absolutely nothing done with the triplets since, the weather has been too damp and horrible. Fingers crossed we will get a nice spell in the new year to let me get the last few coats on. Well Christmas is finally upon us and I shall be mostly cooking as well as drinking as much wine as I can in the process Merry Christmas everybody! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldwinbass Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Cheers 🍷 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 Nadolig Llawen!! 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 7 minutes ago, Jimothey said: Nadolig Llawen!! 😀 Just goes to show how closely related Celtic languages are. In my nearest town there is a huge Christmas decoration strung over the main street which reads 'Nadelik Lowen' which is Merry Christmas in Cornish. Merry Christmas everyone and I look forward to updates on these when the weather improves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 The triplets are just off to the workshop to resume the finishing coats of spray. Unfortunately the nitro on them is now rock hard so I will have to give them a couple of coats of raw thinners just to soften the surface to allow the next coats of lacquer to melt in so I don't end up with a separate layer stuck on top. I'll cut them back this afternoon and hopefully start spraying again tomorrow; I don't think I will need many coats so with luch the new ones will be fully hardened in a couple of weeks or so fingers crossed 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Woo updates! 😁 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 Glad to see you back, can't wait for the updates!!.............. 😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 Thanks guys Well it's been a harrowing afternoon with the triplets, my red one didn't really need any more coats so I just cut and buffed it but the first ebony one started sanding had an alarming ripple in the veneer on the front so I've been sorting that out all afternoon, cutting it back with a block to get it totally flat. It's OK now but it's going to need a fair bit of lacquer to get it finished now, I'll do battle with the other tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 I think my problems with the rippling has been caused by probably a little too much glue under the veneer. If I remember rightly it was really hot the day I laid the fronts so I may have put a little extra to stop it going off before they got into the vacuum bag. So while it was sanded smooth at the time I think it shrank so more over the months they've been hanging. Thankfully the amount of variation in the surface wasn't really any more than the thickness of the nitro so it sanded flat with only a couple of spots sanding through to the veneer. It isn't a problem as where it's happened is where there is no black paint for the black burst thankfully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 A few more coats of lacquer and a few more sandings and I think all signs of the ripple have gone and the bodies are none the worse for it thankfully. It must have looked a lot worse than it was because there was relatively little work to correct it but still I could have done without it. So I'll put 4 more coats on today and the same tomorrow then hang them up to harden again, I'll leave them hanging in the workshop as it gets quite warm in there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 2 hours ago, Christine said: A few more coats of lacquer and a few more sandings and I think all signs of the ripple have gone and the bodies are none the worse for it thankfully. It must have looked a lot worse than it was because there was relatively little work to correct it but still I could have done without it. So I'll put 4 more coats on today and the same tomorrow then hang them up to harden again, I'll leave them hanging in the workshop as it gets quite warm in there How long do you think you will need to leave them for this time? From this it's easy to see how well respected and established luthiers get behind on their deliveries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 25 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said: How long do you think you will need to leave them for this time? From this it's easy to see how well respected and established luthiers get behind on their deliveries. I'm hoping a couple of weeks will do them if the weather stays warmish, they haven't had that many new coats compared to what they had but 3 weeks maximum I would think. It's one of the down sides of nitro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 This is where we're at, all sprayed and waiting for the two ebony ones to harden This is the surface as is now before sanding back, thankfully they came out pretty good in the end 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Sweet Jesus! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 16 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said: Sweet Jesus! It will be for sale soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Sweet. Just sweet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durhamboy Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Nice to see things are progressing, it must be frustrating having to wait months for the weather to improve enough to spray again. (Having been born in Durham I can remember real winters, but here on the south coast of Australia I reckon I'm hard done by if I loose a week to cold and rainy weather. Today is 17 degrees C and down to 7 overnight, though we do get a few cold fronts with overnights of 4 or 5 and days that only reach 11 or 12 during winter.) Anyway nice to see things happening, your work is so very top class. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 6 hours ago, durhamboy said: Nice to see things are progressing, it must be frustrating having to wait months for the weather to improve enough to spray again. (Having been born in Durham I can remember real winters, but here on the south coast of Australia I reckon I'm hard done by if I loose a week to cold and rainy weather. Today is 17 degrees C and down to 7 overnight, though we do get a few cold fronts with overnights of 4 or 5 and days that only reach 11 or 12 during winter.) Anyway nice to see things happening, your work is so very top class. If I didn't love Wales so much I would have been tempted to move to Oz, the weather has been the bane of my life as a woodworker, when I had my commercial workshops I spent a fortune installing heating and dehumidifiers to keep conditions stable through the year. I could use other finishes like polyurethane or even precat but I like nitro as a guitar finish, it's just got that little something about it, almost like French polish. Our house is up for sale so when it finally does go I'm going to have a super insulated workshop built so I can keep working all year round 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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