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$100 Bass Challenge - Texas Jelly

#25
Since the barnwood was a failure, I'm thinking of attempting a fish close to this. I think it will look good with copper hardware. Of course this means I have to learn how to stain so the grain darkens and how to paint a burst finish.

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#26
Normally Ash is used as it has huge deep grains - try a test piece on the pine ,you may need to sand blast it to deepen the pores
I painted this Ash guitar I built black and sanded the front - leaving the paint in the pores ,then clear coated it - which you could tint for a sunburst finish

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#28
There are glazes that will do that just with hand sanding. Check out woodcraft.com. if you call them and ask for a rep with knowledge of finishes, they should be able to help. Their version is oil based.

Yeah, ash is easier, because the wood is really hard and the grain is deep, but pine should work, too, with a little more sanding.
 
#31
I've done a lot of experiments with popping the grain on pine with a butane torch, it works well with a light touch, but it can yield unexpected results really fast if you linger too long in one spot for even a moment, so it requires some practice on technique. The good thing about using a torch on wood is if you go lightly you can take the char off again without too much trouble. I've been messing around with different mixtures of charring, burnishing, waxing and distressing some pine over the past year and found some interesting combinations. If you go by the general guideline of trying stuff on test pieces first, you can always experiment and see what works well to get the result you want.
 
#37
Finally some progress. I countersunk for the control plate - using a Tele plate because I had one. I'm going to use a 4 way switch (had one), and 2 pots - volume and tone. Switch will be neck, parallel, serial, bridge. I might do 3 pots since I have room so I can blend in the dual positions. Copper nut (pre cut). I didn't route for the pickup wires yet. Was thinking of just drilling a hole between cavities. I'm definitely using a pickguard. IMO that is the needed finishing touch.tmp_16447-20150301_163200510929719.jpg tmp_16447-20150301_163218-149112159.jpg
 

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