Guitar Project: Day 3

Today, I continued to work on the neck of the guitar. I had to finish sanding off the sealer before I could put the name of the guitar on and clear coat it. Sanding around the metal mounts proved to be a pain. I ended up sanding through the tape and scuffed the metal finish. I was able to sand the metal back to a worn finish that I'm pleased with. I then took a print out of text and colored the back of the paper with graphite. I taped the paper to the neck and traced the lettering. This left a pencil outline to follow. I used watercolor paint and went over the pencil lines. I went with the name Drift based on the theme. If I continue to make guitars I think my brand name will be Drift Guitars.


While I wait for the paint to dry, I took apart the body of the guitar. I made the mistake of putting the wire coverings during the first assembly and had to peal them off. This took a bit of time, but by the time I finished disassembling the paint on the neck was dry. I applied the first coat of clear and went back to the body. I need to sand off the sealer in order to stain the wood. I started on the back of the guitar with 60 grit sandpaper. It took forever just to get to the natural wood. I stopped occasionally to dust off, wash up, and add another coat of clear to the neck. I sanded after the first coat which was unnecessary. With only two coats, the neck already looks great. Tomorrow, I will add another two coats which should be enough. I went back to sanding and finished grinding through the tough sealer. When I got the entire back down to the wood, I switched to 100 grit and then 150 grit. The natural wood grain stands out much more now and it's quite beautiful. Unfortunately my body has taken the toll. Hand sanding is going to be a big project to get the rest of the sealer off the guitar. On the upside of sanding, the sealer has a great smell. I'll have photos up tomorrow.