Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm planning on doing only the tops with FP on my batch of 3 that are nearing completion. On the necks, I'd like to nitro the headstock but finish the neck playing surface with Danish Oil. I'm hoping to have a local body shop spray McFaddens on the bodies and then for me to do the wet sanding operation at home. I have questions for each of the operations:

French Polishing...Should I do the tops before lacquer application or after?

Neck...I'm thinking that I should apply the Danish oil to the neck and let it cure out for a week or so before spraying lacquer on the headstock. Does this make sense?

Body Lacquer...Normally, instructions call for 2-3 spraying sessions with level sanding and drop filling between those sessions. If I find a body shop that will do the spraying, can I just have him do a single session and then start the sanding process after 2-4 weeks of curing out. I was hoping that Tony Karol would chime in here. I seem to remember him discussing this at the Zootman's bash last summer but I may have been under an ethanol cloud at the time and just don't remember all of the details. Tony...any ideas on this?...how many coats...what thickness?...was it actually you I was speaking to about this?

TIA...JJ

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

JJ I have done one nito FP combo but several KTM9 combos. I do the same on both. I sealled the top well with shellac then finished the back and sides. allowing the nitro a little over lap on the top so that the nitro covered just past the top edge of the bindings. I sanded and drop filled as in a normal nito application. once the nito was cured and final sanded I cafully scrapped back the nitro to right at the inside edge of the binding on the top, then proceeded to FP the top. This I allowed me to easly repair any sand throughs on the bindings (the most likly place for a sand through to happen at)prior to ever starting the FP.MichaelP39009.4772916667

I have never FPd a guitar so, cant help with that, but once at Serge de Jonge's, he had a guitar that he was doing what you are about to do - he basically just cut a cardbaord mask fo rhte top, and had that taped on close to the binding edge, then sprayed the B&S.

As for a nitro schedule, I just tried and am loving Zpoxy. On an EIrw guitar I had no drops to do at all. the other was a sapele, and i think I had three hairlines, all at binding/back/side seams. What I did was Zpozy, then shoot five coats over two days, then drop fill the spots, leave over night, then flat sand with 600. Shoot four more and now they are curing. Before with my other pore filling routine, I always had more drops to do, and just to make sure I got them all, I was spraying another 3-4 coats. This is much better.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"