troyw Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 (edited) Hey all! I started on my build and wanted to get a thread going to post my progress as some of you have suggested. Here is the Carvin neck I got before I did anything to it. It's a "rock hard maple" neck with a rosewood FB and graphite nut. Nothing special to look at here just a reference point. I know the fretboard looks like crap in these shots. I had a few spots I needed to sand where there were some minor scratches and I didnt wipe it down well enough before I snapped the shots. Here is the neck after about 7 coats of tru-oil. It looks really nice and feels great. I have a few problem spots on the headstock in the front. Seems to be puddling up in some areas especially near the nut and the top. Not sure why cause i've been really careful to wipe off the excess with the grain at the end of each application. I keep knocking it down with steel wool but it wants to come back for some reason. does anyone know if Carvin seals their necks with anything or just sands them smooth? I'm going to do two more coats on the neck today and then let it cure. I might have to do a few extra coats on the headstock depending on how it looks after these ones. Now it's a waiting game for the body...coming from Bernie Hefner. (I know, I know, Don't hold my breath right?) He said it should be going out in two weeks when I talked to him a week and a half ago so we'll see... Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for color on the body. I want to dye or stain it black to enhance the grain...then sand back and add the color over the top. I've had mixed signals about what I should use (stain or waterbased dye) I've been told that dye will be blotchy on ash but I've also been told it won't. Flexner had an article on "battling blotches" and stated that Ash doesn't blotch much so I'm still trying to figure what to do. more later... Edited February 5, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) Well, the neck is pretty much done. I'm adding a few extra coats to the headstock cause I had some bad spots to remedy but it's about done. I've read that it should cure for 1 or 2 weeks after the final coat and before steel wooling it. Does that mean don't touch it at all? The reason I ask is that I talked to Bernie today and the body is coming out monday. I want to do a mock up before I start the body finishing so I can drill the bridge holes, etc...plus I just want to make sure everything is a snug fit before moving forward. In order to do that though I have to put the tuners on so I can sting up the two Es and line up the trem. (wilkinson 6 hole) Do I need to wait two weeks to do that? That's gonna kill me cause i'm ithcin' to get this bad boy going! i'll post pics of the body as soon as I get it. T Edited January 29, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've done a few builds with Tru-oil, I'm just as impatient so i wouldn't wait, but then my impatience means I'm never going to get the really top class finishes some of the guys on here get with tru-oil guitars. I'm ok with that - they are for my own pleasure and I don't go fro the high gloss boiled sweet finishes. i like the natural oil silk look. Its down to your own preference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 I've done a few builds with Tru-oil, I'm just as impatient so i wouldn't wait, but then my impatience means I'm never going to get the really top class finishes some of the guys on here get with tru-oil guitars. I'm ok with that - they are for my own pleasure and I don't go fro the high gloss boiled sweet finishes. i like the natural oil silk look. Its down to your own preference Yep, I'm going to the more natural satin finish on the neck...how long do you wait before you put the tuners on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 how long do you wait before you put the tuners on? Wait intil it's dry. Seriously, the finish needs to be buffed out to whatever grade you want it before the hardware is put on. Before it's buffed out, it needs to be dry and cured. There are waaaaay too many variables to be able to give an answer as to how long that takes. The type of finish, how many coats, time between coats, temperature, and humidity are some of the major variables. A good rule of thumb is two fold: touch & smell. If you can dent the finish with your fingernail, it's not ready. If you put your nose right up to the finish and you can still smell the solvent, it's not ready. Even after both of these items are met, it's still a good idea to wait another week, just to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 It's been a little over a week...Finish was Tru-oil and it has about 8 coats applied at least 8 hours apart. (lightly steel wooled every 3 coats) As far as the other variables, it's been inside on the dining room table in pretty steady (72 degree) temp. I can't smell a thing on it and it seems pretty hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Do it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) Hey all, Well my body came in today as promised. I was pretty psyched to get it and when I opened it up it looked great...the grain pattern is really nice and it's very light 2.14 lbs The problem is when I turned it over it's got these 3 spots that look like they've been filled or something... Here are some closer shots.... Seems to me that even it they were going to fill it they should have used a light color. The other thing was that when I tried to fit it to the carvin neck, the neck is about 1/16th too wide for the pocket. It looks like it's mostly toward the very end of the heel on the neck. I tried fitting a squire neck in and it was perfect. So, I guess my question is two fold....the obvious one being should I send it back for the marks on the back? (I want to do a translucent finish) and two...how should I handle the neck adjustment if I keep it? Shave a little off the neck seems like the easiest and safest bet but I thought I'd ask here. Help! Troy Edited February 5, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) PS - the Carvin neck is just a hair wider at the bottom of the neck.... Edited February 5, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 If you don't think you got what you should have, then you definately should get ahold of the seller and see what they'll do. If it's filler/paste, they're clearly putting out a sub-par product. That being said, ant replacement you get from