www.KitGuitarsForum.com

My 1st kit (blues creek 12 fret dred)

Sanded to 220
open pores
couple of wash coats of thinned shellac from can
5 coats of oil rubbed shellac
0000 steel wool to satin-ify
minwax finishing paste polish


We wanted open pores on this one and I am really happy with it. Seems the pores are more pronounced compared to my Guild and Martin w/ similar finishes but I love it. Also, I'd prob call this semi-gloss and not satin. If I can get the dovetail to cooperate, I may end up w/ a guitar after all.

Your build looks great!

I french polish my guitars now, but I simply shellacked my first guitar. 5 coats is a lot for many finishes; shellac is such a thin finish that it takes more to equal other finishes. As far as I know, Martin uses nitro, or a form of cross linking lacquer.

If I may give you a suggestion, if you've not already done this, you should allow your finish to sit for a couple of weeks to a month to really harden. Although shellac dries quickly, it takes time to really harden. After holding my first guitar for a few minutes, the heat from my hands left fingerprints in the finish on the box that I had to correct.

Thanks! I was wondering about cure time. I appreciate it! I am super happy with the look of this. I feel it is ready to go especially for my 1st build w/ open pores and satin. I'm looking forward to trying this on a rosewood body i've started with filled pores, and trying to get it to glossy. My arms are sore but I enjoyed the process.

I'll post this one again when I get the neck done. The birch Stella is getting close too.