Finishing guitar

['59]

I have a raw 4 piece Tele body with a couple of flaws I want to get addressed. There is a slow slope on the back of the body that causes a valley in the middle of the body about 1/32" when holding a level across the back. I've tried sanding it down, but I've gotten it near as good as I can get it.

My plan is to use a soldering iron to draw some artwork on the front and back, condition the wood with water based condition, stain it with water based stain, seal it (don't know with what or when in the process to do it), and apply a clear coat of matte nitro. Is there anything wrong with this process? Also is there any self leveling finish compound I can put on it that is transparent and will remove the valley>?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Epoxy has been used quite a bit as a sealer/grain filler/leveler. Of course the best thing would be to use a planer or drum sander to make sure the back was not only flat and level, but also so the body will have an even thickness everywhere.

But you could sand it flat by using a 12-18" long flat piece of wood (a 2x4 would work) with some 80-100 grit sandpaper on it to get the back flat. Then use 150, 220 and 320 to get it smooth. Do your wood burning, then stain (I prefer alcohol based stain since it doesn't raise the grain), seal with a couple coats of shellac or lacquer sanding sealer (you can get these in rattle cans), light level sand with 320 grit, and finish with matte lacquer (also available in rattle cans).