Section 3 - Finishing Your Guitar
Lunatic
Section 3 - 2 -
Caution: if you remove the nut/string tie down from the headstock in preparation for finishing the neck,
tape/cover the mounting area on the neck as to avoid material build-up that might influence the tuning
of your guitar.
3.1
Finish Application Steps
3.1.1
Solid Color finish:
1.
Sand the body and neck
2.
Apply grain filler if desired.
3.
Apply 2 coats of sand and sealer
4.
Sand to 320 grit
5.
Apply primer
6.
Sand the primer
7.
Apply color coats
8.
Apply clear top coats
9.
Buff finish
3.1.2
Pigmented Translucent, Gel stain or alcohol dye finish:
1.
Sand the body and neck
2.
Apply grain filler if desired.
3.
Apply 2 coats of sand and sealer
4.
Sand to 320 grit
5.
Apply stain or dye
6.
Apply clear top coats
7.
Buff finish
3.1.3
Penetrating Stain or water based dye finish:
1.
Sand the body and neck to bare wood
2.
Apply grain filler if desired.
3.
Apply stain or dye
4.
Apply 2 coats of sand and sealer
5.
Sand to 320 grit
6.
Apply clear top coats
7.
Buff finish
3.2
Explanation of Sequence Steps:
3.2.1
Sanding the Body and Neck
1.
Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator and ANSI-approved safety glasses when sanding wood!
2.
Before starting the finish on the neck mask off the surface of the fingerboard.
TIP…
re-open any of the screw holes in the body. Use a toothpick or small drill held between
your fingers to clean out any filler in the holes.
