Daily Run Down, & Round Table-P/Us

[SonnyW]

Good Evening Sonny!
T

Good evening to you too T,

I guess I can't read too well, I just read back over my post and one of my questions for Ward was answered in the quote I used. Not too much else going on today kind of stuck waiting on parts.

[SonnyW]

Hi Sonny, coach Ward here the 600 I use when wet sanding the thing getting ready for buffing, I wet sand with good old water and the 600 is only to knock back the mountains, once it's reasonable flat, I leave it for at least two weeks (3 months is better) then water and 1200 to take out all the little shiny pits. If you look at the thing in sunlight you will know for sure if you have sanded well enough. Go easy on edges or you'll go through, AND don't even do the edges with the 600. HTH.

Thanks,
I haven't tried the 1200 grit. And I have only been letting it cure for a week. Hmmm. Maybe those are some reasons yours look so much better than mine. I do try to look at them in the sunshine, and stay away from the edges, but even with all that, when I go back over them later in different light after buffing I have found more spots that weren't flat enough. More practice needed I guess.

-sw

[big_teee]

Hot and Humid here today.
It rained finally last night, and made the humidity go up.
I emailed Tom at mojo this morning, and told him of interest in some Split bobbin J bass flat work.
I could make it, but they already make a similar Pickup.
I had rather have the Laser cut flat work.
He said that they would stock it as soon as they get it perfected.
He said they would make the split coil for 4 and 5 string basses.
So maybe we will have those available for you J bass pickup makers.
T

[Ward]

Thanks,
I haven't tried the 1200 grit. And I have only been letting it cure for a week. Hmmm. Maybe those are some reasons yours look so much better than mine. I do try to look at them in the sunshine, and stay away from the edges, but even with all that, when I go back over them later in different light after buffing I have found more spots that weren't flat enough. More practice needed I guess.
-sw

Yeah, it's no necessarily practice but patience and diligence. If you do enough of them you'll know exactly when you're ready for the next stage in the process.
I'm using acrylic lacquer, you're using nitro? both old school systems take an eternity to dry or set hard, the term for what ails us when using the old paint products on wood is called "sinkback"
You should definitely leave a finish at least 2 weeks but in saying that even 4 or 6 will still suffer from the dreaded sinkback. Sinkback is what happens to the paint when painting on wood, after a couple of months approx, the paint sinks into the pores, no matter whether it's alder, maple or the open pored woods like mahogany and ash. So you buff up the guitar n it looks a million bucks, then after a couple of months the shine is gone due to sinkback. This is inevitable unless you wait about 3 months, the only thing you can do when the shine is gone is go back with your 1200 and wet sand and buff it back up. If you wait a good while after the sinkback occurs you can usually get away with the one rub back n buff and the sinkback is cured. I did an SG outta mahogany (see pic, never mind the dust) I put 10 clear coats on, 600 rough wet sand the next day, another 10 coats, 600 rough wet sand the next day and left it for 3 months. The thing looks like it's covered in glass and had held it's shine for over a year now. So that's that regarding sinkback and the shine factor, sad as it is, that's what happens. I usually try to wait a month before final sand and buff but even then sinkback will occur. I have a number of guitars that require the 2nd sand n buff.
You really need to finish up with 1200, if you don't it's impossible to buff out the scratches, even with 800 it's more trouble than just doing the 1200. I can 1200 a guitar and have it ready for buffing in about 2 hours. It ain't fun at all but the things we do for the glass like shine.

[SonnyW]

Thanks again Ward, I'm learning a lot here. Yes I'm using nitro. I want to try one sometime with the acrylic lacquer too. That SG looks really good. A long time ago I used to build boats, and when I was learning that I spent a lot of time talking to some of the painters and sales guys I would run into at the auto paint supply. This was in the mid 70's. They all swore by the acrylic lacquer, even though the big deal then for show cars was rubbed out enamel. Of course on the sailboats I was building I used polyester gel coat. Anyway that is a whole different thing. Except for all the sanding and rubbing out part. At least today I got a head start on waiting three months on my strat. While I am waiting I am getting my shopping list ready. Gravity feed gun, 1200 paper, metal dye toners ...

