Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Questions and answers for beginners. If you have a question, so do most other people.
scamp
Posts: 223
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2022 8:19 pm

Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by scamp »

Stupid question of the day.

Will soon be starting the finishing of my guitar.
Trying to prepare everything for as smooth a process as possible.
Decided to finish the guitar body and neck separately and will be using a Tru-Oil finish.

Question is how to support the body when doing this.
When doing the pore filling it isn't an issue since I won't be applying it to the top so the body can rest on the top.
With the Tru-Oil, I want to do the whole body at the same time but how?

One solution is to just do the top and sides, wait for it to dry and then do the top.
I could hang the guitar body using the holes for the neck attachment ( it's a bolt on neck) but it still seems awkward.
If anyone has any other suggestions on how best to support to body so I can do everything at once I would he interested.

Thanks
phavriluk
Posts: 555
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by phavriluk »

Experiment. Your project, your shop, your tools. You'll find a solution good for you only after trying a variety of options.

And do the neck first. It's small and part of it will be masked off and offer a surface it can be parked on.
peter havriluk
jread
Posts: 560
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2019 9:52 am
Contact:

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by jread »

I’ve seen expensive vices that hold the guitar by the neck so you can rotate it. Looks like an accident waiting to happen.

I do the neck separated from the body and clean up finish after assembly. For the body I use a clean bench with a clean moving blanket or puppy pads and do the back and sides 1st but after a while you’ll get to know when you can flip it over on the clean pad and not make a mess of the finish. A clean bench is the key no matter how cured the finish is.
phavriluk
Posts: 555
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by phavriluk »

Carpet samples from the floorimg store. Evenly sized, bound, and awfully inexpnsive (discontinued at that store).
peter havriluk
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by tippie53 »

most use a hook on the tail where the strap pin fits 1/4 in hole

you hang it from that
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
MaineGeezer
Posts: 1711
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by MaineGeezer »

Or you can make a temporary "neck," either bolt-on, or with a dovetail and perhaps a setscrew to keep the joint from coming apart.
I've always done my finishing in stages: the back; the top; the sides; letting on section dry before doing the next. Not terribly efficient.
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
Kevin Sjostrand
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Try this. Works great.

Dowel through a block so you can rotate the guitar.
Attaches to the mortise with a tenon on the end of dowel using your bolt on holes. Clamp to your bench.
All sides top and back accessible.
This us how I spray now instead of hanging the body.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I've used a heavy wire, hooked through the dovetail mortise. Anymore, I just spread my fingers apart in the dovetail mortise if I need to move the box. I only do 1 surface at a time while french polishing.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
scamp
Posts: 223
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2022 8:19 pm

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by scamp »

Thanks for the ideas and feedback.
I like the dowel connected to the bolt on neck block but I think it only makes sense for spraying.
I will be using Tru Oil so I'm really afraid of putting too much stress on the connection.
Hanging the body from the bolt on neck holes or strap tail hole seems interesting but not much to hold onto.

Also, I have time so I really don't need to do the whole body at the same time.

As a result, I came up with the following compromise.
I made a platform shaped like the guitar with feet and a padded top.
IMG_2095.jpeg
This way when the body is on it I can easily do the sides and the back at the same time.
When that is dry, I can then do the top.
IMG_2094.jpeg
Not perfect but what is.

Scamp
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Kevin Sjostrand
Posts: 3712
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:06 pm
Location: Visalia, CA

Re: Guitar Body Support while Finishing

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

If it works for you it's perfect
Post Reply