Left Handed STRATOCASTER (!) build questions

themeinside

QUICK QUERY: It asks for 0000 grade steel wool. Will 00000 be TOO fine for the application? I've never used wire wool before, so I wouldn't know! It's just 00000 is easily available from B&Q/Homebase etc. but I haven't found 0000. 

@Andypwudtone @Megii @WezV @ThePrettyDamned

Megii

themeinside said:

QUICK QUERY: It asks for 0000 grade steel wool. Will 00000 be TOO fine for the application? I've never used wire wool before, so I wouldn't know! It's just 00000 is easily available from B&Q/Homebase etc. but I haven't found 0000. 

@Andypwudtone @Megii @WezV @ThePrettyDamned

IIRC, this is the stuff I bought 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liberon-Steel-Wire-Wool-Ultra/dp/B00CDUG7PW/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1419255584&sr=1-1&keywords=liberon+wire+wool+0000

not necessarily that seller, can't rememember where I got it exactly. But it has been good stuff, useful also for polishing up frets after a fret level and re-profile. After I'd got it, I read from other people on forums that Liberon brand specifically is very good, so I made a lucky choice.

WezV

here is a pic from my oil finish thread

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/new/wirewool.jpg

from left to right we have colron 0000, Colron 00000 and Liberon 0000

you can see the liberon is much better than the colron stuff from B&Q.   it pretty much disintigrates in use and doesn't leave as nice a finish. thats why i recommend the liberon, but the colron ill do at a push

themeinside

@Megii and @WezV Thank you so much for your advice! I've ordered the Liberon 0000 and some high grit sandpaper, and should be ready to get finishing within the next couple of days. Just need to drill all the holes first, I presume?

Also, ordered some waterslide decal paper, to design a custom headstock logo! 

Megii

themeinside said:

Just need to drill all the holes first, I presume?

Also, ordered some waterslide decal paper, to design a custom headstock logo! 

You're catching on @themeinside - that has always been my approach building from parts, yes - next thing I would be doing is getting all the holes drilled - crucially in the right places, to the right diameter and depth. To be more detailed, I'd get the bridge unit fitted, then that would enable me to do the neck alignment thing I mentioned before, and mark on the neck heel/base where to drill the 4 holes for the neck fixing bolts. Once you've got the neck bolted on, and a couple of plain strings fitted to the E string slots, then you're in a position to align the scratchplate/pickup assembly, and get things looking nice, and the pickup poles optimally lined up with the strings. Then you can mark through the scratchplate fixing holes where to drill for those.

You've also got the little holes for the tuning machine screws to drill in the back of the headstock - again a case of the right size and depth (careful not to drill all the way though, which I have seen happen).

Basically, you want to get to the point where you have all the holes drilled and can assemble the whole guitar, with the exception of the electronics and soldering work. Once that's done, you can concentrate on the finishing, then you just have the wiring, and assemble it all, and there should be a nice finished guitar. Easy!

Actually there are all sorts of little tips I wish I could pass on, but time, and the space in one post won't permit. However, if you look here:

 http://www.guitars.co.uk/blog

you will find various blog posts, including a series I did which cover me building a walnut strat in a fair bit of detail (you'll have to dig down with the "older" button to find the first post in the series) - hope that might be helpful. There are some other guitar builds from other people covered there as well (plus some other totally unrelated stuff... ).

Deadman

Wis'd @Megii

To add one crucial thing to what great advice you have there @themeinside, one of the handiest things I learned recently was to dip every screw in melted wax just before you install it and obviously, if it feels a bit too tight, stop, un-do and re-drill carefully.

Good luck

Megii

Deadman said:

Wis'd @Megii

To add one crucial thing to what great advice you have there @themeinside, one of the handiest things I learned recently was to dip every screw in melted wax just before you install it and obviously, if it feels a bit too tight, stop, un-do and re-drill carefully.

Good luck

Good point @Deadman - rubbing a bit of soap on the threads works pretty well also. And often it helps when putting a screw in for the first time, to go one turn forwards, half a turn back etc. .

themeinside

Well, all drilled up, but due to only hand tools, I think everything might be a tiny bit off. But as long as a couple of chords can be strummed, i'll be happy! Regarding the finish (a Wudtone Black Magic Woman on the back and sides, and a Dark Onyx on the flamed maple top)... I think I already know the answer, but is there any way I could possibly accelerate the drying and curing process? A little while with a hair dryer or something of the like? 

themeinside

As I have a very tight deadline now, I really hope there is! @andypwudtone @ThePrettyDamned @Megii

ThePrettyDamned

themeinside said:

Well, all drilled up, but due to only hand tools, I think everything might be a tiny bit off. But as long as a couple of chords can be strummed, i'll be happy! Regarding the finish (a Wudtone Black Magic Woman on the back and sides, and a Dark Onyx on the flamed maple top)... I think I already know the answer, but is there any way I could possibly accelerate the drying and curing process? A little while with a hair dryer or something of the like? 

