Yew & Flame Maple Guitar [Completed]

[ByronBlack]

I started with some previous pictures of this build a long time ago with my previous guitar, but seeing as the photos were missing from that old thread, I thought it best to start a fresh one just for this project.

Here's the WIP shots up to current time:

So there we are, today saw the routing of the electronics cavity, tomorrow will see the boring for the string-through ferrules and the tune-o-matic bridge studs and the jack connector.

After that, it's just got to be sanded all over, and the first spay of paint can go on (solid black for the back of the body and neck. The headstock will also be black). The flame maple will be picked out by black dye and then sanding back, and after that it'll be ready for the clear coat.

 

[Philly]

Looking good, BB!
The horns are an interesting shape - you going to soften them at all?
Cheers
Philly

 

[Pete Howlett]

You wanna get some plasterboard up in that shop of your Byron...

 

[Ironballs]

Looking good, are you going to be spraying your finish and if so what and how? I'd love to spray my own but will only do so if it looks pro.

PS - might have found somewhere in the UK that does the 3M stikit rolls, just need to get in touch with them to ask

 

[Pete Howlett]

Ironballs - Behlen in the UK should soon have guitar lacquer and vynil sealer in spray can fowmat...

 

[ByronBlack]

Philly - I'm undecided on the horns. I designed it for as it is now, but it has crossed my mind to do some more work on them, I'll have to mull that over some more

Pete - Plasterboard/plyboard, it's somewhere on my 'to do' list, I should be doing a part of it this weekend hopefully.

Damian - This will be a spray finish. I'm using Behlen's 'Top Coat Lacquer' spray can finish, and also their coloured dyes. I've not settled on a brand yet for the solid black. It is indeed straight forward to get a pro finish using spray cans - have a look at the article I linked to recently on your guitar thread, Dan Erlwine shows you how to use spray-can nitro and dyes to finish a guitar, the results are superb. I hope mine comes out as well.

Here's the link to the Behlen product: http://www.behlen.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=AERFINISHING

 

[Pete Howlett]

Byron

This is not the product link - the musical instrument aerosol lacquer hasn't arrived in the country yet...

 

[ByronBlack]

Pete, this is available now (or was at the time of buying), I've got 4 cans sitting right here in front of me which I've had for the last few months.

 

[ByronBlack]

The finishing process has started in earnest for this project.

Some pics:

Faux binding and maple top taped up

Control cavity and string-through holes taped up, and sanded to 400grit

My makeshift spraying arrangement

4 coats of sanding-sealer. A couple more coats are to go on yet.

So there we are. The solid colour (black) will be spraying tomorrow, when that is done, the front-maple section will be dyed and sanding back ready for the all-over clear coat.

 

[ByronBlack]

Just got in after putting on some colour coats.

Scuff-sanded the sanding sealer

Tack-clothed ready for color coating

First coat of black

Different angle

Last one

I'll be applying at least another 3 coats of the colour and then onto the dying and clear stage. Despite the cold-weather it's going on well with no orange-peel.

 

[shim20]

looks awsome

 

[wizer]

Looking good mate. What sprayer are you using?

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks Shim!

Tom - I'm using Behlen's Nitro Cellulose based aerosol cans.

 

[Ironballs]

Looks good, nice pro job.

I'll get some pics of mine up, though you'll struggle to see much progress, I seem to have spent a lot time jig making

 

[Waka]

That looks absolutely fantastic, really looking forward to seeing it finished.

Do you make anything else apart from Instruments?

 

[ByronBlack]

Ironballs - jig making is essential, and well worth the time making them, because when you make the next instrument, it'll be twice as fast and twice as easy.

Waka - I make plenty of other stuff too (time permitting), but lately have concentrated on guitars. (you can find a number of my projects by doing a search with my username - I made a nice little arts and crafts table that was featured in British Woodworking last year).

 

[ByronBlack]

I've finished applying the solid colour today.

Tomorrow will see the removal of the masking tape and hopefully there will be a nice crisp edge for the faux-binding, if not, I'll have to make a little scraper to clean up the edges.

 

[Philly]

Looking great, BB!
Philly

 

[ByronBlack]

Cheers phil,

Today was the big unveiling to see if my taping was good enough to give a crisp binding edge. It was also the day to put down the first part of the stain to bring out the flame in the maple. Here are the pics from today:


Mostly a nice edge:

You can see the fretboard has come out nice and distinct from the black on the hand-side of the neck

Headstock has come out nice too

The bound edge taped up ready for staining the top

And the first part of the stain: the black brings out the flame nicely

The stain will be sanded back so that only the stain in the flame portions remain leaving the rest colour of maple, then a clear coat of nitro will be sprayed over the entire guitar and polished to a gloss finish

 

[Philly]

Oh yes, going to be pretty special.
Great work,
Philly