First Warmoth Project - Flying V in Cordovan

2ManyShoes said:
All the hardware will be black,  so I'm thinking of these.

DV016_Jpg_Large_420926.001.211_black_natural.jpg

If you're still looking for appropriate knobs, this guy does wood knobs, plain or fancy, for a price that pretty much matches up against buying qparts or allparts knobs. He takes custom orders as well I think. Check out the store on his webpage or the etsy page for his in stock items. I think he did some knobs with a pewter celtic inlay once, if you're still looking for knobs with the celtic knot

http://archipelagoglass.com/
 
Wow.  The Archipelago Glass guy's prices are quite surprisingly low by comparison to other offerings in the space -and by comparison to mass-produced metal knobs, too.  I'm having interesting thoughts...

 
mero said:
2ManyShoes said:
All the hardware will be black,  so I'm thinking of these.

DV016_Jpg_Large_420926.001.211_black_natural.jpg

If you're still looking for appropriate knobs, this guy does wood knobs, plain or fancy, for a price that pretty much matches up against buying qparts or allparts knobs. He takes custom orders as well I think. Check out the store on his webpage or the etsy page for his in stock items. I think he did some knobs with a pewter celtic inlay once, if you're still looking for knobs with the celtic knot

http://archipelagoglass.com/

Wow, this is a great site.  Thanks!
 
OK, the finish has cured for 4 weeks and the smell is almost completely gone.  (I don't think it's going to smell any less than this for a year.  I have to put my nose right on top of it to smell it.)  I think it's ready to wet-sand, buff, and polish.  Can you finishing ninjas give me some pointers on that?  My general plan is to carefully sand with successively finer grades in the Micromesh kit, using slightly soapy water as a lubricant.  Then I'll switch to a polishing compound, and top it all off with some sort of automotive sealant.  Here are the questions I can think of at this point:

  • How do you clean up between sanding sessions (i.e., when you're changing grits)?  Is a naptha wipe-down appropriate, or would that strip off the Tru Oil?


  • Should I continue to wear gloves, or can I handle the darned thing now?


  • How long do you wait between sanding sessions?  Seems like you wouldn't have to wait at all.

After all this work, I really don't want to mess it up, so thanks for any advice you can offer.
 
Your plan below is how I finished my neck and it came out great.  You should be able to handle it without gloves now, as it should be finished curing.  Lol, I don't know how you kept yourself distracted for a month while it cured, but good work.

Micromesh - if you start from the right side of the stack, you should be able to attain a reflective and (relatively) distortion free shine before you move on to polishing compounds.  No waiting required moving through grits.  Cleanup between grits amounted to a wipedown with a damp papertowel.  Heed the following from the manufacturer- this worked for me:

*Follow the manufacturer's recommended cure times prior to recoating or applying the finish coat. When you are applying multiple coats, sand from 1500 MICRO-MESH to 3200 or 3600 between coats to remove any orange-peel or dirt.

After the final coat has fully cured, polish the surface beginning with 2400 MICRO-MESH and continue through the series (3200-12000) until the desired gloss is achieved.

Satin finishes are achieved with the 3600 grade. The satin finish gets progressively higher in gloss through the 6000 step. High gloss finishes will appear by the 6000 through 12000 step. The wood, the finish used and personal preference determine where to stop.

Finish with a light rubbing compound, buff with polish, and seal/wax.   

2ManyShoes said:
OK, the finish has cured for 4 weeks and the smell is almost completely gone.  (I don't think it's going to smell any less than this for a year.  I have to put my nose right on top of it to smell it.)  I think it's ready to wet-sand, buff, and polish.  Can you finishing ninjas give me some pointers on that?  My general plan is to carefully sand with successively finer grades in the Micromesh kit, using slightly soapy water as a lubricant.  Then I'll switch to a polishing compound, and top it all off with some sort of automotive sealant.  Here are the questions I can think of at this point:

  • How do you clean up between sanding sessions (i.e., when you're changing grits)?  Is a naptha wipe-down appropriate, or would that strip off the Tru Oil?


  • Should I continue to wear gloves, or can I handle the darned thing now?


  • How long do you wait between sanding sessions?  Seems like you wouldn't have to wait at all.

After all this work, I really don't want to mess it up, so thanks for any advice you can offer.
 
fdesalvo said:
Lol, I don't know how you kept yourself distracted for a month while it cured, but good work.

Started three other builds (finished two) and bought a 7-string, an 8-string, and a 9-string.  :laughing7:
 
2ManyShoes said:
fdesalvo said:
Lol, I don't know how you kept yourself distracted for a month while it cured, but good work.

Started three other builds (finished two) and bought a 7-string, an 8-string, and a 9-string.  :laughing7:

:eek:ccasion14: You sure know how to get distracted the right way!  :laughing7:
 
Sweet mercy, man.  Ol' tone factory in full swing!

Haha, with the MM just remember to change your water and clean your pads often - take your time. 

Provided your surface is leveled, you can start off with the 400 and work your way up from there.  If you aren't sure if it is, a pass with the 400 pad will reveal shiny spots when viewed at an angle once the surface is wiped dry.  If it isn't leveled, you can go down a grade or two and lightly level the surface.  I believe the MM 150 is equivalent to 400 grit wet/dry paper.

Each finer grit will remove the scratch pattern of the preceding.  Between grades, you should wipe the surface dry and look at a few different angles and determine if you need to stay on the same grit or move up.  Don't be shocked when you see your shiny unsanded surface dulled by the first few grades of paper; this will quickly disappear.  Wait until you reach the 4xxx and higher pads!
 
Brilliant thread for a first timer (like me...).  I've got parts ordered for my first build, and 6 weeks to learn all I can about finishing.  This is a great start.
Gorgeous V, dude.  Looking forward to the sound samples!  :headbang:

I've got a swamp ash body topped with koa coming, and intend to use a truer black dye on the back, and get as close to gloss on the top as I can with the Tru-Oil.  Your experience with dying and sealing is going to help me a lot, I expect.  Thanks!
 
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