I believe @PDX Mathias talked me off a cliff more than once after I screwed something up. It probably didn't help that I started with fancy wood. Then again, doing things the hard way can be a learning experience. ><
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First Build - And May My Mistakes Be Minimal
- Thread starter PDX Rich
- Start date
Have I mentioned that I covet your new bass? I remember when the Aria's were common in guitar stores, I A/B'd them against an Alembic Spoiler, kind of similar looking, it was nice, but not twice as nice as the Aria for three times the price! They were underrated back then, never knew why. I like the headstock mods, but careful not to poke your eye out with the pointy bits! Was it the Duran Duran guy who played one of these?
Hah! I'll try not to go all Steve Harris and poke anyone with it. And thank you!! I absolutely love my Aria that my wife got off eBay last year for Christmas. They are glorious instruments.
And yes, John Taylor of Duran Duran used to play them when he was younger. Since I revisited their music recently, I've become a bit of a shameless fan
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Sometimes goofs become features. In our aircraft carrier charity theme build (the one in my avatar) the pickup poles were off slightly. Not enough to be heard but enough to be seen. We solved it with solid covers....then came the idea. We extended the runway lines across the pickup covers. That made a huge difference in bringing the overall look together.
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I suspect patience needed is inversely proportional to the size of your tool bench. My first project was to add a mudbucker to a P bass. Routed that one with a drill and a chisel. Very long slow process vs using a router.
I was in University during my first build. Little money, no time but I did it. Bought a cheap router and two bits. Found a jigsaw. Bought a second hand unused P neck. Bought parts and strings by saving my small change.
Depending on how things look tomorrow, I'll go ahead and let it cure for a couple weeks before a final wet sanding and then buffing.
Can I still use mineral spirits for wet sanding at that point or should I use something else? Or dry sand only with mesh?
Can I still use mineral spirits for wet sanding at that point or should I use something else? Or dry sand only with mesh?
Between work and just now fighting a bug, I have not had a whole lot of free time. Sorry for the lack of updates!
Here's where I am now:
I've had a bit of a setback. I had let the tru oil finish cure for ~10 days, then began to buff using Finesse It II polish and a cotton buffing wheel chucked into my cordless drill. It seemed to be going great, until I noticed some hazy spots. I am guessing that I had either not let it cure long enough or I had burned through the top layer and the haze is miniature witness lines. So, I knocked it back with 800. I was about to start adding more coats when I caught the flu or one nasty cold. I'm hoping to shake this by the weekend so I can continue trying to fix the finish.
Here's where I am now:
I've had a bit of a setback. I had let the tru oil finish cure for ~10 days, then began to buff using Finesse It II polish and a cotton buffing wheel chucked into my cordless drill. It seemed to be going great, until I noticed some hazy spots. I am guessing that I had either not let it cure long enough or I had burned through the top layer and the haze is miniature witness lines. So, I knocked it back with 800. I was about to start adding more coats when I caught the flu or one nasty cold. I'm hoping to shake this by the weekend so I can continue trying to fix the finish.
Feel better my friend. More than likely you overheated in that one place on the body and the result is that cloudy spot. Depending on how you're feeling and how the witness line is, you might want to get another coat over the top as quickly as possible so it can start curing without delay.
Lonnybass
Very high gloss. What I keep running into, aside from the burn-through, is how to remove the final wipe marks to have the finish perfectly flat prior to buffing. Also, is a cotton wheel chucked into a cordless Dewalt overkill?
Thanks!! Finally starting to feel better...
Rich,
Let's see, if you're aim is high sheen, and you want to avoid burn through, I'd probably set aside the buffer for the moment and just focus on wetsanding up through the ultra fine grits and then switching to compounds. See if you can get a uniform matte to medium using a small circular motion and spirits, and then use a cotton pad to apply Meguiars Ultimate compound and then the Gold Class wax for a final protective shine.
Let's see, if you're aim is high sheen, and you want to avoid burn through, I'd probably set aside the buffer for the moment and just focus on wetsanding up through the ultra fine grits and then switching to compounds. See if you can get a uniform matte to medium using a small circular motion and spirits, and then use a cotton pad to apply Meguiars Ultimate compound and then the Gold Class wax for a final protective shine.
So wet sand with the super fine mesh paper using mineral spirits as the "wet" and small circular motions? I take it also that this would take place after it fully cures again eh?
Thanks again for your sage advice!
Hi Rich,
Ok assuming you indeed have a burn through spot, I'd recoat the entire body with 3 or 4 more applications of Tru Oil so that you have an uniformly even surface layer to buff out. Then, let cure again another another week or so.
