Page 2 of 9

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:33 pm
by Single coil
Likely epoxy with the amount of dust and how good it smelt.
Why do they do this :sad:

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:47 pm
by StrummersOfThunder
That looks like negative fun

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 6:24 am
by Single coil
I have a blank slate now.

(Almost)

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:33 am
by JHorner
If filling in that stuff and making it look good is a pain, then just painting it black is an alternative

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2017 9:09 am
by Single coil
See how I go with the sander. I don't think it's the end of the world as far as clear goes.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:54 pm
by Single coil
Feels like I've taken a long time to do any work, so here's a good hearty post full of pictures of all sorts (where "all" refers to an old ibanez, and "sorts" is the name given to a tele body I've been sent).

/dumbhumour

Let's crack on into it.

Image

Ta da! Jack plate done. Now let's ignore it completely while I play with the tele body.

Image

Still can't get over the grain on this thing, so prepare for about 400 shots of ... Grain. This is me trying to get rid of, or at least minimise the divots and dips.

Image

Belt sander proved to be a little unwieldy for this particular task; eventually I thought "ya know, fuck it, let's do this old school" and this happened.

Image

I mean, sure, my life became more difficult for the next 20 mins, but it worked really well. I managed to add the nice sort of pseudo bevel thing to the edges too, with my patented tele beveller.

Image

One of the dings wasn't bevelling so well. I don't recall if I got it or not. I have a feeling if I hacked at it too much there'd be a square bit.

Image

Glasses of course got covered in shit. It's usually a pretty good indicator, that when everything is a little hazy, you've either gone way too hard with the poly, or your glasses are filthy.

Image

Shortly thereafter, I'd put them down somewhere and forgotten where. Ahh well. Needed a suitable noose like device for my next act, so I fashioned this.

Image

Testing in progress. I guess this shot best highlights that it's a 3 piece. Looks like 2 in most other ... Everything else.

Image

Actually, naw, we can do better. It's a nice day.

Image

Clothes line is at a better height too.
Anywhore, I'd sanded it quite well with all the good stuff. I deemed it pretty enough to start lathering on the poly.

Image

Heeding the wise words from jb in the goldtop thread, I carefully dusted it on every couple minutes.

Image

It went a kind of peachy colour while it was wet.

Image

Probably doesn't show in the pictures, and my descriptions of anything colour related should be taken with a pinch of salt anyway.

Image

Image

Image

Urf. GRAIN. Almost looks 3d. Really jumps out. So good.

Image

Oh, well ... Ok then.

Image

Best relocate to a safer area.

Image

The patent pending tele noose has an in built design ... Not flaw, the good one - it's super easy to move stuff you've just sprayed!
More grain whoring.

Image

It was swaying a little. It was hard to take pictures of. But you know me, I'll give it a go.

Image

YES.

Image

This would've been just after one of the last coats, so don't fret about it being piled on too heavy. It's just the whole "it's wet so it looks dense as" thing.

Image

Image

Then I got really clever.
Rather than have it in danger of being hit by bits of old ibanez in the shed, why not put it somewhere it can dry AND be outside AND not get rained on?

Image

Let's hear it for the back deck!

Image







Aaaaaand that's mostly it for the tele, for today.

Ibanez time ... And not the good kind.

Image

Super evident fret wear. Guess what it's time for, lads.

Image

Ugh ... Yeah. This again.

Image

So once again, using my oil stone (only the fine side today) and my "sandpaper on the weirdly cut block of wood" trick, I levelled and crowned the frets. They're getting pretty low, so it was tricky. It appears that someone before me has dressed them weirdly as it is; some are higher than others??

Bottom: filed and crowned. Top: That, and steel wool'd.

Image

30 seconds before I took the picture, that buffing pad was white.

Image

Piss it. Must've cut the wood too deep.

Image

Pretty sure I didn't cause the .. Whatever's going on at this even numbered fret here. Look right in the middle - It's sort of ... Roundedly dug out?

Image

Here we go.

Image

NB: Dremel aren't paying me for any of this.

Image

aaaaaand let's have a go at the gunk on our neck reverse.

Image

Scouring pad, 400 grit, scouring pad again, and a buff, and the grain really jumps out in the right light. Somehow I think the buffing pad is mostly to blame for turning it black again. I did get the gunk off.

Image

Image

Image

Image

I'm not sure why I took this. Probably was admiring how well it turned out or something. All the bits are a damn site better than they were, that's for sure.

Image

Then I started wondering a) why this was yellow, and b) how I could white it again.

