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100 year old Pine P bass build

#61
I see where you're coming from, and agree, to an certain extent. But the line down the center of the side where I sandwiched it together to get it to the thickness I needed is something I don't think I could stand to look at everytime I picked it up.
As for whether or not the wood matters, whether or not I paint it doesn't change that. And when someone picks it up, realizes how very light it is, and asks "What kind of wood is this built from?", I'll have the opportunity to tell them all about it.
But, again, I haven't quite decided yet.
 
#62
I have been considering finish options. I think I've hit on a good compromise.
I'm thinking of using StewMac's Tobacco Brown transparent aerosol. It would be killing two birds with one stone. It would be a transparent finish, but I could get it dark enough that the join line on the side might not be so evident, yet you should be able to see some of the grain as well. And if i stick with just the one color, it would lower the cost as opposed to doing a traditional sunburst finish.
 
#63
gitlvr said:
I have been considering finish options. I think I've hit on a good compromise.
I'm thinking of using StewMac's Tobacco Brown transparent aerosol. It would be killing two birds with one stone. It would be a transparent finish, but I could get it dark enough that the join line on the side might not be so evident, yet you should be able to see some of the grain as well. And if i stick with just the one color, it would lower the cost as opposed to doing a traditional sunburst finish.
Click to expand...


Keep in mind that pine is a blotch-prone species, and may not take color evenly. If you finish a test piece made of the same wood, you'll find out if it colors evenly or blotches, and adjust your finishing technique to suit.

If StewMac's Tobacco Brown transparent aerosol is nitrocellulose lacquer, applying sanding sealer before applying the color coat will help prevent blotching. After you're happy with the color, you will want to apply a clear coat to achieve the sheen level you're after, and to protect the color coat from abrasion.
 
#64
Jazzdogg said:
Keep in mind that pine is a blotch-prone species, and may not take color evenly. If you finish a test piece made of the same wood, you'll find out if it colors evenly or blotches, and adjust your finishing technique to suit.

If StewMac's Tobacco Brown transparent aerosol is nitrocellulose lacquer, applying sanding sealer before applying the color coat will help prevent blotching. After you're happy with the color, you will want to apply a clear coat to achieve the sheen level you're after, and to protect the color coat from abrasion.
Click to expand...
I'll definately be using sanding sealer. But are you saying that tinted lacquer (as opposed to stain) might also be blotchy on pine?
If so, I could shoot a couple of clear coats first, then follow with the tinted stuff. That ought to take care of it.
And absolutely I'll be clear coating the whole lot of it.
 
#68
gitlvr said:
I'll definately be using sanding sealer. But are you saying that tinted lacquer (as opposed to stain) might also be blotchy on pine?
If so, I could shoot a couple of clear coats first, then follow with the tinted stuff. That ought to take care of it.
And absolutely I'll be clear coating the whole lot of it.
Click to expand...

Yes. Differential absorbtion causes blotching. One of the easiest ways to stop blotching is to seal the wood, placing the color over a barrier coat that will not allow the color to be absorbed directly into the wood.

Dyes, stains, and tinted lacquers can all cause raw wood to blotch when colored, although some products blotch less than others. One of the challenges is that sealed wood doesn't become as dark as unsealed wood when applying the same amount of colorant; test pieces hightly recommended.

Prep > barrier coat > color coat > clear coat > rub-out

Hope this helps :)
 
#69
Sorry to dissappoint, but I'm a P bass lover. This is my personal instrument, so I chose the P.
But I do plan a J bass build in the future. I really think it's a good idea to have both.
JazzDog, thanks for the tips. This is not my first foray into finishing. I pretty much know what I'm doing. But I've never used tinted lacquers before. Only solid colors or clear coat. And I've never finished softwood like pine. I appreciate the heads up.
 
#70
Sanded the position markers level with the board. Here are some shots of that.

100yopineP093.jpg


100yopineP103.jpg


100yopineP102.jpg
 
#71
Drilled for side markers.

100yopineP095.jpg


Yeah, the picture sucks. I know. What can i say, my camera sucks, so sometimes I get shots like this. Look closely and you'll see there actually are pilot holes drilled into the side of the fretboard. :D
I use titebond to glue them in...

100yopineP097.jpg


...and trim them flush with a razor. This is usually all that's needed. The razor gets them so close there's no need to sand them.

100yopineP100.jpg


100yopineP099.jpg
 
#76
Thanks a lot guys. I really appreciate the encouragement.
Jmorbita, I'm using white plastic side marker material from StewMac.
As for the difference between bocote(or other wood I've used) and pearl, I think it's a little easier to work the wood, even really hard wood. Pearl is even harder, and IME takes longer to sand smooth.
But i prefer the wood anyway. It has a "warmer" look to it, and I'm sure I'll be using wood marker dots a lot.
 
#77
Time to move on to fretting. Here are the tools I use.

100yopineP101.jpg


Frets are in.

100yopineP107.jpg



Once I have them in, I clamp the neck on it's side, and use a huge bastard file to file the ends flush.

100yopineP110.jpg


Now i need to bevel the fret ends. I use that same file, lay it along the side of the neck at an angle I think is about right, and file away.

100yopineP111.jpg


There's a tool made especially for this, but so far I haven't had any problems doing it this way. I tried to get a pic of the ends after the bevel, but my camera,well, you know. It doesn't do closeups very well.
That's all I'll do to the frets at this stage. After the neck is shaped, and just before finish sanding for the final time, I'll level, crown, and dress the ends of the frets.
Done for today. Here's a final shot.

100yopineP115.jpg


Again, thank you all for your interest and encouragement.
 
#78
Photography tip: Most digital cameras have "scene" settings on them somewhere. Usually there is a silhouette of a tulip, a mountain, and a person. The tulip is for close-ups, the mountain for landscapes, and the person for portraits. The close-up setting will look for a focal point somewhere around 8 inches to a couple feet in front of the camera. Hope that helps!

Great build, by the way!
 
#80
gitlvr said:
Thanks, Ronald. Unfortunately, my camera does not have this feature(Polaroid A300). Not in the manual, not on the camera anywhere that I can see. It does have a manual zoom, but no way that I can find to adjust focus/focal point.
Click to expand...

No, you're right, that camera does not have scene options. It's an auto-focus only, and the minimum focal point is 38.4 inches (I love Google). Which means anything closer than that will begin to blur.

Sorry--I teach photography, so I can be a bit of a nerd about it sometimes.:p
 

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