Scratch Bass Build

[Cagey]

That was my experience with the cars and the catalyzed paint. If you ran or sagged it, you were screwed. You damn near had to grind the stuff off. No fun, and little chance of matching it up without leaving evidence. Poly in general is that way, catalyzed or not. It's very durable, so it's a great finish when done well, but repairs are a cast iron bitch.

Fortunately, it's pretty easy stuff to spray as long as everything's in order, so mistakes are rare.

 

[Cagey]

Incidentally, you say the wood levels are the same, but look at this pic...

See the window mullions reflecting in the finish where they cross the joins from Purpleheart to Maple to Mahogany? Either those are some pretty artistic mullions, or that surface isn't level. No amount of finish sanding/polishing is going to erase that.

Sanding isn't the answer with dissimilar woods like that. What you need to do is talk to the boss. Tell her you need an 18" wide thickness planer, and you need it now. Threaten... something. You MUST HAVE IT! The fate of the free world hangs in the balance!

 

[DangerousR6]

Incidentally, you say the wood levels are the same, but look at this pic...

See the window mullions reflecting in the finish where they cross the joins from Purpleheart to Maple to Mahogany? Either those are some pretty artistic mullions, or that surface isn't level. No amount of finish sanding/polishing is going to erase that.

Sanding isn't the answer with dissimilar woods like that. What you need to do is talk to the boss. Tell her you need an 18" wide thickness planer, and you need it now. Threaten... something. You MUST HAVE IT! The fate of the free world hangs in the balance!

I kinda thought the same thing, either the pieces were not all level or the shadowing was playing some trickery with my peepers..

But  you are right Cagey, that always gets the bosses attention when you use that line.... :laughing11:

 

[Cagey]

Yeah. I know it always got my boss' attention. I could tell, because she'd laugh and tell me to STFU  :laughing7:

 

[dmraco]

I see what you mean.

  After that coat I took it down to the bare wood in most spots.  That was a heavy coat for level and grain fill.  I did notice a high spot on the ends and spend some time sanding with a sanding bar to level it out.  The purple heart was tough.  I thought you were referring to the most recent pic

I hear you though, my planer is only 12.5 inches.   

 

[Cagey]

Problem is thickness planers are like diamonds - price rises exponentially with size. It's always best to go bigger than you need with that sort of thing because your needs will change once you have the tool and can see what can be done, but it's tough to justify the cost based on current requirements.

 

[dmraco]

there was a three blade Dewalt but well over $600.  I do not need it that bad.

The poly is curing nicely.  Small defect just between the pick ups.  And the only really orange peel is on the sides.  I may do a test polish where the neck plate is.  I think some of my problem is I do not let it set enough and end up with VERY fine swirls after polishing, even with the lowest grit polishing mediums.

 

[Cagey]

It can take quite a while for finishes to cure hard enough to polish. That's why it takes 8 weeks to get finished bodies/necks from Warmoth. It's not that it takes that long to get on the schedule, it's because once they shoot the thing it has to hang for 6 weeks before they'll finish sand/buff it out. Lacquer's the same way. 2 weeks is the minimum you wait, and that's pushing it.

We will buff no bodies before its time​