Image

Wouldn't hardly budge with any kind of compound. This picture also highlights the messy inlay glue job.

Image

Image

BLIMEY!

Image

I think I went to the fridge about here. Thanks to my friend Drew for telling the blackboard I'm a nob.

Image

Little details matter. Before and after.

Image

Honestly, it's polish.

Image

Same deal, before and after.

Image

This was the longest putting the tuners on thing I've ever done.

Image

Even with the wear, I think it's lookin' pretty good.

Image

Image

I missed this plastic credit card covering thing. Quick polish and in she goes. Not really sure what it does.

Image

Dries clear?

Image

Good.

Image

(Just kidding, I got rid of all the excess)
This guy lookin' lush. In the hours I poly'd it, dealt to the ibanez, and went to a volunteer meeting at the cinema, the tele was still tacky.

Image

... But I think it's lookin' real good.

Image

Image

Came inside to do something ... Forgot what. Complain to tardme about some dick giving me a neutral I think. Back out to the shed to deal to the jack and all his mates.

Image

Wait ... No, maybe that's ... Oh who knows. Whatever. More grain.

Image

Some bits of ibanez I couldn't help.

Image

Huh, ok. So it's quite a cool looking thing when it hasn't been sitting in ... A ... Damp wardrobe? For 10 years.

Image

Right. NOW it's time for these guys.

Image

Nasty.

Image

Pickup cover took a fair whack of persuasion to come loose. Sort of clicks in?? Once all the crap was off, it revealed a whole bunch of little nicks and scars from someone strumming rather enthusiastically.

Image

After cleaning the HBs, I noticed the bridge was all scored - Sanded? Only one coil??

Neck too. Wtf?

Image

KNOBS. HAHA.
Before and after.

Image

Hmm, ground wire ... Came off in my hand.

Image

Switch wires started falling off when I looked at them too, so I resoldered the offenders.

Image

Jack's all in - Replaced the wire for it. It isn't a stellar job, but it was made by the guy who failed 3rd and 4th form hard materials from whatever was lying around in the shed. And it's functional. So I'm calling it a win.

Image

Image

And, for now ...

Image

... That's all he wrote.





Waiting on the floyd to get here. It comes with the locking nut and shit like that, so all the flash new shit will go on in one hit, and then I get the glorious task of setting the damn thing up.
Fortunately I don't have to worry about getting the saddle heights right - Floyds by design are radiused.
Better match the poor guitar. :lol:

Actually looking forward to buffing up that tele too, hmm. Should be a good day tomorrow.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 2:53 pm
by Jay
Bin to the loo and back while this page loaded... Cleaned up nicely (the guitar that is)

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:04 pm
by Single coil
And here I was hoping for a




nah ok




No real news today - Left the tele body overnight expecting it to have dried, and started sanding.
It hadn't dried.
Had to take a good whack of it back to bare wood and start again, just at the time the shop would've closed too. Rrrrrrr.

More news on monday, unless I can get the ibanez to do a backflip.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:24 am
by Single coil
No backflip, but the electrics all pass the screwdriver test.
Pickup selection seems weird but I’m sure I’ll work it out.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:54 am
by Clanger
Great job on the frets.

That rockstar diabetes drink is tasty too.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:47 pm
by Single coil
God yes, purple one is a proper vice. Goes on special alot.
My other favourite is this dodgy lookin' offering.

Image

Tastes like generic bubblegum smells ... Sort of. So good.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 3:18 pm
by Single coil
Simple updort:
Leaving tele to cure for as long as it takes. Sprayed it yesterday, properly, after sanding it properly again. Having felt in the neck pocket it still seems a little tacky 24hrs later, so it can stay hanging a while yet.
In an ideal world I would like to finish it by the end of the week, but I guess this is how it goes.

Still waiting on the floyd for the ibanez. Apparently I didn’t do the wee nuts on the pots tight enough and they’re loose.

Teething issues really.

Big picture updorts when the bits get here. I’m sure you’ll all love how much I hate trying to set up a floyd.

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:22 pm
by Bg
Single coil wrote: I’m sure you’ll all love how much I hate trying to set up a floyd.
They're a piece of piss. :rofl:

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:40 pm
by AiRdAd
I agree, even adumbass like me can do it reasonably quickly :-)

Re: James is blummin' well at it again

Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2017 4:51 pm
by Bg
while you're waiting, I would suggest you crown those frets more - and buff all the marks out of them.... just saying ;)

Image

Way too much land left on there and you need to get all the marks out imo.

Image