Judging by the looks of the close-up of the photo, it looks like you're laying down nice even coats so you probably just have fine sanding to do without any real drips or sags to have to worry about. That's good news. I think you mentioned that you were using micro-mesh - what I'd do is get them into a cup of some warm soapy water and then get to work, up to 2000 or 3000 will get the job done nicely. The trick with using spirits or naphtha is that they are evaporative, and can disappear on you if you're not careful. A few drops of warm soapy water won't disappear.
I've found that it also helps to set up a table lamp at a low angle across the bench, so you have optimal lighting conditions to be able to see the uniformity of the scratch pattern, so you know when you can move on from one area to another.
Work small sections at a time and rotate the sandpapers so you have new grit as you go. I typically use about 1.5" x 1.5" square per "quadrant" of the bass body per grit. Then, you can use a little Meguiars Ultimate Compound or Scratch-X on a cotton pad and really bring up some shine. As a final step, I'd suggest applying some Meguiars Gold Class wax over the top…I think the instructions say to leave it on 15 minutes or so to harden up and then buff off. You're left with a thin protective glossy coating.
Here's a neck that was finished in Tru Oil with the exact method described above.
Lonnybass
Hi Rich,
Ok assuming you indeed have a burn through spot, I'd recoat the entire body with 3 or 4 more applications of Tru Oil so that you have an uniformly even surface layer to buff out. Then, let cure again another another week or so.
Judging by the looks of the close-up of the photo, it looks like you're laying down nice even coats so you probably just have fine sanding to do without any real drips or sags to have to worry about. That's good news. I think you mentioned that you were using micro-mesh - what I'd do is get them into a cup of some warm soapy water and then get to work, up to 2000 or 3000 will get the job done nicely. The trick with using spirits or naphtha is that they are evaporative, and can disappear on you if you're not careful. A few drops of warm soapy water won't disappear.
I've found that it also helps to set up a table lamp at a low angle across the bench, so you have optimal lighting conditions to be able to see the uniformity of the scratch pattern, so you know when you can move on from one area to another.
Work small sections at a time and rotate the sandpapers so you have new grit as you go. I typically use about 1.5" x 1.5" square per "quadrant" of the bass body per grit. Then, you can use a little Meguiars Ultimate Compound or Scratch-X on a cotton pad and really bring up some shine. As a final step, I'd suggest applying some Meguiars Gold Class wax over the top…I think the instructions say to leave it on 15 minutes or so to harden up and then buff off. You're left with a thin protective glossy coating.
Here's a neck that was finished in Tru Oil with the exact method described above.
Lonnybass
Lonny,
Thanks so much for the tru oil tutorial! I am on repair coat #2 and things are looking pretty good. It seems you have filled in the gaps I had in my research. \m/
You're welcome. One other pointer for you, if the finish seems "soft" or abrades easily once you sand back, it's because the coat you've sanded to hasn't fully cured - so you might need to let it sit another couple days exposed to the air so it can outgas. Off the top of my head I don't remember where in the country you're located but forutnately we're not in the midst of summer anymore so it's not as humid, which helps speed the curing process along.
Lonnybass
Portland, OR. Summers here go from hot and dry to slightly muggy--certainly nothing like the south, midwest, or eastern seaboard. Right now it goes from alightly rainy to slightly sunny with temps between 52 and 70. This will change to mostly rainy until next summer... 
As for the sanding, I had seen a tip on using those rectangular pink erasers as the sanding block for small stuff. A bit rough on the hands due to cramping. Trying to think of a better block for this, since there is a ton of wet sanding to do!
Thanks again for the tips!
As for the sanding, I had seen a tip on using those rectangular pink erasers as the sanding block for small stuff. A bit rough on the hands due to cramping. Trying to think of a better block for this, since there is a ton of wet sanding to do!
Thanks again for the tips!
Portland, OR. Summers here go from hot and dry to slightly muggy--certainly nothing like the south, midwest, or eastern seaboard. Right now it goes from alightly rainy to slightly sunny with temps between 52 and 70. This will change to mostly rainy until next summer...
As for the sanding, I had seen a tip on using those rectangular pink erasers as the sanding block for small stuff. A bit rough on the hands due to cramping. Trying to think of a better block for this, since there is a ton of wet sanding to do!
Thanks again for the tips!
Hi Rich-
Ah yes, Portland = PDX (duh!)
I actually use the rectangular pink erasers myself, works great. Related, given the upcoming wetsanding and your concerns about witness lines (my own personal nemesis of finishing!), just remember that it's always better to use a lower grit with lighter pressure than use a higher grit and really having to push down on the sanding block…most witness lines I've ever caused have been the result of trying to sand out the same spot rough using an ultra fine grit (1000/1500) and simply burning a hole through the finish as a result.
Lonnybass
