What's on your workbench right now?

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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tequila_in_teacups
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Fri May 28, 2021 2:46 am

I like it!

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cooterfinger
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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by cooterfinger » Fri May 28, 2021 5:15 am

Finishing this one up. A Silvertone style Bullet Esquire.

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"Smells like Rock N' Roll"

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Tweedledee » Fri May 28, 2021 5:21 am

cooterfinger wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 5:15 am
Finishing this one up. A Silvertone style Bullet Esquire.

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I love this! Great mashup in a great color.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Tweedledee » Fri May 28, 2021 5:22 am

snarf wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 2:39 am
Mixed (kind of) and sprayed this myself. I got a new spray gun but added a few too many drops of amber tint. Figured I would finish it anyway even though the tint is a little too yellow. I use way too much polishing compound so the routes are pretty gross right now.

Starting the wiring this weekend. I have some copper plates so feeding all these wires through the cavities is going to be fun :D
This is such a great color for a Jag. Beautifully done!

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by MrJagsquire » Fri May 28, 2021 6:04 am

snarf wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 2:39 am
Mixed (kind of) and sprayed this myself. I got a new spray gun but added a few too many drops of amber tint. Figured I would finish it anyway even though the tint is a little too yellow. I use way too much polishing compound so the routes are pretty gross right now.

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Starting the wiring this weekend. I have some copper plates so feeding all these wires through the cavities is going to be fun :D
I think it's come out really nicely; lovely job you've done there and I'm sure the compound will clean out of the routes: I use a (slightly) damp microfibre to clean mine out, but I've learned to put less on the polishing head now, so I just get a slight spatter effect now. ;D

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by X-Ray Spex » Fri May 28, 2021 11:08 pm

snarf wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 2:39 am
Mixed (kind of) and sprayed this myself. I got a new spray gun but added a few too many drops of amber tint. Figured I would finish it anyway even though the tint is a little too yellow. I use way too much polishing compound so the routes are pretty gross right now.

Image
Image
Image

Starting the wiring this weekend. I have some copper plates so feeding all these wires through the cavities is going to be fun :D
Looks like just the right amount of amber tint to me, that colour is perfect. Is it Sherwood green or a very aged Pelham blue?
''It's not what you play, it's what you play'' - Troy Van Leeuwen

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by kifla » Sat May 29, 2021 5:35 am

snarf wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 2:39 am

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Caramba!! That's BEAUTIFUL!!

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by kifla » Sat May 29, 2021 5:36 am

Not on my workbench anymore...but I've made the body, pickups and neck plate..
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My friend did the finish, abalone inlays and polished the neck plate and have it chrome plated.
I am happy how our collaboration turned out. 8)

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by snarf » Sat May 29, 2021 10:27 am

X-Ray Spex wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 11:08 pm
Looks like just the right amount of amber tint to me, that colour is perfect. Is it Sherwood green or a very aged Pelham blue?
I was going for an aged sherwood green, which is probably based on photos of super faded/aged lake placid blue. It really transforms in the light. Can't wait to take some pics of it when the sun comes out.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by MrJagsquire » Sun May 30, 2021 8:38 am

Literally is on my Black and Decker workmate right now:

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The start of a refinish in nitro Candy Apple Red instead of the original poly 3 tone sunburst my Player came in. By the time it's done it'll be like my own budget version of an AO60 Jaguar but without all the switches I wouldn't use, but it does have a Fender mid boost PCB fitted instead. :)

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by snarf » Sun May 30, 2021 1:18 pm

MrJagsquire wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 8:38 am
Literally is on my Black and Decker workmate right now:

The start of a refinish in nitro Candy Apple Red instead of the original poly 3 tone sunburst my Player came in. By the time it's done it'll be like my own budget version of an AO60 Jaguar but without all the switches I wouldn't use, but it does have a Fender mid boost PCB fitted instead. :)
Is the black and decker workmate a heat gun? it looks like its going well! I'm dying to try a CAR finish. I read that it's silver with a transparent dakota red over the top. If you do any tests on scrap or swatches definitely post them. I might try a couple of different combinations myself. I want do a faded CAR almost like metallic KO but less orange.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by MrJagsquire » Sun May 30, 2021 1:34 pm

snarf wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 1:18 pm
Is the black and decker workmate a heat gun? it looks like its going well! I'm dying to try a CAR finish. I read that it's silver with a transparent dakota red over the top. If you do any tests on scrap or swatches definitely post them. I might try a couple of different combinations myself. I want do a faded CAR almost like metallic KO but less orange.
No the Workmate is a portable workbench thing. I'm using a £15 heatgun I got off Amazon: I only picked this particular one because it had a quicker delivery and it is called 'Grandma Shark' (which probably means nothing to most people, but my Grand daughter likes a song about baby sharks and one verse is the Grandma Shark ;D ).

