DeeringAmps Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 27 minutes ago, Grem said: Is that the Wilkerson kit your talking about? Yes, the build instructions for the "vintage" Strat show using a 7.25 radius gauge to set the saddle arc properly. The "Modern" Strat evidently is a 12" radius, but a thinner neck; neither "optimum" in my opinion. BTW, I've never used a radius gauge when setting up a floating trem; IMHO it isn't necessary. t this is the problem when building, too many options... Just a note; the '59 Les Paul neck and the '54 Tele appear to be very similar in size and shape; IF the Stew-Mac Neck Shaping Templates are to be believed... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Boileau Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Since I live in Canada I went with suppliers in Canada to save on shipping, customs, etc. I got the kit from Solo music gear. I change the nut to a Graphtech tusk nut and Tone Emporium 59 pickups. I could not get the pickups that came with the kit to be balanced volume wise to each other. But in any case the Tone Emporium ones were such a great upgrade in sound that it was a blessing in disguise. I like the black hardware. It complements the figured splatted maple well. I don't think they have this same kit with black hardware anymore. And maybe the new kits pickups are better than what I got in my kit 4 years ago. As @Starship Krupa, I used TruOil for the finish. I first filled the pores of the mahogany and applied many coats of TruOil. I actually went through the small bottle completely. The finish is great. I never thought it would be that easy to get such a great finish. I did a decal for the headstock and it stays in place underneath the TruOil. Most important: although I do have an old strat, an Ibanez and e few other guitars, I also still love to play and record with this guitar. I don't have an original Les Paul, so this one fills that void. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) Is TruOil the same as Tung Oil? [edit] I see now. Gun stock finish. Ok. I got it now. Edited March 20, 2023 by Grem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 20, 2023 Author Share Posted March 20, 2023 @Jacques Boileau that's a beautiful guitar. Nice job you did on that. Too nice a wood to cover it with paint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Wow! That is sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 10:28 PM, Byron Dickens said: My first really good guitar I put together with parts from Warmoth. The friend that built my "custom" guitar sold it to me so he could get Warmoth parts to build him a guitar. He still has and is playing that "Warmoth" guitar to this day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 On 3/20/2023 at 12:50 AM, Starship Krupa said: The notched straightedge like this one: This will be coming in a few days. I already have a straight-edge that I got off a ship (they use them for plotting). I will use it to check the accuracy of the cheap one. $12? Can't beat that price. That notched edge and the rocker tool should help with all my guitars. Might get that small fret kit too. On 3/20/2023 at 12:50 AM, Starship Krupa said: Are you going to use their finishing kit? I have seen the finished work of thier painting kits. And I like the work I saw. Looked very professional. However, I like natural wood finishes. So that's probably the way I will go. Probably the TruOil stuff you recommended. I will try that and see if I like the finish. I have done some reading and it seems Tung Oil (which I like and have used for other projects before) and TruOil are close in appearance. Seems TruOil has better protection than Tung Oil. I think I want to stay away from polyurethane though. Thanks for all the pointers Starship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettelus Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) TruOil is typically a variation of linseed oil (sometimes Tung Oil) and spreads pretty thin. Disadvantage to this is you need like 20 coats to get a glossy finish. Advantage is that each coat dries quickly and you can use it for "surface polishing," i.e., re-gloss something already completed that has been wet sanded. As long as the original finish has cured, you can use dissimilar finishes on the same item (pretty much finish gloss anything already cured with it). Being so thin, the first coat will completely soak into unfinished wood, so that coat has zero gloss to it. Years ago I slathered 2 coats with my hand onto a red oak step into the basement... 12 years later that still has not worn through. A quick check of wetting the surface with plain water will give you a good a feel of what a final TruOil finish would look like. Depending on the wood, that may or may not be to your liking. Ironically, TruOil is the only thing I have ever had to sign a delivery receipt for... I asked the guy why and he said, "gun paraphernalia." I couldn't help but laugh about that. As far as the the finishing kits, the kits StewMac has are translucent (more of a colored stain), so they will enhance the wood grain better than TruOil will. Just build up layers slowly, and you can light sand it back down if too thick. My kit included 6 cans... 1 sealer, 1 of each color, and 3 cans of clear (nitrocellulose lacquer). That stuff goes on pretty easy (be sure the temp is warm before spraying), thicker, and