An Old Newbie
Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2015 12:12 am
I live in the woods of northern Minnesota. I like all kinds of music. I'm old. I build things with wood. Current projects are completing a quartered white oak table for LOML, refurbishing the harpsichord I built in 1975 (I told you I was old), and finally putting a finish on a guitar.
I was on the forum frequently about 3 years ago while I was building an OM kit from LMI, my first - rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Having perhaps more ambition than talent, I went with curly maple binding and learned more than I bargained for about bending (and breaking) woods with decorative grain. I found a great deal of useful information on the forum that saved me endless amounts of time and trouble, particularly in the area of neck/top/string geometry. I give many thanks to all those here who have contributed so much knowledge.
I got it all together, with everything properly aligned as far as I could tell. No finish on it beyond some temporary protective shellac, but I desperately wanted to string it up and see how it turned out musically. So I bought a set of Stewmac acoustic bridge bolts, located the bridge and fashioned the nut and saddle. The strings went on, I did some more setup work and the guitar sounded really good to me and to some more musically talented friends who also played it. I got so caught up in playing it so I could sing praises to myself that I never got around to putting a finish on it.
It's time now to finish the job. I have no spray equipment and no spraying talent beyond putting Krylon on patio furniture with rattle cans and latex on siding with an airless sprayer, neither of which can be considered a high-skill activity. NC lacquer is out of the question indoors and outdoors is full of pine pollen, needles and other things dropping from trees and birds. I am, however, reasonably good with a brush and have also had quite good results with wipe-on finishes (oil and poly) on a number of furniture projects. My initial inclination is to play it safe and use Timbermate for grain filling on neck, back and sides, seal with dewaxed shellac, and apply (many coats of) some wipe-on oil or poly finish. I'd like to end up with a gloss finish on the body that's reasonably durable. I'll be searching the forum for advice and recommendations on the subject and I look forward to finding what I need.
Thanks again for all the help already received.
Dexter
I was on the forum frequently about 3 years ago while I was building an OM kit from LMI, my first - rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard. Having perhaps more ambition than talent, I went with curly maple binding and learned more than I bargained for about bending (and breaking) woods with decorative grain. I found a great deal of useful information on the forum that saved me endless amounts of time and trouble, particularly in the area of neck/top/string geometry. I give many thanks to all those here who have contributed so much knowledge.
I got it all together, with everything properly aligned as far as I could tell. No finish on it beyond some temporary protective shellac, but I desperately wanted to string it up and see how it turned out musically. So I bought a set of Stewmac acoustic bridge bolts, located the bridge and fashioned the nut and saddle. The strings went on, I did some more setup work and the guitar sounded really good to me and to some more musically talented friends who also played it. I got so caught up in playing it so I could sing praises to myself that I never got around to putting a finish on it.
It's time now to finish the job. I have no spray equipment and no spraying talent beyond putting Krylon on patio furniture with rattle cans and latex on siding with an airless sprayer, neither of which can be considered a high-skill activity. NC lacquer is out of the question indoors and outdoors is full of pine pollen, needles and other things dropping from trees and birds. I am, however, reasonably good with a brush and have also had quite good results with wipe-on finishes (oil and poly) on a number of furniture projects. My initial inclination is to play it safe and use Timbermate for grain filling on neck, back and sides, seal with dewaxed shellac, and apply (many coats of) some wipe-on oil or poly finish. I'd like to end up with a gloss finish on the body that's reasonably durable. I'll be searching the forum for advice and recommendations on the subject and I look forward to finding what I need.
Thanks again for all the help already received.
Dexter