Veneer Job for Rog

[Andyjr1515]

Couldn't resist a quick mock-up

[BruceBass3901]

Just bloody stunning, and incredibly interesting seeing the process

[Andyjr1515]

2 hours ago, BruceBass3901 said:

Just bloody stunning, and incredibly interesting seeing the process

Thanks!  It is certainly starting to get there.

 

In real life, of course, the quilt follows you round the room.  However, a bit of sunshine always helps! :

The 'reveal coat' as well as showing up the glue lines, also throws up the next decision point.

Forget the couple of stain seepages, here you see most exaggerated both the plain demarcation strip but also the natural figuring of the top where the stain is sanded away - a bit like faux binding:

And here I have a choice of three options:

- just tidy up the glue smears and stain seepage

- scrape the finish off the top layer only and stain it, so you only see the demarcation strip 

- flaunt it.  That is, sand further to widen it so it is clear that it is the natural figured maple

It's a question for Rog - I'll PM him

 

Where the angle is more acute - basically everywhere except this gentle slope, the effect is still there, but the two exposed surfaces are so thin and so close together, you don't get quite the same effect.  Theoretically, though, it's the same three choices:

 

 

I'm pleased with the walnut and how it has darkened with a standard clear finish.  Once the proper gloss finish has been applied, the contrast with the red is going to be quite special

 

 

[TheGreek]

I realise that this is not a democracy (as introduced by the Greeks over two thousand years ago) but my vote would be for the "flaunt it" option.

Rog obviously gets the only vote that counts.

[Roger2611]

"Flaunt it baby, flaunt it"

[Andyjr1515]

18 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I realise that this is not a democracy (as introduced by the Greeks over two thousand years ago) but my vote would be for the "flaunt it" option.

Rog obviously gets the only vote that counts.

 

10 minutes ago, Roger2611 said:

"Flaunt it baby, flaunt it"

Perfect.  That's three of us.  That'll do

[TheGreek]

Sounds like a democracy but in fact it's a dictatorship in disguise...the owner made the only vote that counts, coincidentally it's the same as mine.

Nice to know my voice was heard though...😀

[Simon.]

If you've got it, flaunt it! *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* - Except for Covid-19, obviously.

[Andyjr1515]

Not being a tease - I've done a bit of flaunting and am happy with the result and so have started the finish coats.  And for those, I go back & sides, then top & sides, which I repeat however many times needed until I do a final top & sides.

So of course, at the moment, you can only see the first coat of back & sides which is now hardening enough for me to do the top & sides

[Andyjr1515]

Well, I think this is probably where I should stop tweaking and now just start building up the finish:

[Acebassmusic]

Lovely looking job you're doing there.....giving me ideas! 🙂  I might have missed it but when you originally removed the finish and sanded the top, did you reduce the thickness of the whole bass to compensate for adding the veneers? (depth of pre-amp holes / bridge height etc)

[Andyjr1515]

30 minutes ago, Acebassmusic said:

Lovely looking job you're doing there.....giving me ideas! 🙂  I might have missed it but when you originally removed the finish and sanded the top, did you reduce the thickness of the whole bass to compensate for adding the veneers? (depth of pre-amp holes / bridge height etc)

No - there is rarely the need.  The veneers are only 0.6mm thick (which is remarkable when you think they are taking slices of up to 2m or more straight off the side of a tree-trunk!).  On this one, I am using two veneers together so, after sanding, there is maybe approaching 1mm there, but that would normally still be OK. 

[Acebassmusic]

Thanks. 👍 As long as theres over 1mm adjustment left on the bridge saddles then all is OK.

[Andyjr1515]

For those of you who looked at the recent SG-style thread, you will know that, for gloss, I brush on good old-fashioned Ronseal Hardglaze.

The process is, on the one hand, straightforward but, on the other hand, quite heavy on the necessary tips and tricks.  And one of those is that when a coat looks right - STOP! 

There are many times where I've got to something pretty OK and then thought, 'well, just one more coat' and the next coat has a ripple in it, or a missed bit, or a dust buggy, or the varnish inexplicably ripples, or etc etc.  The result of this is that you then have to re-flatten and try again.

The STOP! coat is one coat before that   And sometimes it's after just 1full finish coat and sometimes it's after 8 .

And I think I've got to STOP! for the top at the first finish coat.  That means that I will then leave it for a week and finish with a light polish (you don't buff this type of varnish).

The back and sides are easier and are also probably only one coat away, so the finishing should be basically done waiting for its hardening time by the end of the weekend.

By mid next week, I will be able to reassemble, by end of next week final polish and - all going well - Rog picks it up a week tomorrow

 

Rog has already stopped following the thread (the next time he sees it, he wants to see it for real), and I won't post any more progress shots until it's reassembled towards the end of next week.

As always, thanks for the encouragement and feedback

- and see you next week!

[stewblack]

Andy, your work is sublime. You've literally transformed the instrument. I followed all the steps (thanks to the clarity of your explanation) so grasp the tangible. However it is the magical which floors me. 

I admit to not being keen on the shape when I first saw it. But, without altering the essential contours at all, you have somehow transformed it. I now love the shape. That, sir, is genius. 

[Andyjr1515]

And it's pretty much finished.  Got to do the set-up and final polish before Rog picks it up on Saturday but, as the weather is going to go off, I'll catch the light of this afternoon to take a couple of fully assembled shots.

So this is where we began:

And this is where we've got to:

And, for good measure, this is that it looks like from the back:

 

As always, thanks for your interest and encouragement along the way

[BassBus]

Impressive as always Andy. Looks like a Sandberg Custom Thinline from the front. Beautiful.

Edited June 2, 2020 by BassBus

[Andyjr1515]

Well, crunch time is tomorrow morning - Rog and I are meeting in my back garden for a gloved handover and we'll see if he's a happy chappy or not

[Roger2611]

A happy chappy indeed, the finish is a blood red the above photos look more orange than it actually is to the naked eye, not that my pictures show it any better as is definitely not pink!!

I have decided to go back to the original black knobs as they contrast the red finish a better.

A big thanks to Andy for all his hard work

Rog