The Highline Envirocasters and a Highline Legato

I know it looks bad, but trust me, all is well. After 14 coats of water-based lacquer, I dry sanded the finish with 320 grit paper to smooth things out. Then, I sprayed five more coats. Tomorrow, I'll dry sand both Envirocasters with 400 grit and follow with a couple of light finish coats. Both guitars will sit for about a week before I commence with the final wet sanding and polish.

Up next is a Highline Legato. That's a one piece slab of Honduran Mahogany.

The top will be bookmatched flamed Maple.

Build Update: The Highline Envirocaster Blue

After seven coats of water-based lacquer, the Envirocaster Blue is starting to come to life.

Tomorrow, I'll add at least seven more coats.

The New Envirocaster Has The Blues

First I mixed some Timbermate wood filler with water and black acrylic paint to form a thick soupy mixture. Then I brushed it onto the body with the grain and then across it. After the surf dried overnight, I sanded off the excess, which popped the grain.

My goal is a deep blue color about the same as the word Rit on the box. I mixed a tablespoon of Rit powder into a cup of denatured alcohol. Then, I poured the mix into another container to separate it from the dregs.

I used a brush to test the tint on a piece of scrap. When I was happy with the color, I brushed it onto the body.

The result will be ready for clear lacquer in a few hours.

It's All In The Grain Baby!

Check out the latest on another Envirocaster I'm building:

Another Guitar Build Underway

This is how I carve a top. I start by drawing a line where the carve will begin.

Next, I use a Safety Planer to plane down the first step about an eighth of an inch.

Then, I draw a line to mark the edge of the next step.

After planing each step down about an eighth of an inch, I'm ready to blend them together.

I use a rasp and a lot of elbow grease to blend the steps.

Finally, I use a palm sander with some 60 grit paper to smooth out the surface.
Later on, I'll sand it further with 80 to 400 grit.

Guitar Build Update: Applying Finish To The Envirocaster Part 5; The Neck

Okay, so I said I like my necks au natural. However, as so often happens during the course of one of my builds, I changed my mind. Pure tung oil does a great job of popping Birdseye Maple, but once it dries, some of the effect is lost. When it's wet, it shimmers, but after the oil dries, the shimmer is gone. I could wipe on layer after layer, however, that can take days. In the end, I decided to spray on several coats of glossy water-based lacquer to bring back the shimmer. I also coated the control cavity cover as well as both P90 pickups. Check it out:

Now comes the fun part; waiting for the topcoats to cure. If I was using nitro, I'd have to wait about a month, but with the water-based lacquer, I'll only have to let the parts sit for 7 days. In the meantime, maybe I'll start the next build. Stay tuned!

Guitar Build Update: Applying Finish To The Envirocaster Part 4; The Neck

Like most guitarists, I am very picky about how the necks of my guitars feel in my fretting hand. I don't like glossy necks as my hand tends to stick when it gets sweaty. The feel I prefer is as if there was no finish at all. Unfortunately, if I were to leave the neck au natural, the wood eventually would suffer from the effects of exposure. 

At the same time, I want to bring out the beauty of the wood I used for both the neck and fretboard. The question is; How do I do this and protect the neck without harming the environment? The answer: tung oil.

Now there are those who might argue that tung oil is hardly eco-friendly since after all, it is an oil. But in truth, it is an oil that comes from pressing a nut from a tung tree. These trees are grown specifically for the purpose, so it's not like they are endangered. Furthermore, if you wipe on the oil rather than spray it on, you won't have to worry about filling the air with over spray.

Before you run out and buy yourself some tung oil, it's important to understand that there are two varieties; pure tung oil and polymerized tung oil. Most common and easiest to find is polymerized tung oil. It is basically pure tung oil with chemical additives that promote faster drying and different levels of sheen. I prefer pure tung oil as it seems to dry just as fast as the polymerized variety. However, if I want a glossy sheen, I'll wipe on a few thick coats of Formby's gloss after the pure tung oil has dried as day or two.

The method I used for the Envirocaster's neck was to wipe on three coats of pure tung oil a couple of hors apart. Then I let it dry over night. Next I wiped on two fairly heavy coats of Formby's gloss about 12 hours apart and let it dry for 12 more hours. Then, I wiped down the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool to get a luxuriously smooth and satiny feel.

In part 5, I will discuss polishing the Envirocaster's water-based lacquer topcoat. However, the body will need to sit and cure for about a week before the next steps can be taken. Until then, I have an idea for a binding jig I may build. Stay tuned!