What's on your work bench?

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GrantB
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

StratMatt wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 10:58 pm We are interested :)
Thanks. I probably should share more of this workshop stuff because it is interesting, and there might be people out there who want to give stuff a go.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Lostininverness »

GrantB wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:28 pm This is what grain fill looks like on wash coated mahogany, lightly sanded and ready for colour coat. So, if the (less thinned) wash coat happened to be black, and I grain filled with this white, and then did a tinted amber clear coat over top, that would be the Silver Fox, or Dog Hair hair finish that Epi's of old used to do, and some of the more recent Brian Ray stuff. It's also how TV Yellow finishes work.

I want to do a Silver Fox, but not on this guitar. A mahogany Tele would look great in it.

In case you were interested!
I've got vague ideas of doing a dog hair finish in black with white flecks. Not sure my skill with applying grain filler is good enough yet. Struggle to rub the excess filler off before it sets hard so end up sanding, which won't be good in the stained black base...... This SG is looking good so far!

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

Lostininverness wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:08 pm
GrantB wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:28 pm This is what grain fill looks like on wash coated mahogany, lightly sanded and ready for colour coat. So, if the (less thinned) wash coat happened to be black, and I grain filled with this white, and then did a tinted amber clear coat over top, that would be the Silver Fox, or Dog Hair hair finish that Epi's of old used to do, and some of the more recent Brian Ray stuff. It's also how TV Yellow finishes work.

I want to do a Silver Fox, but not on this guitar. A mahogany Tele would look great in it.

In case you were interested!
I've got vague ideas of doing a dog hair finish in black with white flecks. Not sure my skill with applying grain filler is good enough yet. Struggle to rub the excess filler off before it sets hard so end up sanding, which won't be good in the stained black base...... This SG is looking good so far!
Yeah, a stain is a new level of complexity for this sort of thing - actually, anything. You'd have to stain, clear coat a bit but not fill the pores, then fill etc etc....and sand through would be a challenge and a real drag.

Me, I wouldn't stain anything...and I am not convinced any classic vintage Epi or Gibson Silver Fox finish ever had stained wood directly.

I would tint the clear wash coat with whatever tint (let's say black, for a translucent black "stained" look), spray and build to desired level, and then carry out the fill etc. Way safer, and probably a more correct way to do it. IMO.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Lostininverness »

GrantB wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 9:19 pm
Lostininverness wrote: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:08 pm
GrantB wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:28 pm This is what grain fill looks like on wash coated mahogany, lightly sanded and ready for colour coat. So, if the (less thinned) wash coat happened to be black, and I grain filled with this white, and then did a tinted amber clear coat over top, that would be the Silver Fox, or Dog Hair hair finish that Epi's of old used to do, and some of the more recent Brian Ray stuff. It's also how TV Yellow finishes work.

I want to do a Silver Fox, but not on this guitar. A mahogany Tele would look great in it.

In case you were interested!
I've got vague ideas of doing a dog hair finish in black with white flecks. Not sure my skill with applying grain filler is good enough yet. Struggle to rub the excess filler off before it sets hard so end up sanding, which won't be good in the stained black base...... This SG is looking good so far!
Yeah, a stain is a new level of complexity for this sort of thing - actually, anything. You'd have to stain, clear coat a bit but not fill the pores, then fill etc etc....and sand through would be a challenge and a real drag.

Me, I wouldn't stain anything...and I am not convinced any classic vintage Epi or Gibson Silver Fox finish ever had stained wood directly.

I would tint the clear wash coat with whatever tint (let's say black, for a translucent black "stained" look), spray and build to desired level, and then carry out the fill etc. Way safer, and probably a more correct way to do it. IMO.
Yep, exactly the issues - filling the pores with clear and then sanding through. Wouldn't tinting the sealing coats cause the same issues, or is it that the lacquer is so much more thinner that it won't?

So what lacquer are you using on this one?

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

You can retouch lacquer, but you can’t (successfully) do the same with stain. I don’t think sand through would be an issue for tinted clear. Go say three coats, let it shrink down over a week, then grain fill and take the top off only with 400 or 600 grit. A light touch is required. Also, use proper grain filler like the Stew Mac stuff. It’s powdery and easy to remove. Shrinks too much for my liking, but then another coat or two is easy enough. I used black as my sealer over the filled grain on this - I still have to do another grain fill. The bonus of having black as a base is sand through will be less likely. I wouldn’t normally suggest that….I’d go clear or better, proper undercoat (I’m out of it, and impatient.).

I’m taking a basic black nitro with amber clear for this one. It’s second hand so there are too many little knocks and dings to successfully perform a Silver Fox finish. That needs to be done carefully on a perfectly prepped new construction.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Lostininverness »

Aaaahhhh. Yes, I see what you mean now. I've had to try and retouch sand throughs on stained wood, and you're right, it is hard, and is noticeable. I haven't tried tinting clear yet for spraying - only pigment. Do you add the tint to the thinner and then the clear?