more glossy. It stinks to high heaven, so good ventilation is a must for spraying those (TruOil doesn't have that issue). Edited March 22, 2023 by mettelus 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, Grem said: I already have a straight-edge that I got off a ship (they use them for plotting). I will use it to check the accuracy of the cheap one. $12? Can't beat that price. Yup. I've never actually checked mine against another straightedge, but I get good results with it. Flattening a piece of metal like that isn't a difficult task. They probably have a machine or two set up to crank them out by the thousands. Insert stock, cut notches, lap edge to ensure flatness. Still, do let me know if you find that yours isn't flat! If it isn't, it can itself be leveled. Perhaps in your line of work you know a machinist or two? Or if you get one of those bars, it would work as well on the straightedge as it does on the frets. Really, though, I'll bet that it'll be just fine as it is. Are you thinking of putting a color stain on first? That's a nice look. Quote TruOil is the only thing I have ever had to sign a delivery receipt for... I asked the guy why and he said, "gun paraphernalia." I couldn't help but laugh about that. ?♂️ I think that's why it's so difficult to find here in Northern California. I wonder if I've wound up on some "gun nut" list for buying the stuff. Great detailed advice, @mettelus. I tried it on the second guitar I finished and would now use nothing else for a natural finish. It's just so easy and it gets such great results. I had the idea years ago to clone the stuff and market it as a guitar finish or even a general woodworking finish. As you say, the biggest part of it is linseed oil. I think they put it through a reduction process (heating in an oven with no oxygen), which is what helps it to cure quickly. I looked into it with the help of a friend of mine who is a coatings chemist. Many compounds you can learn a lot about from reading their Material Safety Data Sheet. Heck, Birchwood Casey themselves should market a guitar finish version with different packaging so that it wouldn't be associated with firearms. Not that I personally have any problem with that, but I wonder how much of it is going on gun stocks vs. musical instruments these days. Call it TruGuitar or something and sell it via musical instrument distributors. I've not gotten around to experimenting with putting dyes and pigments in it, but I thought about that as well. So many ideas, so little volition. ? The stuff is so easy to work with. Wipe it on with an old sock, let it cure for a couple of hours, repeat until it looks excellent. Edited March 23, 2023 by Starship Krupa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said: Really, though, I'll bet that it'll be just fine as it is. I'm sure it is Starship!! It's just my perfectionist part coming out!! Edited March 23, 2023 by Grem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 47 minutes ago, Grem said: It's just my perfectionist part coming out!! That actually serves one well when doing fretwork. One reason I'd never do it as a job. I take too long with it, so it's only my guitars and friends' that I'll work on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said: That actually serves one well when doing fretwork. And that's why I am torn between Stewmac's Z file or one of the cheap ones off Amazon. Heck I might even give the ole "Modified by Grinder" triangle file a try on some old guitar I got laying around here. Just to see what it feels like and how I can get to the fret. I am gonna build me one. That much I have decided on. And it will be the S-style kit from Stewmac. Looks to me like the holes are drilled in the neck already. So it may be only a process of putting it on, or maybe putting some shims in to get the angle I want. That's what this guitar will be about. Trial and error, discovery, do I really wanna go further with this!! Like @kennywtelejazz said, "It's an adventure! Take it!!" Edited March 23, 2023 by Grem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 On 3/19/2023 at 10:48 AM, mettelus said: The S-style kit does not have a manual, I found it!! Thanks for the idea. Looking at it now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Dickens Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 4 hours ago, mettelus said: Ironically, TruOil is the only thing I have ever had to sign a delivery receipt for... I asked the guy why and he said, "gun paraphernalia." I couldn't help but laugh about that. Oh, dear Jesus.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grem Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 5 hours ago, Starship Krupa said: Are you thinking of putting a color stain on first? That's a nice look. Yes I was. Thinking of something dark, put a thin layer then wipe it off. Let it set and see how it looks. 6 hours ago, mettelus said: TruOil is the only thing I have ever had to sign a delivery receipt for... I asked the guy why and he said, "gun paraphernalia." I couldn't help but laugh about that. I have had munitions delivered to the house and never had to signed for them!! Wow! Come to think of it, I haven't done that in several years. Maybe it's changed? