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How's Momma's guitar coming along? Isn't the two weeks up yet?

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Aoibeann

Thanks for asking Lillian, i was just gonna prepare the sandpaper in water tonight to be able to start wet sanding tomorrow night. Yup, it has cured for 2 weeks now but let me say that i dread the sanding like you would not believe!

I have been working all week end long here but still managed to work a bit on my shop makeover, will show pics soon!

Serge

Another shop makeover. Wow, your starting to sound like me Broher Serge

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Rod True] Another shop makeover. Wow, your starting to sound like me Broher Serge [/QUOTE]

Yeah, i know Rod, i have a compulsive thing too bro!

I decided to bring all the power tools in the center of the shop and have them all on caster wheels and as near as possible to the shop vac, the benches will then all be against the walls. Wait till you see my drum sander on wheels, pretty cool!

[quote=Serge, The Sandpaper Scourge]Yup, it has cured for 2 weeks now but let me say that i dread the sanding like you would not believe! [/quote]

    Your looking at it all wrong! Take your time. Use your eyes and hands. Take a part at a time and get'er done. It's actually fun.

You should'nt "Dread the Sanding", your "Sanding the Dread"!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Right on Sergio!

It's gonna turn out great my friend, don't worry... A little section at a time and you'll be done before you know it!

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

I will add to Hesh's lubrication advise and go a bit further.

If you use mineral spirits as a lubricant, it will not "corn" as much as with water and will cut smoother as well. If you add a drop of mineral oil to it, it will be even smoother.

The one downside of using water as a lubricant is if you sand through to the wood, you will introduce water to the wood and you will most likely get swelling and that can wreak havoc with the finishing job. The other thing is that you won't necessarily know until it's to late.

You are using spray on varathane right? This is a Polyurethane yes? This will be a reactive finish, in that it will not form one solid film, rather there will be several thin, cured layers. The one possible problem with this is that you may sand through to the layer below the top coat and you can get white lines which are known as witness lines. Just be careful and wipe the area your sanding often to see your progress.

You can do it bud. Just get into the focused zone.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

[QUOTE=Rod True] If you use mineral spirits as a lubricant, it will not "corn" as much as with water and will cut smoother as well. If you add a drop of mineral oil to it, it will be even smoother.
.[/QUOTE]

Rod, "corn"?

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Aoibeann

Lillian, this is a term I learned from Bob Flexner's book



Great book, I try and read through it a couple of times a year. I get it from my library.

Anyway, "corn or corns" refers to the tendency of the finish to roll up into little balls when sanding and sticking to the sandpaper. This will happen with all sandpaper, worse if you don't have a lubricant. If no lubricant is used, make sure your paper is "Stearated silicon-carbide" or no-load paper. 3m makes a great no-load paper called 3m gold, Mario put me onto this stuff, great for leveling without a lubricant as it will show your progress better than with a liquid all over the guitar body.

Anyway, hope this explains it.

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Thanks for the many great tips folks, i will start wet sanding tonight with a drop of mineral spirit, i will report on the progress. I'll try to be very patient with the whole process, wish me luck!

Thankfully, i have Don Ross and Dwight Yoakam and some bluegrass music in the CD player that my wife gave me recently so that should help keep a good attitude!

Thanks again my friends!

Thanks Rod, that helps a lot. I will be looking for that book soon.

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Aoibeann

Here are a couple of pics of the wet sanding that i did tonight, i added a drop of mineral spirit to the water, went at it with 6" X 6" area at a time and everything went well with the 600 grits paper, i did the whole soundbox but had to change the water and it was getting late so i'll resume tomorrow night with the neck and one of the sides that has a little ding in it!







SergeSerge Poirier39006.9184837963

Great info Hesh/Rod. It's lookin good Serge!

Rod, on your suggestion to use mineral spirits. What happens if you sand through and introduce mineral spirits to the wood? Wouldn't this affect adhesion when you have to recoat or respray? (Not trying to challenge you here).

I don't understand why wet sanding is so bad? I recently wet sanded an archtop that had 6 coats on it and got it done in about 2 hrs. The toughest part was level sanding the 30 drop fills around the headstock, body and f hole binding area. Listening to some great tunes would have been great (time to get that MP3 player of mine out that I haven't used yet). The next go should be easier (I hope).

It was my impression that Rod suggested mineral spirits as a substitute for the water...and adding a drop of mineral oil to the mineral spirits. Did I mis-understand?

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

Looking good Serge!

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Aoibeann

That was correct JJ. Mineral spirits, instead of water and soap. The paper will tend to NOT load up as much, which can cause small scratches if you don't change the paper soon enough.

Mineral spirits, as I understand it, is only a thinner for varnish, not a solvent so it should just evaporate and not effect the finish or wood at all.

I used mineral spirits as the lubricant on the last guitar I finished. I tried soapy water on the guitar previous, but found just like Flexner states, that the paper clogged up to quickly. The mineral spirits was definitely a smoother sanding and the paper did not load as quickly.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Duh me -- thanks Rod/JJ. I read Mineral Spirits and my brain translated it to mineral oil.

Thanks everyone, the surface isn't shining anymore but it feels like it's getting more even so i think i'll continue the same way untill i get to the 2000 grits.

Anthony, you won't regret having music in your shop bro, a bit hard on the concentration at first but i just reduce the volume then, i don't know how i stayed so long without music in the shop, sooo relaxing!

Thanks again for your input folks!

Serge

[quote]Thankfully, i have Don Ross and Dwight Yoakam and some bluegrass music in the CD player[/quote]

   Whatever you do, don't put in the speed metal! Don't ask me how I know!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Hey dude, some AC/DC might hurt the finish huh?

Listening to " Back in black " is quite dangerous especially if you got dyes or stains in the shop!

AC/DC Good !!!

Megadeath/Anthrax Bad!!

Oh! and for you, nothing by the Who!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)