Finished! A Very Special Save

[Andyjr1515]

Specifically here:

...so I think @durhamboy gets the prize...

...which is...

...a big cheesy grin from Andyjr1515 :

 

[Andyjr1515]

So that's all the excitement over   

Now it's a case of stripping it all back to the wood and starting the full finish.  As it won't look tangibly different to the mockup on the previous page for a few days I won't do a 'watching paint dry' step by step.  Instead I'll just summarise once it's looking even and satiny.

 

[ezbass]

Mmm, bring on the glossy finish.

Edited February 6, 2021 by ezbass

[Richard R]

2 hours ago, durhamboy said:

If I can't spot a joint line I always go for the end grain. Might be wrong, but it looks like a joint line about half way from the center line to the lower edge. In other words 3/4 of the way down.

If i'm right sorry for being a spoil sport.😉

Well played, sir! 

[Andyjr1515]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

Mmm, bring on the glossy finish.

No gloss on this one - we're going for the slurry and buff satin

 And yes, you can do slurry and buff with stained wood - but there is a very specific sequence you have to do which I'll cover when I do the reveal next week  

[ezbass]

6 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

No gloss on this one - we're going for the slurry and buff satin

 And yes, you can do slurry and buff with stained wood - but there is a very specific sequence you have to do which I'll cover when I do the reveal next week  

Well, a subtle sheen then. Bring it on.

[durhamboy]

Thank's for the cheesy grin Andy.

It's really just a case of my OCD showing, that I bothered to look closely enough at pictures you'd posted to pick up the joint line. Incredibly neat joint by the way, the same standard and attention to detail you show in every part of your builds. When it comes to bodies I make with clear/transparent finishes, I can't live with joints where the wood grain is clearly mismatched. (More so on the front than the back..) 

Looking forward to seeing this build/save progress to the finish.

[Andyjr1515]

38 minutes ago, durhamboy said:

Incredibly neat joint by the way, the same standard and attention to detail you show in every part of your builds

I'd like to take credit, but this was how the blank was delivered to me  One of the best suppliers in the UK

[Tony Tabasco]

Looking at he color of the wood and the grain, I think I see two joints:

[Andyjr1515]

2 hours ago, Tony Tabasco said:

Looking at he color of the wood and the grain, I think I see two joints:

Nope.  No prize; no cigar    

[Andyjr1515]

Most of the reveal coat of stain and tru-oil is off.  One last job before the final hand sand and 'watching paint dry' stage is the string-through ferrule recesses. 

For this I use my Proxxon drill press for accuracy (it is small but it has very little runout - spindle wobble - that affects many drill presses) and then the old channel-tunnel trick of drilling from both sides and meeting in the middle to ensure that the entry holes and exit holes are individually lined up visually, but also actually meet in the middle to allow you to get the string through .  

The holes at the back are recessed to ensure that the tops of the ferrules are flush with the back.  With ferrules, it's best not to 'try them and see if they fit' before you are ready to fit them permanently

 

[Rich]

Do you rely on a good interference-fit to keep the ferrules in place, or do you glue them in?

[BassBod]

Is it just me, or is anyone else disturbed by a black bridge with chrome tuners?

 

[MoonBassAlpha]

10 minutes ago, BassBod said:

Is it just me, or is anyone else disturbed by a black bridge with chrome tuners?

 

I think it is consistent with Wal basses generally. 

[BassBod]

Could be dodgy memory, but I'm sure the main body of the bridge was chrome on my old Pro IIE.  Not that it matters...

[Andyjr1515]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Do you rely on a good interference-fit to keep the ferrules in place, or do you glue them in?

Ideally (if I get my drill holes the right size ), just an interference fit.  You only really need them not to drop out when you are changing strings...

[Andyjr1515]

1 hour ago, BassBod said:

Is it just me, or is anyone else disturbed by a black bridge with chrome tuners?

 

It's @Fishman 's request but - with there being so much black on the pickguard pickups, etc - it looks right to me.  

[4000]

1 hour ago, BassBod said:

Could be dodgy memory, but I'm sure the main body of the bridge was chrome on my old Pro IIE.  Not that it matters...

They were indeed, however the bridges on the Customs are mostly black. 

[Andyjr1515]

And to the final finish stage of the body - the tru-oil slurry and buff.

"But hang on" I hear you say, "it's stained!  You can't slurry and buff stained wood.  It'll sand all the stain off!!"

Well, that was the conventional wisdom - pretty much up to me looking at my LP Junior that I'd stained in cherry red and thought...hmmm...what if...??

And yes you can.  But - like all these things - there are a couple of tips and tricks.

And so where we had got to was this - actually bad photo because, other than at the edges, you can't really see the gloss starting to build up.  But this, with the wood having now drunk in the oil into the grain, each extra coat of tru-oil starts bringing out a gloss finish:

To illustrate, based on the number of coats I put on  @Jus Lukin 's  headless, just one more coat would give me this level of gloss:

But that is not the finish that @Fishman is after.  He is after more the 'old bass well looked after' look.  And for that look, slurry and buff on stained wood is ideal

The method is simple:

- proceed in the usual way with the initial coats of Tru-oil.  Just wiped or brushed on, allowing it to dry in between coats.  First few will be sucked into the end grain.

- at the point that each extra coat is starting to leave a gloss finish and the end grain is no longer absorbing more oil, stop.

- leave it for 2-3 days minimum to harden

- I then slurry and buff a coat.  But - unlike normal where the slurry is tru-oil mixed with the wood dust - this time the slurry is the new tru-oil mixed with the hardened tru-oil surface sandings.  I use either 1500+ wet and dry or 2500+ Micro-mesh

-  The original hardened tru-oil coat is actually quite tough and it is not likely, with the above grit, that you will break through into the stained wood (if you do, you will lose the stain in that patch) but - the slurrying is a relatively light one and care is taken at any corners and edges where there is a greater danger of breakthrough.

- while it is still wet (ie pretty much immediately) I then wipe off the oil with some kitchen roll and then, with fresh roll or a lint free cloth, buff it dry.

And that is it! 

I went from @Fishman 's slightly gloss body above to this in less than 20 minutes:

And it's silky smooth to the touch.  If feels like a well-cared for 40 year-old bass...

...which is where we came in 

 

 

 

[TheGreek]

This looks very classy...good work sir.

[Andyjr1515]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

This looks very classy...good work sir.

Thanks, Mick

The first time I tried this to get an 'old look' on a full refurb was your very own Silk Bass

And I still think your choice of Orange was inspirational!     

Even though, at the time, I did say "ORANGE???????????"   

 

 

[TheGreek]

It is a peach...

It hasn't been out for a while...TBH I'd forgotten how good looking it is...

Edited August 15, 2021 by TheGreek

[Fishman]

1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

And it's silky smooth to the touch.  If feels like a well-cared for 40 year-old bass...

...which is where we came in 

mission accomplished – it's looking amazing!

[durhamboy]

Hats of, that looks stunning.

[martthebass]

Awesome work MrA, you are indeed an artist!