scottish
WeirdScienceologist
Re: MIA tele refinish project
considering it is a high quality neck that i have...im wondering whether i should go ahead and finish this body or pick up one from the web specials at usacg...
ill continue with prepping this one for just now. Progress since the last pic:
Ive decided this one is definitely getting a solid color finish if i go that far. The 4 piece body just wont look good under any kind of trans finish. Also, it looks like during the last refinish, the body wasnt sealed properly and some dirt or paint has sunk into the grain. Ive tried to get it out using acetone and sanding, but its not happening.
Ive sanded out the cut away using 80 grit and then hand sanded the whole body down to 220 grit to prepare it for the sand and sealer. I like to sand it really well at this stage, make sure it is nice and smooth. During the sanding here, ill use acetone to take all the dust off and raise the grain. Im only using acetone at this stage because it evaporates much faster than mineral spirits. Once im done with the 220 grit sanding, ill do one more acetone wash and then its ready to go.
NOTE: you cannot use acetone after this stage because as soon as you have sand and sealer or any kind of lacquer on there, the acetone may dissolve it. Its mineral spirits from here on out. Let me note, all the products im using are nitro based. You can get pretty much everything you need from the colortone line at stewmac, and a local hardware store
My procedure for the sand and sealer is fairly simple. Ill spray three coats before i sand it. The sanding is done using 220 grit. My trick is to spray the sides with the top and then again with the back. so every time the top and back get one coat, the sides get two. This is because its much harder to build up layers on the edges. Its not so important here but it will save you a ton of sand throughs when you get to the color and clear coats.
So i follow the three coat then sand rule until ive gone through a can of sand and sealer. This might seem excessive, but the spray cans go pretty quick and i sand fairly well to make sure its as flat and smooth as possible. After every round of sanding, wipe it down with mineral spirits to remove dust. My timeline for this is usually as follows: spray a coat in the morning before i go to work, spray one when i get home from work and sand when necessary
Ill post a pic when all that is done and its rdy for the color coat.
BTW: painters tape is your friend here. i use it to tape off the neck pocket and cavities so you are not building up layers in places you dont want
considering it is a high quality neck that i have...im wondering whether i should go ahead and finish this body or pick up one from the web specials at usacg...
ill continue with prepping this one for just now. Progress since the last pic:
Ive decided this one is definitely getting a solid color finish if i go that far. The 4 piece body just wont look good under any kind of trans finish. Also, it looks like during the last refinish, the body wasnt sealed properly and some dirt or paint has sunk into the grain. Ive tried to get it out using acetone and sanding, but its not happening.
Ive sanded out the cut away using 80 grit and then hand sanded the whole body down to 220 grit to prepare it for the sand and sealer. I like to sand it really well at this stage, make sure it is nice and smooth. During the sanding here, ill use acetone to take all the dust off and raise the grain. Im only using acetone at this stage because it evaporates much faster than mineral spirits. Once im done with the 220 grit sanding, ill do one more acetone wash and then its ready to go.
NOTE: you cannot use acetone after this stage because as soon as you have sand and sealer or any kind of lacquer on there, the acetone may dissolve it. Its mineral spirits from here on out. Let me note, all the products im using are nitro based. You can get pretty much everything you need from the colortone line at stewmac, and a local hardware store
My procedure for the sand and sealer is fairly simple. Ill spray three coats before i sand it. The sanding is done using 220 grit. My trick is to spray the sides with the top and then again with the back. so every time the top and back get one coat, the sides get two. This is because its much harder to build up layers on the edges. Its not so important here but it will save you a ton of sand throughs when you get to the color and clear coats.
So i follow the three coat then sand rule until ive gone through a can of sand and sealer. This might seem excessive, but the spray cans go pretty quick and i sand fairly well to make sure its as flat and smooth as possible. After every round of sanding, wipe it down with mineral spirits to remove dust. My timeline for this is usually as follows: spray a coat in the morning before i go to work, spray one when i get home from work and sand when necessary
Ill post a pic when all that is done and its rdy for the color coat.
BTW: painters tape is your friend here. i use it to tape off the neck pocket and cavities so you are not building up layers in places you dont want
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