"TV" Sonic Blue Jazzmaster

[kbakerde]

As promised, I will cronicle my first ever Warmoth build.



Body is a custom Mahagony Jazzmaster with 2 P90's.  I have marked and drilled pilots for the pickguard and the strap buttons prior to finishing.  The body is going to be finished in Sonic Blue, but without grain filling, so you will be able to see the grain through the paint.  It'll have a nice worn look to it.

Neck was a showcase item, it is a Jazzmaster headstock in Birdseye Maple with a nice rosewood fingerboard.  The headstock will be painted to match the body, and the rest of it will get a Tru-Oil treatment.

Pickguard is also from Warmoth.  It's routed for a lower control switch, one volume, one tone and a jack on the pickgaurd.  But instead of a 3-way LP switch, I am going to put in a Blend pot.

 

[kbakerde]

Color is done on both the headstock and the body.



You can still see a lot of grain through the color



So now I spray on Polycrilic.  The idea here is that the Poly will build up in the grain as a defacto grain filler without the dark look.  The result will be a much more subtle grain appearance which is what I am going for.  I sprayed about 3 coats of Poly, and I will sand back and spray more over the next week.  Once the Poly is completely flat, I will spray some Nitro clear, wetsand and polish.

 

[Day-mun]

Lookin' good, there! Fretless did an LP bass with the TV finish a ways back (posted about a year ago), -got me really excited about that open-grain look!

Can't wait to see 'er completed!
:kewlpics:

 

[fretless]

that is going to be Awesome !

 

[Day-mun]

-Speak of the devil...  :laughing7:

 

[stratamania]

Why use clear nitro over clear poly ?

 

[kbakerde]

I am quite disappointed to say that the TV finish did not pan out.  The method I tried uses Polycrylic to build up layers and fill the grain, eventually becoming flat.  That didn't happen, not even close.  Not sure if it's my fault, or just the product didn't work quite right.  The past month, on and off, I have been working on and fighing it trying to get the last of the finish off and get it back to approximately bare wood.  The sides and curves have been hell.  The poly isn't sanding worth crap so I am using alternative methods. 

Now I am sanding back to bare, grain filling and going with a flat Fiesta red.  Ugh

 

[Cagey]

There's no reason you can't shoot it with Sonic Blue again, if the red is that objectionable.

Mahogany is a pretty open-grained wood, though, so you're going to have to grain fill if you want a good finish. Sonic Blue is an opaque finish, so I wouldn't worry about coloring with the filler. You'll want a base to start on anyway, so if the coloring still bothers you, you can always put an opaque sanding sealer over it before you shoot the color coats. Just put some white pigment in the clear base. 

Since this is a new finish, you might want to consider using a consistent coating chemistry to make your life easier. Don't try putting lacquer over poly unless you want to start over again for the 3rd time. I'd avoid poly altogether for a DIY finish - it can be a pain in the shorts to work with if you want professional results. 

 

[kbakerde]

The color isn't objectionable at all.  it was in fact something that I had as a possibility.  This was my first go round on a TV finish, and the instructions on how were a method devised by Curtis Novak.  Alas they did not work for me.

Now I could shoot the blue again, but I'm out  :toothy11:.  So yes, on to the basics of a finsih/refinish again, and I am freaking sticking with Nitro from here on out.  Love it, easy to work with, great results.  The polycrylic, not so much.  I have to get the poly off cause it's screwing up the level for a good quality smooth opaque finish, so once that's gone it's grain fill with Timermate, Sand Sealer, Fiesta Red, and clear coat.

 

[Cagey]

I don't know where you live, but if you can get a can of paint stripper that has methylene chloride in it, that's the stuff that will work on poly. Most other strippers aren't very effective, if at all. Just be careful with it. You don't wanna get any on ya, or breathe the vapors. Wear the gloves, eye protection, respirator, etc. as recommended. Klean-Strip KS3 works well and is available at Home Depot just about anywhere but California.