There are two (maybe more) versions of CAR: Some use a silver base coat and some use a gold base coat. I already had a tin of 'Les Paul Gold Top Gold' as I was going to refinish my Les Paul with it, but changed my mind as it's getting nicely worn in looking. I bought a tinted red 'clear' nitro that is similar as to what is used on a Cherry coloured Gibson SG. It's a bit of an experiment, but will see how it goes. Worst case is that I'll spray it with the faded Sonic blue I have left over from the Strat build, but I really like the look of Jaguars in CAR.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by AcrylicSuperman » Sun May 30, 2021 3:29 pm

snarf wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 1:18 pm
MrJagsquire wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 8:38 am
Literally is on my Black and Decker workmate right now:

The start of a refinish in nitro Candy Apple Red instead of the original poly 3 tone sunburst my Player came in. By the time it's done it'll be like my own budget version of an AO60 Jaguar but without all the switches I wouldn't use, but it does have a Fender mid boost PCB fitted instead. :)
Is the black and decker workmate a heat gun? it looks like its going well! I'm dying to try a CAR finish. I read that it's silver with a transparent dakota red over the top. If you do any tests on scrap or swatches definitely post them. I might try a couple of different combinations myself. I want do a faded CAR almost like metallic KO but less orange.
Pre CBS, to my understanding, used a silver base coat for candy apple red. CBS used gold. Not sure how accurate that is, but I know that the faded examples of CAR, the ones that look more orange, all have a gold base coat.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by snarf » Sun May 30, 2021 4:41 pm

AcrylicSuperman wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 3:29 pm
snarf wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 1:18 pm
MrJagsquire wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 8:38 am
Literally is on my Black and Decker workmate right now:

The start of a refinish in nitro Candy Apple Red instead of the original poly 3 tone sunburst my Player came in. By the time it's done it'll be like my own budget version of an AO60 Jaguar but without all the switches I wouldn't use, but it does have a Fender mid boost PCB fitted instead. :)
Is the black and decker workmate a heat gun? it looks like its going well! I'm dying to try a CAR finish. I read that it's silver with a transparent dakota red over the top. If you do any tests on scrap or swatches definitely post them. I might try a couple of different combinations myself. I want do a faded CAR almost like metallic KO but less orange.
Pre CBS, to my understanding, used a silver base coat for candy apple red. CBS used gold. Not sure how accurate that is, but I know that the faded examples of CAR, the ones that look more orange, all have a gold base coat.
I found a couple of youtube videos of Jay Nelson at the Fender custom shop doing CAR that might be interesting to you MrJagsquire:

Spraying a candy apple red P Bass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffuhZD6Bdg4

Touching up a candy apple red nitro lacquer paint job on a guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZG6SO1S4n8

I was trying to figure out the shade of red to use. When he switches to the red, he sprays it on some paper off the side at around 4:40 on the P Bass video. It looks like a pretty vibrant cherry red if the video color grading isn't distorting it too bad. Gold looks like the way to go too.

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Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by MrJagsquire » Mon May 31, 2021 12:52 am

snarf wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 4:41 pm

I found a couple of youtube videos of Jay Nelson at the Fender custom shop doing CAR that might be interesting to you MrJagsquire:

Spraying a candy apple red P Bass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffuhZD6Bdg4

Touching up a candy apple red nitro lacquer paint job on a guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZG6SO1S4n8

I was trying to figure out the shade of red to use. When he switches to the red, he sprays it on some paper off the side at around 4:40 on the P Bass video. It looks like a pretty vibrant cherry red if the video color grading isn't distorting it too bad. Gold looks like the way to go too.
Thank you very much, that first video in particular is so useful. I wish I had the gimble mount thing he uses, but I just spray top and bottom separately and stand the body on screws and spin it round on my work bench (on a thick piece of card, so it will rotate).

Interesting that he used a white/grey undercoat first as I was going to go straight to gold after shellac: I found my Sonic blue finish covered the shellac really well so didn't use undercoat the third(!) time I sprayed it.

Also surprised how quickly he changed and did the other coats: I usually leave overnight between coats of different colours/clear coat and an hour between coats of the same colour.

I just hope I can get a decent finish, but maybe I'm asking a bit much in a dusty garage and haven't spray much in the last 20 years apart from two necks and the Strat body...

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