Fourth guitar - Panama Exocet

[DLJeffs]

Well, I think I'm finished with french polish for now. The top looks good and not sure I can get it any smoother. Seems like if I do another spiriting off cycle (uses pure alcohol in the pad and intended to smooth out the final finish and remove any traces of the oil used earlier) I clean up some lines and put others in. So either I'm doing something wrong and there's another trick I don't know or I have it about as good as it'll get. Now I wait until my coach has time again to start on the neck.

 

[daniscool]

Well, I think I'm finished with french polish for now. The top looks good and not sure I can get it any smoother. Seems like if I do another spiriting off cycle (uses pure alcohol in the pad and intended to smooth out the final finish and remove any traces of the oil used earlier) I clean up some lines and put others in. So either I'm doing something wrong and there's another trick I don't know or I have it about as good as it'll get. Now I wait until my coach has time again to start on the neck.View attachment 288577

You can use finer abrasives. What micron size are you using?

Also, you might want to use european abrasives that are graded to the FEPA standard as that is a tighter grit size tolerance when compared to the american one. That means that the slightly bigger particles that are causing the visible scratches will become rarer. Using the same "batch" of abrasive will also lead to that abrasive becoming finer and finer.

 

[Nature Man]

Well, I think I'm finished with french polish for now. The top looks good and not sure I can get it any smoother. Seems like if I do another spiriting off cycle (uses pure alcohol in the pad and intended to smooth out the final finish and remove any traces of the oil used earlier) I clean up some lines and put others in. So either I'm doing something wrong and there's another trick I don't know or I have it about as good as it'll get. Now I wait until my coach has time again to start on the neck.View attachment 288577

Amazing clarity! Stratospheric beauty!

 

[DLJeffs]

You can use finer abrasives. What micron size are you using?

Also, you might want to use european abrasives that are graded to the FEPA standard as that is a tighter grit size tolerance when compared to the american one. That means that the slightly bigger particles that are causing the visible scratches will become rarer. Using the same "batch" of abrasive will also lead to that abrasive becoming finer and finer.

I've sanded it twice using 1200 grit and that helped take down the heavier lines and bumps. But the lines I have now are made by the applicator pad. It takes some away and puts new one in. I'm sure there's some technique I'm not doing but not sure it's worth the effort at this point. It looks really close to a sprayed on lacquer finish.

 

[daniscool]

I've sanded it twice using 1200 grit and that helped take down the heavier lines and bumps. But the lines I have now are made by the applicator pad. It takes some away and puts new one in. I'm sure there's some technique I'm not doing but not sure it's worth the effort at this point. It looks really close to a sprayed on lacquer finish.

Hmm. You know that microfibre cloth that they use for glasses and computer displays? Try those with some sub 5 micron grit. Maybe 3 micron (that’s about 8000 JIS)

 

[DLJeffs]

Just talked with my guitar coach and he agreed with me that I've reached a point of diminishing returns. I could keep doing cycles of french polish and never get is noticeably better than it is now. So we'll let it dry / cure for a week or two, let the shellac fully harden and see where we're at. Like I said, we do a rub down and polish as one of the last things we do so that will also clean up the finish and any micro scratches. We still have to cut the neck mortise, make and glue in the bridge, drill peg holes, fit and glue the fingerboard in place, so we have plenty of opportunities to put more scratches into the finish.

 

[trc65]

Beautiful thing about shellac is its always repairable, and with enough coats can always be rubbed out to a glass finish.

Even though I've never played guitar, I'm enjoying your journey in making a great one.

 

[Webb]

That’s a gorgeous finish on beautiful work. I’m curious about how the saddle will be attached.

 

[DLJeffs]

That’s a gorgeous finish on beautiful work. I’m curious about how the saddle will be attached.

The saddle will just rest in a dadoed groove in the bridge. It's a snug fit but easily removed if necessary or during a reset. Much easier to fine tune it to get the desired clearance of the strings above the frets. Same goes for the nut on the other end, just rests in a groove.