Finished Pics! impmann's Alembic-esque Electric

UnclePsychosis

That looks immense. Great work. 

BigMonka

Looks great Andy!
How do you manage the transition from a gloss body to the oiled neck when you’re doing a through-neck like this? Is there a hard changeover line or can you put a grade on the amount of gloss?

Andyjr1515

BigMonka said:

Looks great Andy!
How do you manage the transition from a gloss body to the oiled neck when you’re doing a through-neck like this? Is there a hard changeover line or can you put a grade on the amount of gloss?

Thanks, folks

On this one, because the sweep of the horn carves has a defined line, I've left a hard transition.  It is a very thin coat, though, so there's no step.  On Pete's SG, where the neck was one continuous curve, I did a more progressive blend.  Both ways seem to work fine

TTony

Shiny, shiny, shiny.

Looks beautiful. 

Big congrats to both maker and recipient!

Legionreturns

Your done this before haven't you! 

Wowser! 

Andyjr1515

Thanks, folks.

The top is proving just a little more troublesome.  The varnish is a teeny bit too stiff so, even though the gloss is good, there are slight ripples where it hasn't self-levelled - but the new formulation really doesn't like being thinned...   Just a case of re-doing until one of them is a 'that's it!'

I might try warming it if it doesn't get me there in the next couple of coats

Andyjr1515

It's hard to tell until it's hard enough to polish up, but I think there's a decent chance that this is the final gloss coat:


There are certainly no dust buggies.  Warming the varnish helped a touch to get it to flow and I used the finest fan brush I had but it still didn't fully level out the brush marks.  However, they are so fine I'm pretty sure they will polish out nicely...

darthed1981

Really amazing work, what a beautiful looking unique instrument!

impmann

Wow.

Andyjr1515

impmann said:

Wow.

That's all that matters

Teyeplayer

impmann said:

Wow.

Lucky boy, think we are all waiting on your ngd!

Andyjr1515

As it happens, I wasn't in the end happy enough with the above finish so I did another coat. 

This time I thinned the varnish with around 8% white spirits.  It sorted the flow issues but, in my view, the new formulation of Hardglaze really, really doesn't like being thinned with white spirits.  I need to drop their tech dept a line at sometime and see what they recommend...

Anyway - this is close enough.  Once it is fully hard (back end of next week) this, I know, will polish nicely and lose any of the micro brush marks remaining.  From a reasonable distance they are invisible even before polishing:






This week should see the remaining main jobs completed - these can be done while the gloss is fully hardening.  This includes:

• Reseating of a couple of high frets
• Fret levelling, crowning and polishing
• Fret end and fretboard edge rounding
• Nut installation
• Pup and control chamber shielding
  
• Installation of bridge, electrics and p/ups
• Magnetic catches for control chamber (if feasible) and truss rod cover
• Strap buttons
• Cup of tea
  

Andyjr1515

• Reseating of a couple of high frets
• Fret levelling, crowning and polishing
• Fret end and fretboard edge rounding
• Nut installation
• Pup and control chamber shielding
• Installation of bridge, electrics and p/ups
• Magnetic catches for control chamber (if feasible) and truss rod cover
• Strap buttons
• Cup of tea

Legionreturns

You've not had a cuppa? I don't believe you! 

Andyjr1515

Legionreturns said:

You've not had a cuppa? I don't believe you! 

It's a fair cop...I lied.  We are, after all, in an era of 'post-truth'

lysander

@Andyjr1515 looks amazing !! Congrats.
What varnish do you use and how do you apply it ?

Andyjr1515

lysander said:

@Andyjr1515 looks amazing !! Congrats.
What varnish do you use and how do you apply it ?

Thanks!

It's good old-fashioned Ronseal Hardglaze polyurethane varnish.

Application has changed in the last couple of uses - mainly because the formulation has changed recently to reduce the volatiles...but that has changed a number of other things.

I used to wipe-on using micro-fibre cloths, thinning the varnish from 25% to as high as 60% with white spirits - this one was done that way:


But the new formulation really, really doesn't seem to like being thinned a lot at all.  The first couple of tins I bought, however, were thinner and I applied with an artist's fan brush un-thinned:


The problem I've had with @impmann's is that the later tins have been slightly thicker and drag-ier, leaving brush marks and ripples.  In the end, I've thinned it around 8%...but it still didn't react too well.  It's OK and will polish up fine, but it isn't how it should be.  I will be contacting Ronseal to find out what thinners they recommend.

And why do I do it like this?  Because I have been pretty much a 'bedroom builder' for most of my builds and so needed a method minimising equipment, etc..

I've experimented with Osmo Polyx and had great success with their satin but not managed to get a good result with their gloss yet.  For @impmann's I've stuck with what I know will work but for the sister build, destined for myself, I've going to have another bash with the Osmo.

Andyjr1515

Another job off the list (and one added then crossed off).

Chambers are now copper shielded:



and side dots installed (still to be sanded flush):


...and more cups of tea drunk

WezV

Have you compared shielded and unshielded pickup cavities?

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

Have you compared shielded and unshielded pickup cavities?

Interesting question....presumably there's no difference?