The 10 Year Project

[Nathan Dodd]

I used this method but with varathane wood filler (dark walnut)

http://youtu.be/NuQaLbZ9OTI

It really pops the grain out to use a darker filler then just filling with clear.

I actually have some medium brown water based wood filler I use with French polish I could water down and use on the walnut actually, that would cut my costs down a little too

[Eric Baack]

it was about $6 for a tube of the varathane at menards

[Eric Baack]

the really dark filler brought the grain out very nicely.

[Nathan Dodd]

I have as of today applied my grain filler in a watered down formula to the walnut of the guitar. Tomorrow I'll fine sand the whole thing and prepare for the finishing regime.

[Greg Robinson]

Nathan, if you watered down the grain filler, make sure you allow plenty of time for it to dry out, you don't want it shrinking back after you've applied finish on top (you may need multiple applications), or to trap moisture underneath the finish.

[Nathan Dodd]

Thanks Greg, the filler will have until this evening in my warm house to set, that's almost 24 hours but I'll still check for signs of moisture while i sand the excess.

[Greg Robinson]

I'd prefer to wait around a week (longer if it was oil based). Even if you're following directions on the container, guitars are much more demanding of finishing products than furniture is.

[Nathan Dodd]

I should point out that the product is a stopper that I loosened up in order to use it as a grain filler and applied it with a paint brush so the guitar was far from saturated. I'll do a patch sand this evening on one area and see if I get any glagging in my sandpaper. The guitar won't be receiving any spray finish for another week or so anyway. I'll proceed with caution

[Louie Atienza]

Nice work so far!

[Nathan Dodd]

Thanks Louie!

[Nathan Dodd]

Grain filled and sealer coat applied over the top of a rubbed down amber dye coat and the guitar is half way through it's finishing cycle. Here's a sneak peak. I'm really impressed with the depth and richness in the walnut as there's no tint or dye and it's a lovely chocolate brown. The top cap is showing it's figure off very nicely now and I'm really looking forward to shooting the yellowish amber tint over the top. I'm going to attempt to get a kind of lemon drop finish but if it turns out that way it will be a miracle as I'm a complete Nitro novice and my efforts leave a lot to be desired. Practice makes perfect though and I hope to get a lot more of that!!

[Nathan Dodd]

Another day, more progress. The lacquer has been applied and the nice Lemon Drop finish has been achieved. this one was a sure case of flying by the seat of my pants but i'm happy with the result, even down to the 'un-burst' as i've seen them referred to. Now to wait for 3 odd weeks for another chance to ruin everything by flat sanding and buffing. Here's hoping that those clear coats are nice and thick.

[Hans Bezemer]

Nice work Nathan.
Thank you for sharing, I always love building in progress topics.
Hans

[Nathan Dodd]

Thank you Hans, glad you're enjoying the thread!

[Eric Baack]

looks like it's going to be a beauty!

[Nathan Dodd]

After waiting patiently for my lacquer to dry over the last few weeks, i have finally completed the 10 year guitar. There's a little more tweaking to be done here and there but for all intents and purposes here's the completed article:

[Pete Halliday]

Very nice!

[Nathan Dodd]

Thanks Pete!! and for my next trick; an acoustic. Watch this space

[Dave Locher]

Very nice, and kind of inspirational to follow. It really looks good.

One minor detail question: what are those pickup rings? They look like a nice color. Right now I have a pair of "creme" rings from Stewmac that seem too dark and brownish to me, and a pair of white ones that I hit with "vintage tint" lacquer that seem to yellow to me. Yours look like the proverbial "just right," at least in the photos.

[Nathan Dodd]

Thank you very much Dave!! They are a pretty standard cream as far as i know, they were just the cheapest ones i could find from a UK based vendor. They are likely just an all parts style generic replacement.