The Arsenal SG

[Cletus]

OK, so I'm encountering things that make me go "nah, not good enough" and sand off the finish. Nothing disastrous, just enough to make me want to take the time to get it perfect.

I used the Birchwood Casey Sealer/filler, but it's not particularly effective at really filling so I sanded that back a touch and really worked it into the grain and it seems much improved. I'm not after a perfectly flat surface like you would need to do a Nitro finish, more leaving the suggestion of grain while not detracting from the lustre (if that makes any sense).

Like this:

I've found that by really working the sealer stuff into the grain it fills better, and leaves a surface I'm happy with. So now my Tru-Oil odyssey continues. I think I'm going to use this "generating friction" method to apply the oil, see how I go. Really rub it in.

 

[TomPerverteau]

Perfect choice on the bridge! I'm a wraparound lover, and tune-o-matic hater. And former owner of two '60s SGs, which were wonderful. That is a very nice guitar.

 

[Cagey]

Perfect choice on the bridge! I'm a wraparound lover, and tune-o-matic hater. And former owner of two '60s SGs, which were wonderful. That is a very nice guitar.

I don't understand. That isn't a wrap-around bridge, it is a tune-o-matic. So, how is it a perfect choice?

Incidentally, I share your distaste for TOM bridges. There are certainly worse bridges out there, but there are also much better ones so there's no reason to use a TOM.

 

[swarfrat]

It is a tune-o-matic style bridge. It doesn't have a stop tailpiece, and that's what he's talking about.

 

[Cagey]

It is a tune-o-matic style bridge. It doesn't have a stop tailpiece, and that's what he's talking about.

Maybe we're not looking at the same picture. I'm referencing that SG at post 20 by Cletus. That big ol' bar the strings attach to below the TOM bridge is a stop tailpiece, is it not?

 

[swarfrat]

I thought he was talking about the mustache bridge from post 1

 

[Cagey]

Ah! That 'splains it.

I agree, that bridge in the first post is very nice.

 

[Cletus]

OK, so I'm encountering things that make me go "nah, not good enough" and sand off the finish. Nothing disastrous, just enough to make me want to take the time to get it perfect.

I used the Birchwood Casey Sealer/filler, but it's not particularly effective at really filling so I sanded that back a touch and really worked it into the grain and it seems much improved. I'm not after a perfectly flat surface like you would need to do a Nitro finish, more leaving the suggestion of grain while not detracting from the lustre (if that makes any sense).

Like this:

I've found that by really working the sealer stuff into the grain it fills better, and leaves a surface I'm happy with. So now my Tru-Oil odyssey continues. I think I'm going to use this "generating friction" method to apply the oil, see how I go. Really rub it in.

Just to make it clear- this is not my guitar. rather I used it as an illustration of the type of satin-ny, slightly grainy finish I'm after.

 

[CrackedPepper]

Grainy or smooth - that is going to be one gorgeous hunk of BK!  Keep up the good work!!

 

[Cletus]

Some more pics, sorry about the delay- I've had a lot on lately and it's also been raining. Not very helpful.

 

[Cagey]

That's coming along very nicely. I suspect a lot of people are going to be envious of that fiddle when you start showing it off in public.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Looking good!!!

 

[rapfohl09]

Man this thing looks awesome. I have a Gibson Faded Special and love the finish on it, so if you can capture that this guitar is going to be awesome!

 

[Firebird211]

OK, so I'm encountering things that make me go "nah, not good enough" and sand off the finish. Nothing disastrous, just enough to make me want to take the time to get it perfect.

I used the Birchwood Casey Sealer/filler, but it's not particularly effective at really filling so I sanded that back a touch and really worked it into the grain and it seems much improved. I'm not after a perfectly flat surface like you would need to do a Nitro finish, more leaving the suggestion of grain while not detracting from the lustre (if that makes any sense).

Like this:

I've found that by really working the sealer stuff into the grain it fills better, and leaves a surface I'm happy with. So now my Tru-Oil odyssey continues. I think I'm going to use this "generating friction" method to apply the oil, see how I go. Really rub it in.

Just to make it clear- this is not my guitar. rather I used it as an illustration of the type of satin-ny, slightly grainy finish I'm after.

Cool, I was wondering where did the first bridge go, much better than the TOM. :rock-on:

 

[Cletus]

I thyink one more coat and I'll be leaving it to cure. Been a bit humid lately, so it might take a while. 3 weeks? 4 weeks? I know there's a post on here about it somewhere.

 

[stubhead]

A month sounds good.... I always, always go by the smell test, and it can be pretty frustrating. The point is, if you can smell it, it's still releasing goo into the air and IT AIN'T DONE. So everyday, you sniff your guitar, and everyday you hope not to smell anything, and everyday, you do.... :sad1: For a long, long time. Regarding "working it into the finish" you probably encountered the term "french polish" in your travels. It doesn't mean Polacks in France*, it's a process where you're basically filling the grain with it's own sawdust, glued together by bug jizz.

http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html



*(I didn't mean... why some of my best friends are... etc.)

 

[Cletus]

A month sounds good.... I always, always go by the smell test, and it can be pretty frustrating. The point is, if you can smell it, it's still releasing goo into the air and IT AIN'T DONE. So everyday, you sniff your guitar, and everyday you hope not to smell anything, and everyday, you do.... :sad1: For a long, long time. Regarding "working it into the finish" you probably encountered the term "french polish" in your travels. It doesn't mean Polacks in France*, it's a process where you're basically filling the grain with it's own sawdust, glued together by bug jizz.

http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html



*(I didn't mean... why some of my best friends are... etc.)

My wife already thinks I'm mad, staring at it looking for pores and such. Sniffing it will only confirm the idea. I'll have to sniff it when she's not around, hahaha! And I knew the term french polish, but to describe what I do as French polish would lend it an air of sophistication which would be a complete lie  :laughing7:

 

[Cletus]

Looking for suggestions here lads. The http://www.beyondeleven.com/Q-Parts-Metal-Dome-Style-Guitar-Knob-Celtic-Weave-p/q-parts-metal-knob-celtic-weav.htm knobs I bought for this in hope more than any logic (in black, not gold before you ask), as it turns out, don't really match the other hardware (bridge especially) . So I'm having to rethink what else I'm going to put in it. I have a couple of sets of different pickups at home, SD 59s and a set of Brierley pickups from OZ. Both in black. I also have a Phat Cat neck, and Roadhouse HB bridge which I had thought of using, but they just look too shiny. These will be going in another project I started out of boredom

SO! What do you gents suggest for knobs? Will ebony knobs do the trick to make it all balance out, looks-wise?

 

[Nando Vallart]

Ebony knobs would be cool!! for sure!!! any of these pickups you have has black covers?

 

[Cletus]

Ebony knobs would be cool!! for sure!!! any of these pickups you have has black covers?

Yes, black pickups NT. Like I said, I had played around with nickel covered ones, but they were too shiny for that guitar unfortunately.