Day Two

Day Two

I recall this stage from my first build as the one when my right arm aches with the sanding by bedtime. I start with 180 grit, then 400, 600 and finally 1200 grit. Damp cloth after each sanding to raise the surface nap. The result this time was much more satisfactory than the first time due primarily to there not being a veneer.

However, the custom woodworking of the headstock took much longer, and that's despite my having purchased a Dremel kit in the meantime. Most kit-building people seem to want to echo to one degree or another the Fender shape. I imagine that's partly because the basic shape of the headstock supplied by Coban lends itself to the Fender design and partly because it's such a well-known and easily-recognised shape. I decided against it and chose a design that references but doesn't copy two brand guitar headstocks. One is well-known, the other very rare. It involved two fret saw cuts in the headstock, one quite long. By adding my own signature on the headstock I shall make it clear that it's not a copy of any brand and certainly isn't an attempt to pass off.

The Dremel came into its own when finishing the long, shallow saw cut and in the soft roll-over on the bass side of the headstock. Even if I decide not to build a third guitar I think the Dremel will become one of those bits of kit that I'll wonder how I ever got by without one.

The final part of today's work was the first coat of Boiled Linseed Oil diluted 1:1 with White Spirit (Mineral Spirit across the pond). It added quite a noticeable tone to the mahogany so I'm really optimistic about disguising the mahogany as oak eventually. Time will tell! 






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