It was hot here today too T, I never did get my garage shop cooled down enough to work much in there. Even at 9:30 it is still 89F in there and the AC has been running on it pretty much all day.

[Ward]

Thanks again Ward, I'm learning a lot here. Yes I'm using nitro. I want to try one sometime with the acrylic lacquer too. That SG looks really good. A long time ago I used to build boats, and when I was learning that I spent a lot of time talking to some of the painters and sales guys I would run into at the auto paint supply. This was in the mid 70's. They all swore by the acrylic lacquer, even though the big deal then for show cars was rubbed out enamel. Of course on the sailboats I was building I used polyester gel coat. Anyway that is a whole different thing. Except for all the sanding and rubbing out part. At least today I got a head start on waiting three months on my strat. While I am waiting I am getting my shopping list ready. Gravity feed gun, 1200 paper, metal dye toners ...

It was hot here today too T, I never did get my garage shop cooled down enough to work much in there. Even at 9:30 it is still 89F in there and the AC has been running on it pretty much all day.

Thanks Sonny, I learned with acrylic back in the 70s. It is a far superior product to nitro but the vintage sting keeps nitro alive, some guys enjoy the hit they get with it too I don't want my finishes to brown with age, the acrylic clear is super colourless.
This is the stuff I use for trans finishes. Geez the candy tangerine looks so damn good, I won't be waiting too long to buff this one up. Anyway this is it here, not cheap though. STEWMAC.COM : ColorTone Liquid Stains
Just a small tip if I may on wet sanding, I use a hard foam block about 3"x2" You don't really want to use something as big as those cork blocks you buy in hardware stores, it's white foam but quite stiff, dunno if you know what I mean. Come on over n I'll give you some, brfff.
One thing I love about the gravey feed guns, you use 1/2 as much paint and spray at 20psi.

[SonnyW]

Thanks Sonny, I learned with acrylic back in the 70s. It is a far superior product to nitro but the vintage sting keeps nitro alive, some guys enjoy the hit they get with it too I don't want my finishes to brown with age, the acrylic clear is super colourless.
This is the stuff I use for trans finishes. Geez the candy tangerine looks so damn good, I won't be waiting too long to buff this one up. Anyway this is it here, not cheap though. STEWMAC.COM : ColorTone Liquid Stains
Just a small tip if I may on wet sanding, I use a hard foam block about 3"x2" You don't really want to use something as big as those cork blocks you buy in hardware stores, it's white foam but quite stiff, dunno if you know what I mean. Come on over n I'll give you some, brfff.
One thing I love about the gravey feed guns, you use 1/2 as much paint and spray at 20psi.

Once, also back in the 70's when I was having a house built, when the painters went to do the cabinets, they closed up all the doors. Later one of them told me they did it for the hit. I am pretty sure that was the clear nitro.

I have been using the rubber sanding blocks a little less than 3 by 5 that take 1/4 of a sheet. Sounds like that is too big. I'd love to come visit but for the airfare I could probably buy out Stewmac's stock of those colors. I have some hard foam around I will try it.

Edit: Oh by the way the dyes I got are the ones from Luthiers Mercantile. According to the MLP forum they are the same as Stewmac. do you know if they are?
-sw

[Ward]

Once, also back in the 70's when I was having a house built, when the painters went to do the cabinets, they closed up all the doors. Later one of them told me they did it for the hit. I am pretty sure that was the clear nitro.

I have been using the rubber sanding blocks a little less than 3 by 5 that take 1/4 of a sheet. Sounds like that is too big. I'd love to come visit but for the airfare I could probably buy out Stewmac's stock of those colors. I have some hard foam around I will try it.

Edit: Oh by the way the dyes I got are the ones from Luthiers Mercantile. According to the LP forum they are the same as Stewmac. do you know if they are?
-sw

Yeah 3x5 IMO is too big, with the 3x2 you cut the 1/4 sheet in half again. The LMI metal dyes look the same and a tad cheaper and they have purple too. Stew's shipping prices to Oz are pretty good for small orders so for me I like that. I got some aniline water soluble dyes from LMI ages ago, they work OK but the metal dye is great, just put it in the lacquer, great. The aniline dyes faded quite a bit too. What colour dyes do you have from LMI?