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starship Krupa Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 3 hours ago, Grem said: I found it!! Thanks for the idea. Looking at it now. Looks like the neck isn't drilled according to the instructions. They suggest you have a fretting hammer so you can tap in high frets? They should take care of that before it's shipped. Well, I suppose you don't have to buy one of their hammers. As for fret crowning files, I have a set that I got on eBay that do a decent job. Being a frugal dude, I shy from the prices that Stew-Mac charges for their tools. If I were a pro and getting paid to do it, they'd save enough time to make it worth it, but I can do a good job with what I have. I'm a cheap guitar maven, though. I have exactly one "nice" guitar, a 25-year old Martin D1. The rest are Frankencasters or distressed in some way or other. They play great because I've learned how to work on them. Perfectionism and the DIY impulse are at odds with each other (in me). I have learned to make an instrument play well, but I'll never be as good at fretwork as Gary Brawer's Plek machine. For an instrument that I wanted to be the best possible, I'd take it to Gary, have his crew put stainless steel frets in it and then put it on the Plek machine. Anything I do myself is going to come up short of that, so then it's just a matter of how short is acceptable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 35 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said: ...so then it's just a matter of how short is acceptable. Sorry to hear that! ??? ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennywtelejazz Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) Be careful with your oil soaked rags if your using Linseed , Watco , and any other number of linseed oil based finishing products .The rags need to be soaked ( very wet )before you seal them up and dispose of them ...The same goes for your steel wool if you are using steel wool .... 4 0 steel wool was a fave of mine ... What can happen is they will start to smolder and eventualy spontainiously combust ....I am being polite when I say What can happen ..the truth is it will combust and start a fire ...it may take a few days ...yet It will happen if you don't take the nessacary precautions to safely dispose of them . I used to make and sell butcher block furniture when I was in my early 20 's ....With the resturant grade large butcher block cutting tables we made we always used mineral oil because that works with food preperation and it is noncombustable combination when applying mineral oil with a rag. A large part of the stores buisness was to also make kitchen tables out of Oak Parquet and butcher block ... With these tables we put a stain on the oak tables and then always wet sanded them using steel wool and Watco Danish oil .Then depending on how many coats of oil , we would wipe it down a few hours later and re apply a fresh coat of oil More than once someone forgot to throw the oil soaked rags and steel wool into a coffee can half filled with water ..those rags would start smoking within a few hours during the hot summer months ... 10 years ago I was doing an oil finish on one of my guitars necks ....I didn't have a strong baggie or a coffe can so I soaked them in a store plastic bag and threw my rags out .....A few days later the dumpster had a little fire ........this is for real ....be carefull ... PS my chromebook doesent have a spell check with the browser I'm using ...So if I sound ignorant and my spelling is off ... I guess I have been exposed ? all the best , Kenny Edited March 23, 2023 by kennywtelejazz 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettelus Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, Grem said: I found it!! Thanks for the idea. Looking at it now. Figures... "It’s important that these holes are drilled square to the neck, so a drill press works best for this job." Having seen some folks who cannot align holes properly or drill square to a board this knocks it out of "beginner" status in my mind. A better trick for starting (even if drilling smaller sizes up) is to use a small center punch (or anything small and pointed) to mark the exact centers before starting any drill. Depending on the wood grain, the tip can walk before it bites, and that walk will get you. Even starting with a smaller bit can walk on you. A cheap rubber mallet is a "fretting hammer"... I did have to tap a couple in. StewMac also sells three viscosities of super glue which is awesome stuff (the 10 grade is like water and wicks into the smallest crevasses with no issues, 20 is like generic, and the 30 is thicker). 9 hours ago, Byron Dickens said: Oh, dear Jesus.... LOL... that was my thought about signing for TruOil... maybe a bunch of "deaths by TruOil" that never made the news?? Just the dumbest thing to hear that, but some tree hugger got it on a "special list" somewhere. Edited March 23, 2023 by mettelus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 39 minutes ago, mettelus said: A better trick for starting (even if drilling smaller sizes up) is to use a small center punch (or anything small and pointed) to mark the exact centers before starting any drill. Use a “brad” drill bit, it’s got a little “point” on it. Put that point into the mark left by center punch. And yes, a drill press is the best (only) way to get the hole square. t 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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