Tele project--Finishing an ash body, Suggestions, tips?

[6stringdrug]

hmmmm, i hadn't thought of the expansion/contraction of the wood due to singeing. Dont want that. Im looking for the black-amber contrast, but really want it to be unique and show as much of the grain as possible. the more i read, the more im leaning towards nitro. food for thought, this part of the project has given me more headaches than anything else. as you can see, i'm kinda lost here.

[Bloozcat]

If you want to go from black to amber why not do a burst pattern using those two colors? That would be relatively easy to do with minimal effort.

Do you have spray equipment?

[6stringdrug]

no, no spray equipment. was looking at the aerosol stuff from stew mac. not sure how that would turn out. i am still on the fence bout the finish, i keep seeing different finishes and go "oooooh, ahhhhhh" I feel like a kid in a toy store with only one allowance in my pocket. I want what I want.....but wait, I want that. The finish is the only thing on this project i CANNOT change after the fact. just looking for pointers or feedback on how others projects turned out. how much filler will i need? will it show through a nitro or even poly finish? does anyone know a website or link that will help me there? is there anyplace less expensive than stewmac? what about local businesses? so many questions and patience is not one of my virtues!

[Bloozcat]

Go here:
http://www.reranch.com/

Read all of the tutorials about guitar finishing. You can get a surprisingly good finish using their aerosol products.

[Tig***]

so many questions and patience is not one of my virtues!

I understand! Unfortunately, we can kill a finish if we get in a hurry.
In a "past life", I was a finish carpenter/painter/stainer that specialized in mahogany doors. I suggest treating a finish project like you would if you were creating fine art. Go slow and at least aim for perfection, but accept near perfection.

I love to see wood grain in a finish. However, if I were to go with a solid color on a Tele, I personally have always GASed for one in surf or sea foam green.

[6stringdrug]

tig, that is sage advice to be sure. I only get one shot at the finish so I will be sure to take my time once getting started. My parts started arriving today and I have some work ahead of me with assembly, fit and disassembly before i start on the finish. I am seriously over budget on this project already and am looking for the most economical way of doing a GREAT job. I noticed that minwax makes lacquer filler and top coat but didnt notice anything specifically designed to go inbetween them. Do you know of any of their products that would work? Im pretty skilled at woodworking and have a lot of experience with their polys, but i've never attempted a nitro finish before. Any tips, suggestions?

[Tig***]

Sorry, I have no experience with nitro finishes, only polyurethane spar varnishes over stain/sealers. I have no guitar finishing experience yet, just fireplace mantels and doors. My memory for the past work is fading because its been so long ago.

Dig around the information at http://www.reranch.com/
and I'm sure you'll find all you need to know.

[6stringdrug]

thanks guys! research and destroy!! Never liked homework much but doin it was easier than repeating the class! Same applies here i suppose.

[painter33]

I understand! Unfortunately, we can kill a finish if we get in a hurry.
In a "past life", I was a finish carpenter/painter/stainer that specialized in mahogany doors. I suggest treating a finish project like you would if you were creating fine art. Go slow and at least aim for perfection, but accept near perfection.

I love to see wood grain in a finish. However, if I were to go with a solid color on a Tele, I personally have always GASed for one in surf or sea foam green.

I'm just about to repaint a totally stripped Strat (genuine hard tail conversion, lots'o fun) with Surf Green (see title) and have a raw Tele body that will be Fiesta Cream - a '54 Chevy color. 8-hole, single-ply white pg for the Strat and a std black 3-ply pg for the Tele. I'm using a 2K urethane sealer, Spraymax primer, urethane DuPont Chromabase (Base Coat) Custom Made, 12-16 oz. Spray Paint, and 2k Aeromax urethane clear. I'm using maple fretb'ds on both - light colors and dark necks don't do it for me. For painting information I'm using John Gleneicki's e-book, Paint your Own Guitar (www.paintyourownguitar.com) - it's very complete and John will answer your questions, of which I have had many. The urethane avoids a long cure time and provides a sturdy finish. For those who believe that a thin nitro is better for tone, hold that thought and I'll get back to you. While there are many thin coats to put down, by the time it's sanded back to level, it's not as thick as a Squier poly finish, and many Squiers can truly kick it.

[Tig***]

Welcome to The Fret, painter33. Be sure to post photos of your work.

When you get a chance, tell us more about yourself and gear over at The Fret Players section.