[SonnyW]

Yeah 3x5 IMO is too big, with the 3x2 you cut the 1/4 sheet in half again. The LMI metal dyes look the same and a tad cheaper and they have purple too. Stew's shipping prices to Oz are pretty good for small orders so for me I like that. I got some aniline water soluble dyes from LMI ages ago, they work OK but the metal dye is great, just put it in the lacquer, great. The aniline dyes faded quite a bit too. What colour dyes do you have from LMI?

I got the solvent based dye kit
FMDYMEK MEK/solvent-base, dye concentrate kit, 5 bottles, 10 oz. (black, blue (acetone base), brown, red & yellow)

[SonnyW]

No mate, I did receive my bulk string order of 60 sets made up from individual gauges. I'm using a very girly gauge these days. 8 10 15 24 32 42 tuned down to Eb and using a .5mm flapmeister pick
Just put the 4th coat of clear on.

Just saw this. Dang! 8's & tuned down half a step?? That's even beyond Billy Gibbons style I think. More power to you Ward, and whatever works for you, but I can't even handle 9's that well I bend 'em when I don't want to. Not that I'm any good as a player though.

[Ward]

Just saw this. Dang! 8's & tuned down half a step?? That's even beyond Billy Gibbons style I think. More power to you Ward, and whatever works for you, but I can't even handle 9's that well I bend 'em when I don't want to. Not that I'm any good as a player though.

Yeah I knew I was leaving myself open with that I played 10/52 concert tuned for 20 years on a strat with EMG S pickups and a 77 100w Marshall all through my gigging days. I've been trying to skinny up on the whole caper for about 15 years but it's a hard habit to break and it's taken a long time but I can finally feel in the right place with the light strings n such. The light pic helps enormously but I reckon it's helped me to lighten up my touch and stop banging into the thing like I used to. I have the action high and you'd never believe 8s could sound so good. So if Billy G can do 7s why not me do 8s I say. This is with the 25 1/2" scale of course, I wouldn't do that on a gibbo.

[SonnyW]

Yeah I knew I was leaving myself open with that I played 10/52 concert tuned for 20 years on a strat with EMG S pickups and a 77 100w Marshall all through my gigging days. I've been trying to skinny up on the whole caper for about 15 years but it's a hard habit to break and it's taken a long time but I can finally feel in the right place with the light strings n such. The light pic helps enormously but I reckon it's helped me to lighten up my touch and stop banging into the thing like I used to. I have the action high and you'd never believe 8s could sound so good. So if Billy G can do 7s why not me do 8s I say. This is with the 25 1/2" scale of course, you would do that on a gibbo.

Maybe if you grew a long white beard and got a fur cover for your guitar you could get in on the $$$$.

[Stratz]

Anybody know if the 50mm Mojo bobbins line up with the holes in the Mojo long Leg 49.2mm base plates?
I know the SM and some old All-parts 49.2mm bobbins I have line right up with the holes in the Mojo 50mm base plates/keepers.

Thanks.
Rob

[big_teee]

Anybody know if the 50mm Mojo bobbins line up with the holes in the Mojo long Leg 49.2mm base plates?
I know the SM and some old All-parts 49.2mm bobbins I have line right up with the holes in the Mojo 50mm base plates/keepers.

Thanks.
Rob

If you use a 49.2mm keeper bar it will help.
If you can get the 49.2 keeper on after putting the screws through the 50mm bobbin?
That will narrow the spacing of the screws, and they should go through the baseplate.
Please let us know what you come up with.
T

[SonnyW]

Anybody know if the 50mm Mojo bobbins line up with the holes in the Mojo long Leg 49.2mm base plates?
I know the SM and some old All-parts 49.2mm bobbins I have line right up with the holes in the Mojo 50mm base plates/keepers.

Thanks.
Rob

I tried it just now, Mojo 50mm bobbin and 49.2 long leg baseplate. They don't quite line up close enough to go without doing anything, but all that is needed to make it fit is to ream out the end holes in the baseplate just a tad, I did both end holes just making them a bit oblong with an exacto knife and it went right on. Just a couple of shavings on each end. I was using a 50mm keeper, I don't have any of those from Mojo this one was from GJ. I only put in the end two polescrews, but I am sure the others would go in fine.