them is likely to have the same neck pocket issues. They're probably making them on a CNC machine, so the next body will be exactly like this one, minus the filler. Assuming that's the case, your best bet would probably be to either widen the pocket or narrow the heel. Personally, I'd widen the pocket. Set up some stop blocks and take off a teeny bit with the router. If it's not enough, take off a teeny bit more. Creep up on the exact width you need, with MAYBE 1/16" of play. This would leave you just barely enough room to make sure it's exactly lined up with the bridge & pups before drilling for the screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 No router Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anderekel Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 No router Then use a chisel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 its a judgment call on the body filler, although i wouldnt write it off as sub-par. That depends on the price you payed and whether you asked for one suitable for a transparent finish. it looks mostly like a decent peice of wood and the weight is very desirable so a few small cosmetic flaws may be worth the sacrifice. For the finish i would consider a darker or solid back and sides that burst onto the front. that is also going to make your dye and sandback easier as you only need to get the front nice and even and blotch free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaycee Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 They don't look like filler to me, the colour is not consistent between the three and it even varies within the one blemish, it could be a knot or just some imperfection in the wood. If you can live with it then keep it as there is no guarantee the replacement will be as nice as that piece. Also it is being painted albeit translucent and that will help them fade into the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 looks like epoxy and saw dust filler to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Just a quick comment on the "fix-the-pocket-width vs. fix-the-neck-width" question: You mentioned another neck fit perfectly. As such, I'd take a little width off the neck, not the pocket. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 For the finish i would consider a darker or solid back and sides that burst onto the front. that is also going to make your dye and sandback easier as you only need to get the front nice and even and blotch free Thanks Wez - That's pretty much what I had in mind...what I DIDN'T have in mind was grain filling (was going to keep it more natural looking) but after actually seeing the ash, I'm thinking I'll need to do it. Now I just need to figure out in what order to do it in. (stain/sandback/stain - after or before filler, etc...) Well, this is my first one so it's turning out to be a good learning experience. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) Just a quick comment on the "fix-the-pocket-width vs. fix-the-neck-width" question: You mentioned another neck fit perfectly. As such, I'd take a little width off the neck, not the pocket. Just my opinion. Hey Rick! Yeah, that's what I'm going to do...it's only about a 1/16 or so off so I'll just take it down slowly with a little sanding till it fits snug. seems safer to me too with the area on the lower horn cut away being so thin. I'll just have to re-oil the heel a little after I do a mock up and try and blend it in. Edited February 5, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae3 Posted February 6, 2009 Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 That body wants to be staind white so badly.... Transparent white on ash is very tasty you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2009 That body wants to be staind white so badly.... Transparent white on ash is very tasty you know Thanks AE - I'll bet it would look good in white but I've got something darker in mind...Maybe on the next one On this one I'm shooting for Olive to black with a darkened grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Hey all - I'm back on it again. Went to Woodcrafter's today and picked up my filler, tint and sanding sealer. A few additional questions... The filler I got is Behlen Pore-o-pac and I picked up a small bottle of black mixol to tint it. Do I need to do a wash coat of the S/S before applying the filler? I've been reading about it and there seems to be two schools of thought. One being that NOT using the sealer first will better allow the filler to get into the pores but makes it hard to get off the surface wood. The other thing is that I was going to do a mock up first so I can set the trem and drill holes for it as well as the pickgaurd. I'm thinkng that might be best done AFTER filling though in order to keep the filler out of the holes. Feedback please... Thanks, Troy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Doing my mock up and I just wanted to verify something before drilling holes for a wilki 6 hole trem. I know holes are supposed to be 25 1/4" from the nut. In that position is the block pretty centered in the cavity? or should it resting against the front wall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 (edited) Well got everything lined up as good as I can tell. Time to start drilling. Question...I've had to take the neck off and on a few times due to the overhang of the fretboard and my own stupid mistakes. (forgetting to put the pickgaurd on when needed.) Is this a problem? I don't want to start reaming out those holes. They still feel pretty good. Is there any tricks on final assembly to make sure those are going to hold tight under pressure? I read somewhere about using steel wool in wood screw holes to keep them tight but I'd be worried about potential for rust. (not that I plan to get any water around them) Edited February 10, 2009 by troyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I got the washcoat of sand and sealer on but I must have put it on too heavy..I've got a few runs in it that I can see. Should I send it dwon and do another thinner coat? I used a foam brush to apply it since I don't have any sprayer. Would it better to apply it with a cotton rag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Here is the body ready for fill...I lightly sanded back a few runs in the washcoat and it's ready to go. Troy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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