Not really I'm afraid.

The black magic woman shouldn't take too long, but the top coats really need a couple of days between coats.  

Keep the top coats as absolutely thin as possible.  And if he likes old, battered looking guitars a thinner one with only a couple of top coats will age quicker anyway, so maybe works in your favour? My P-bass only has two or three top coats. 

Megii

I have done more than one coat per day before now (but don't tell anyone  :-\"  ) and gotten away with it - but as TPD says, keep them coats thin, that's really the trick - quicker in the end, and you get a nicer looking result. And also as per TPD, you can get away with a couple of top coats. The finish will appear basically dry before it is properly cured, but I guess at a push you can still present the guitar like that - it will be a bit vulnerable, and will need handling with care for a week or so. Also, I assume you are not finishing in the neck pocket - don't anyway, just leave it bare wood.

Nowt wrong with a hand drill btw, I've done all my builds with such a device. Not sure if you've got the trem claw fitted yet - that can be tricky getting the two screw holes drilled at the required shallow angle. I do it by using a hand drill with the smaller side handle removed, as shown here: http://www.guitars.co.uk/blog/building-a-walnut-strat-part-6-fitting-the-trem-in-pedantic-detail (scroll down for the relevant bit). Good luck with the rest of the build anyway mate, really wishing you all the best with getting this done nicely and in time.

andypwudtone

Hi there @themeinside , and Merry Christmas. 

If you are aiming to solid colour with Black Magic Woman the tip on this post will help you get there in less coats. 

http://www.wudtone.com/forum/?topic=instructions-tip-when-aiming-for-a-solid-colour-kits

I have a speaker which is on a shelf,  above a wood store and this is a few feet to the left of a wood burning stove. The air temp gets nice and warm up there and also plenty of air flow. Placing the body in an area like that will help to reduce the curing time between coats. kind regards

themeinside

The fateful day has come! The headstock has been fully shaped, and I'm going to start finishing today! A little nervous, I must admit. Regarding using the Dark Onyx on the flamed maple veneer, it says to prepare wood with 240 grit, but the veneer is a millimetre at most. Do I need to sand it? I REALLY don't want to sand the veneer off

@Andypwudtone @Megii @WezV @ThePrettyDamned

ThePrettyDamned

Be very very gentle. you shouldn't take a mm off, but the edges are more likely to be ruined so be extra careful.

Just give it a very gentle quick once over. I think that's what I'd do, you just want to key the finish.

andypwudtone

has it got any scratches in it? If not just key it ( along the grain) with some 240 . When applying, use some pressure to help the dye penetrate into the bare maple wood . kind regards 

Megii

Never worked with a veneer, so I'll just agree with the advice above, and wish you good luck mate.

ThePrettyDamned

Megii;457430" said:

Never worked with a veneer, so I'll just agree with the advice above, and wish you good luck mate.

I have once, though it was a photo frame!

And I removed the veneer around the edges. The rest was fine, though. I was very careful after I realised what was happening.

I then tried to even out the removal around the edge... It looked quite shabby, but also quite cool in a way.

themeinside

Perfect stuff, everyone! Thank you for your quick replies! Updates and pictures are imminent

themeinside

OK- bulk update!

Christmas Eve, 20:00 hours. All holes drilled (a little wonky, but don't comment on that!). The headstock was also roughly shaped. 

Now, today, I embarked on my first EVER guitar finish. I think it's far too thick (though it already seems almost dry to the touch) and I've used two different Wudtone for the back and the top. I've also thoroughly refined the headstock, which took about 5 hours straight last night. I feel I may have used the wrong grit of sandpaper xD I'm going to neaten up all the edges after this coat has dried and cured. I'm already surprisingly happy with the finish and colours, though I'm sure they'll get less vibrant as they dry. Anyway, enough talk, I know the old adage of 'pics or gtfo'

First the headstock... my pride and joy as of this moment ^_^

Here is the body, sanded but without finish...

And so it begins... an action shot  

So here is the back, done, in the deep colour stage of Wudtone's Black Magic Woman kit:

And one with a bit of an overfacing (and blue-ing) flash, just to show the finish in greater detail:

And here is the front, with the deep colour coat of the Wudtone Dark Onyx. Everything looks a little blue because of the flash, but you get the picture!

And finally, here is a full frontal picture, to get the overall effect!

Again, I'd like to thank @ThePrettyDamned for his generous donation of the Black Magic Woman kit... I hope I have begun to do your kindness justice, sir!

ThePrettyDamned

N'aww I've gained a shit load more than just a finishing kit, so I'm happy to give back a wee bit.

Looks good so far! For the solid back and sides, you can stipple the finish on to get it on heavier and make it more solid or you can just build up lots of super thin layers.  It dries quite quickly.

The top looks nice mate!