Might have to make another bloody tele then to try this out. Have a book matched thin droptop of sapelle that I got from Adrian some time ago - might actually have to do something with it! Could be easier to buy a neck for this one for quicker gratification of completion!

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

Mix your clear to the right consistency for the weather, and layer you're spraying (initial coats on wood should be a little thinner than final top coats for eg). Then, drop in your tint. If it's concentrated tint like StewMac sells, no need to thin any further - and go conservative. Those tints are STRONG. If it's actual say, solid coloured lacquer (like a black) then you may need to top up thinner a little.

I hope all this makes sense. Finishing becomes a bit like cooking. You know what works and what doesn't from a fundamentals perspective, but the rest is creative crafting to achieve the final nuanced result.
"Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible god and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this nature he's destroying is this god he's worshipping." - Hubert Reeves

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by rickenbackerkid »

No pictures but I've had a malfunctioning Roland TD-7 kick pedal from an electric drum kit for way too long, finally got into it. Easy fix in the end - it has a sensitivity trimpot that was crumbling, hence why it worked at times and not at others.

Without easy access to trimpots, or a schematic to tell me what the dud part was, I simply installed a wire bridge. Full senstivity. Dropped it in the owners letterbox and got a nice message half an hour later saying it 'works like a dream'. Owner is a teacher aide and I imagine he doesn't have a lot of money, so nice to be able to give back to a local musician.

Also this week I saw a comment on FB from a lovely lady who's kids are at school with mine complaining that her laptop wouldn't turn on, and I got her to drop that off. Once I tidied up the power cable that had been chewed on by a dog, the board had +5 volts in logical places, so I turned my attention to ribbon cables. Turns out that laptop was 100% fine but the keyboard ribbon cable was not seated correctly and so when the power button was pressed it never told the board to turn on. Cleaned the connector, reassembled and it worked.

Nice to have these little projects to keep me busy for an hour or two and I thoroughly enjoy the simple pleasure of making something broken go again. Next up - a full rebuild of my Fender Pro Junior with turret board, nice parts, new OT and tube sockets. I'm shitting myself slightly after my last DIY tube amp project which I never got working . . . .

oh and I'm bidding on a couple of old valve radios, with the intention of building a point to point fender Vibro Champ in a radio box as a practice amp so stay tuned

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Lostininverness »

GrantB wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:16 am Mix your clear to the right consistency for the weather, and layer you're spraying (initial coats on wood should be a little thinner than final top coats for eg). Then, drop in your tint. If it's concentrated tint like StewMac sells, no need to thin any further - and go conservative. Those tints are STRONG. If it's actual say, solid coloured lacquer (like a black) then you may need to top up thinner a little.

I hope all this makes sense. Finishing becomes a bit like cooking. You know what works and what doesn't from a fundamentals perspective, but the rest is creative crafting to achieve the final nuanced result.
Yeah, it does make sense. I bet a lot also comes down to doing it. Kind of a confidence thing as well. Get the basics done right a few times, then start to ramp it up. How many finishes do you think you've done?

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

Lostininverness wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 8:12 pm
GrantB wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:16 am Mix your clear to the right consistency for the weather, and layer you're spraying (initial coats on wood should be a little thinner than final top coats for eg). Then, drop in your tint. If it's concentrated tint like StewMac sells, no need to thin any further - and go conservative. Those tints are STRONG. If it's actual say, solid coloured lacquer (like a black) then you may need to top up thinner a little.

I hope all this makes sense. Finishing becomes a bit like cooking. You know what works and what doesn't from a fundamentals perspective, but the rest is creative crafting to achieve the final nuanced result.
Yeah, it does make sense. I bet a lot also comes down to doing it. Kind of a confidence thing as well. Get the basics done right a few times, then start to ramp it up. How many finishes do you think you've done?
Guessing…maybe a dozen with nitro, and more with different finishes. Oh, and I still mess it up now and then.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by jeremyb »

Made this archery target tonight out of foam mats, threaded rod, and some pine board!
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Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by NippleWrestler »

I'm making a new faceplate for my Mesa out of flamed maple, and making some leather conditioner for my gimp mask.

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by JustMatt »

jeremyb wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:53 pm Made this archery target tonight out of foam mats, threaded rod, and some pine board!
:shock: 'spies Giant Reign Advanced waiting for some loving'

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by jeremyb »

JustMatt wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:11 pm
jeremyb wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:53 pm Made this archery target tonight out of foam mats, threaded rod, and some pine board!
:shock: 'spies Giant Reign Advanced waiting for some loving'
HA! Yes its very unloved, I need to shed some weight and get some fitness again :rofl:
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by JustMatt »

jeremyb wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:26 pm
JustMatt wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:11 pm
jeremyb wrote: Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:53 pm Made this archery target tonight out of foam mats, threaded rod, and some pine board!
:shock: 'spies Giant Reign Advanced waiting for some loving'
HA! Yes its very unloved, I need to shed some weight and get some fitness again :rofl:
Or get some lift passes. The weight doesn't matter so much when it's pointed down hill.

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