Building my new Frankenstrat

[indeedido]

OK, all the black has now been applied. I think I'm getting close. Next step is the clear coat. Hope to be able to get it started tonight. Fingers crossed


finished front:



back: I didn't care as much about the back, so I didn't try as hard to make it 100% correct.

[indeedido]

UPDATE:

Well, we've had 21 straight days of rain in OKC. Not condusive for my project. I have been able to get several layers of clear coat in early in the morning while the humidity is low. The last one, I thought the humidity was low, it wasn't. It gave that layer a nice look of blush. Basically the moisture got in and "fogged" it up. No worry though, I got enough coats on that all I need to do is sand it out with 400, 600 and 800 grit. It the stripes get smooth enough meaning no hard lines felt, I'll finish it out, otherwise I'll add a few more clear coats in a few days, rain permitting of course.

[cdwillis]

It looks pretty good without the clear coat. It seems to me like it would have been easier to spray the black before the red but you really aced it.

I'm curious about the paint you've used. I've seen pictures of Krylon that crackles eventually and makes the guitar look like shit. I've almost decided to use a natural truoil finish on my guitar I'm building but after seeing this I'm tempted to paint again. How long does this automotive lacquer take to cure?

[indeedido]

It takes about 3-4 days to harden enough to begin wet sanding. Like any lacquer, it takes time to completely harden. After I do the final polish, I'll let it sit for about 30 days to harden and cure up.

The lacquer is still relatively soft and can scratch. The lacquer will continue to harden for literally years but should reach its practical hardness in 30 to 60 days.

[indeedido]

P.S. the paint I used is the shiznit. I've done others several years ago and still look fantastic. I would never use Krylon. It isn't much good for anything you want to keep. Even lawn furniture.

[indeedido]

Almost done and rounding the last corner.

I let the body sit for about a week before I was able to begin the wet sanding. I really need some good old sunshine. You can't be natural light for this kind of work. Without it, you will miss most of what you are doing.

The purpose of wet sanding after shooting the clear is:
1. to level it. you will take out all of the orange peel that the clear coat has left.

2. to smooth out the feel of the lines. Once you do this step, you will feel ZERO lines.


After allowing the body to dry at least three days (with nitrocellulose lacquer, the longer the better and the weather made me wait longer) final sanding and polishing can be done. The sanding will be done with successively finer grades of paper. The grades required are #400, #600, #800, #1000, #1200, #1500 and #2000.

Use a small flat block when sanding to prevent your fingers from causing furrows in the finish. I used a nine volt battery. It worked perfect. Sanding first with the #400 grade, sand until all the shiny spots are gone. When done correctly, the finish should be uniform and matte. It looks like you are ruining the paint, but far from it. You will see some scratching in the clear. That is what the other grades are for. As you move up to the next grade check the finish in a good light. The finish is becoming more reflective and the sanding scratches are becoming fainter. At the #1200 level the finish is getting much smoother, lines are becoming really faint to the touch. If you find you have missed a spot, sand backwards until the grade is reached that will blend the spot and then move back to the grade level where you were in successive grades.

Much caution must be used when sanding to avoid sand throughs. Really easy to do. The 400 grit paper requires the most work to level everything. For all other grades, let the paper do the work. Be especially cautious when sanding at the edges of the body. The finish may be thinner there and you can't use the block to sand, you'll have to do it by hand. That makes a sand through more likely.

After the final grade of sanding is completed, the final polishing can begin.


I will use 3M Finesse It II for this part. The entire body now is a uniform Matte finish. Smooth as a babies ass. I wish you all could see and feel this as it is so smooth and lines are completely smooth. Also, most of the clear has been removed at this point, so the body will still be very resonant.

Here are a couple pics, the photos don't do it justice.

top



side

[indeedido]

Done. Done. Done. Done. Done. Finally Done.

End results: This thing is the bomb. I wish you all could see it. Pics do not do it justice. I went with the factory look instead of the ragged out, relic look. Super glossy. Can't feel any tape lines. Fantastic feel in the neck. Easy action. I'll see if I can get some video samples up.











I wish these pics would have loaded so you didn't have to click on them. Not sure wht happended.

[Don Corleone]

Looks good.

We need to figure a way to upload audio's so we can hear how things sound

[jhale667]

Nice work.

[jhale667]

This is kinda cool...at least the building part of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRMa2Xh1SLs

What, you can't embed vids in this forum? :confused:

[Fuct Jup]

Originally posted by indeedido
[B]Almost done and rounding the last corner.

I let the body sit for about a week before I was able to begin the wet sanding. I really need some good old sunshine. You can't be natural light for this kind of work. Without it, you will miss most of what you are doing.

what exactly is wet sanding?

Thanks!

[indeedido]

It is available at any hardware store. Basically they make a sandpaper that is specially made and you submerge it under water and get it wet. Then you start sanding on the paint. It reduces the friction of sanding, and eliminates scratches and swirls. The water makes it rub really easily and smooth.

[BlimpyCHIMP™]

Originally posted by indeedidoOnce I hit it with the black stripes, this thing is gonna POP. Doesn't quite look done without the black does it?

WHILST I WAS OUT BUSY HAVING A LIFE THIS SUMMER/FALL/NOW WINTER I NOTICED YOU DIDN'T DO THE BLACK FIRST

BC!!
AS IN VAN HALEN ALBUM COVER DUHHH

[BlimpyCHIMP™]

http://newyork.craigslist.org/jsy/msg/503610868.html

HERES ANOTHER GUY DID ANOTHER PARTS GUITAR WITH BLACK LAST COLOR TOO HAHAHA

BC!!
DONT FEEL BAD YOU FUCKED UP THATS WHAT SANDPAPERS FOR

[indeedido]

I did black last on purpose. I didn't want the black under the red like Ed's I wanted it smooth. His looks like shit. Cool for him, but I wanted it different. To each their own.