Second and Third Guitars

[John Reid]

Thanks for the input (including a PM).

I think the fret is in well now.

First, I cleaned up the fingerboard where it had some tearout. I used ebony dust in the slot near where it had been loose. I put a new fret in that had a better curvature than I had had before. Then I used a caul to clamp the fret in. Then fed CA into the ends. The CA wicked onto the fingerboard, so there was some cleanup done with a razor as a scraper.

This was a good lesson for me to
- learn how to fix this mistake
- better set frets the next time

After fixing this fret I looked closely at the others and found two more that were slightly loose at the ends. For those I clamped them down and added dust to the ends, then CA.

Next time I’ll try to:
- Be more careful cleaning out the slots before fretting. I think I inadvertently opened up the slot some.
- Put a better curve in the frets.

[phavriluk]

John, good going! And you've got some 'been there, done that' advice to offer to someone who has this problem in the future.

[John Reid]

Got a bit of a puzzle.

I’ve been working on finishing the two guitars. I’ve 4 pieces to work on: 2 necks and 2 bodies. I’ve put 3 coats of sealer (shellac), 3 coats of filler, and 3 coats of sealer again. All the went pretty well, I think. Now I’m putting on coats of TruOil.

Here’s the mystery:

With one of the bodies, the TruOil won’t seem to harden. While, for the other body, and the two necks, the surface would hard enough to be ready for a second coat in a few hours. I’ve got about 8 coats on the other body and the two necks. But for this body, the first coat has stayed is tacky. (For example, just gently touching it will leave a finger print.) It has been 4 days now. It has slowly gotten less tacky, but it sure is taking a long time.
So, I’m trying to figure out why it’s happening and what to do.

I thought I was doing the same thing for all 4 pieces, same room, same humidity, same technique. But maybe not. The one thing I thought of is that after each coat, I sand and then wipe with naptha. Maybe, for this piece I didn’t let the naptha dry enough before applying a coat. Would that do it? I’m kind of at a loss as to what could have caused such a difference.

Should I just keep waiting, since it is getting better. Or, should I sand off the coat and try again.

Any thoughts/insights would be appreciated.

[John Reid]

Ok, it’s been 12 days now after putting on one coat of TruOil.

The back and sides of this guitar are definitely getting drier (less tacky), but the center of the back (along the seam) is still tacky (one can still leave a finger print).

In the meantime, I worked on the other guitar and was able to get 2 coats of TruOil on with no problem.

So, there is still a mystery to me as to why the one guitar is taking so long.

Anyone have any ideas about
a) why this is happening
b) what should I do about this
should I
1. keep waiting
2. try to sand off the TruOil and try again

Any suggestions/insights would be appreciated. Thanks!

[phavriluk]

Dumb question department: Is this a finish meant to be wiped on, wiped dry, wait to dry, do it again, and again, and again...?

Could this finish have been too thickly applied? It ain't paint or a lacquer meant to be sanded level...

[John Reid]

My understanding is that with TruOil you rub on then wipe off. That's what I've been doing with the tops and the sides of the other guitars with no issues. So, a possibility is that I might have put too much on, but I didn't think so. And am surprised it is taking sooo long.

So, maybe waiting it out is safe.

I'm also not sure if sanding it off now and re-applying may make things worse, meaning would sanding now just produce a mess?

[phavriluk]

My humble ignorant suggestion: Wipe down the finish with mineral spirits, get off all you can, come back in a week and see where the finish ended up. Steel wool, Scotchbrite, whatever it takes to get the body ready for more finish, and then wipe on a coat with a pad of old t-shirt, wiping to wet the surface, wipe it off, wait a couple of days and keep repeating the process. Won't take more than a couple of dozen applications...

[John Reid]

How much do you think the mineral spirits take off? I do have 3 coats shellac, 3 coats filler, 3 coats shellac, one coat TruOil. Am I just trying to get the outer, tacky, coat of shellac off?

[phavriluk]

John, I have no idea. I used the word 'ignorant' in my reply, as I sure am! I think I'd take a step sideways and try a finish schedule on scrap wood before taking the process to the guitar itself. Easy for me to say, but being in a hurry never got a job done fast.

[John Reid]

Right . I'm in no hurry. Just trying to sort it out and think it through and try to learn some things.

Yeah, That's exactly what I was thinking. I've been using scrap wood to blot my TruOil wiping pad. It has lots of coats on it. I was going to play with that to see what mineral spirits does.