Which one of these 2 do you reckon i should have a go at?...

cacophony

yeah i`m looking forward to it, but with trepidation!. they do some pretty nice looking kits, go on, you know you want to!.

Andyjr1515

cacophony said:

if when i apply the very first `coat` of ink/stain, does that mean that you have to be pretty quick and get it all covered before the first bit you did starts to dry?, because if it does dry-off a bit then any further application or overlap will be effectively a second coat?...

that green bass up there ^ is a pretty handsome beast btw.

Thanks!    

Ref the ink - it's fairly forgiving stuff so you can do a coat, let it dry and then do another coat, or you can do a second coat while it is still wet.  The latter won't darken it quite as much but will tend to smooth out any variations easier.  However, it does get the wood and veneer quite wet, which sometimes isn't the best thing.  

For starters I would let it dry between coats ... and it shouldn't need many

Megii

cacophony said:

yeah i`m looking forward to it, but with trepidation!. they do some pretty nice looking kits, go on, you know you want to!.

Ha ha - yes it's true, but if I bought every guitar whenever the urge struck, I would be impoverished and with no space to move in! If I did do another, it would be build number 5 for me - beware, guitar building is highly addictive, finish one, and you'll want to do another.

speshul91

I've just finished getting the tools and stuff I need for the kit I'm getting for Christmas and already planning building a bass

cacophony

i reckon i should just about have all the tools i need, so that should at least spare me some expense, (famous words to be remembered!)

and i`ve asked the `diamene` ink bods about getting samples of a couple of colours i like. i`ll test them on a bit of scrap wood to help me make up my mind.

cacophony

well so much for it taking about six weeks, got notice from DPD that they`ll attempt delivery today. not bad, 6 days from korea. whether there`ll be anyone in is another matter...

JudasVigilante

Hi everyone, new around here, but attempting my first build too after Christmas. I just wanted to say that the above image of the SG done with red ink is absolutely sublime. A glory to behold. The green bass too is beautiful. Merry Christmas everyone.

cacophony

i think this is a very good demo of how to stain a new unblemished guitar body. he uses a wood dye but the ink method preferred by certain members here is the one i`ll be using, and copying his technique from this vid.

cacophony

where did the link go? i`ll try again...

themeinside

@Andyjr1515 Both of those finishes are stunning! Are you saying they were purely ink and clear varnish? How much extra work did you have to put in to get such a beautiful mirror like finish?

Andyjr1515

themeinside said:

@Andyjr1515 Both of those finishes are stunning! Are you saying they were purely ink and clear varnish? How much extra work did you have to put in to get such a beautiful mirror like finish?

Hi, @themeinside - basically, yes.  The SG-style one was red calligraphy ink and Ronseal Hardglaze.  The Westone was green Diamine ink and Tru-oil.

Ref the ink and ronseal approach, the best thread is probably the one I did for the 2014 Summer Challenge - I'll track it down and post it.

Andyjr1515

It's a long thread but it's here - the ink staining starts at Page 2

It was this one but the technique was exactly the same for the SG:

Hope this helps

Andy

Andyjr1515

If the basschat forum allows unregistered visitors, the green Westone details (including the veneering) are here

themeinside

It looks brilliant! I didn't realise that there were excellent and clearly viable alternatives to shooting poly finishes!

Andyjr1515

themeinside said:

It looks brilliant! I didn't realise that there were excellent and clearly viable alternatives to shooting poly finishes!

Thanks   

How does the phrase go...necessity is the mother of invention?  Basically, with no workshop and a choice of trying to spray outside in the wind and rain or just wipe the stuff on in the spare bedroom, the latter seemed an attractive option!  Do read the tips and tricks though...they matter (especially the use of microfibre cloths and the thinning down of the varnish with standard decorators white spirits)