Masked binding - in prep for whenever

ThePrettyDamned

So the guitar I'll next build will be wudtone finished with a swamp ash or mahogany back and a figured maple cap with maple neck and board.

It'll be blue with a mahogany or black back and sides, which is nice but I want masked binding.

To do the edge should be straight forward enough - mask it off pre colour, do the colour and base coats on back, sides and front, remove masking and apply colourless base coat to the masked area. However, I was a very thin masked bit on the front of the guitar.

How do you do this? Do you scrape it off with a Stanley knife? I can see that going really quite wrong...

Or is there a super secret best friends' trick to getting it right?

After all of this, I'll gloss the whole lot with wudtone gloss topcoat. Which is not totally gloss, but nice and easy to work with and looks pretty great.

I'll wudtone the neck, too. Andy will get plenty of business from me

ftumch

Hi mate, I recently did exactly this, I'll post some pics up to show you how I did it. I will say though this was my first ever refinish and I'm no way an expert. I used real good quality automotive pin striping tape. I did the top first. I masked to the point I wanted the binding first to ensure I got it straight, tbh I'm not sure that was really necessary. I wanted thin binding but once I'd finished realised I'd left it a bit too thin. http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/8ABF6CA3-1001-41FB-8C02-D063C6D42A26-19022-00000BC9BF45B379.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/1CB66227-E86B-46D7-B17E-2F8291264819-19022-00000BC9CF5DFFAE.jpg Then masked up to the line. http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/D11D4D8E-76D1-45E2-BA6F-C7E10D6CBC0C-19022-00000BC9E41625C8.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/5693FC92-D1CA-4A7B-ABDE-B623AF6B8966-19022-00000BC9ED643650.jpg Wudtone up then peeled off the tape http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/9E62FA3E-D30A-4DF4-AA2F-2E77861C51F1-21814-00000D99E6AE273A.jpg Little bit of bleed through on the real tight corners but tidied it up with a knife no problem http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/B7F0F67D-AAA3-4BF5-AD86-28E54FBDA271-21814-00000D99A28EBCA7.jpg Then masked up the sides and did the back, much easier. http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/CA83E6EE-4E0D-4F06-97B7-085F49566124-24692-00000EA7F7CCE01A.jpg

WezV

with plastic binding scraping really is the best way for a sharp line.  just mask the sides, scrape the top edge and tidy up the line on the sides.    more accurate masking is only really needed when its a wood or faux binding and you are staining the wood next to it.  In this case it pays to mask everything except the binding, then spray some clear just on the binding to prevent it taking up any stain 

but plastic is much easier - although not as easy as tom murphy makes it look

ftumch

I also masked the headstock and faked that too, the neck came out lovely with the wudtone. http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/D595E133-7B65-4AD3-8EC0-0207D5D308E3-24692-00000EA80E2339D8.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/A7A33A16-0879-4571-BB5E-3B0AEB5A0FFB-25851-00000F5956242464.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/A0F8E3F2-EF87-4047-844F-C9EED16E4F73-25851-00000F596B80A6C3.jpg And finished http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/CDA3BA34-5AD8-442C-A660-7BAE7330BD91-640-0000008408338ED3.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/76910799-171A-4E4E-8A74-F061769FB874-640-00000083EACBEA18.jpg http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/52602086-29DD-4AEB-9D12-2689B5568304-640-0000008413844223.jpg

ThePrettyDamned

Thanks guys, love the pictures and video.

Wez, you're right. That makes it look dead easy as I'm wudtoning, I'll take your advice to prevent bleed and mask everything off and put a tiny bit of colourless base coat on the binding, before masking that and finishing the rest. Neat idea to help stop bleed.

For me, the whole cap will be the binding, so I've got the exact thickness on the guitar marked off for me - probably 1/4 inch or so. My main worries were bleed and how to get a super fine masked area on the top. I might not manage that, to be honest. I don't know if I want to scrape it, it sounds too risky for an amateur such as me...

I planned my built meticulously last time, and it went mostly smoothly, so that's what I'm doing now. No doubt you guys will get a couple more questions fired at you, but for now, that's me satisfied.

ThePrettyDamned

ftumch;49522" said:

I also masked the headstock and faked that too, the neck came out lovely with the wudtone.

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/D595E133-7B65-4AD3-8EC0-0207D5D308E3-24692-00000EA80E2339D8.jpg

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/A7A33A16-0879-4571-BB5E-3B0AEB5A0FFB-25851-00000F5956242464.jpg

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/A0F8E3F2-EF87-4047-844F-C9EED16E4F73-25851-00000F596B80A6C3.jpg

And finished

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/CDA3BA34-5AD8-442C-A660-7BAE7330BD91-640-0000008408338ED3.jpg

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/76910799-171A-4E4E-8A74-F061769FB874-640-00000083EACBEA18.jpg

http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m544/kevinstead/52602086-29DD-4AEB-9D12-2689B5568304-640-0000008413844223.jpg

Blimey, that is impressive. I hope I can get a finish half as decent as that.

I'll PM you at the time I imagine, if you don't mind.

Wez, you might get questions too. I've lusted for some of your builds before...

andypwudtone

so how does this awesome guitar feel to play / sound?

WezV

ThePrettyDamned said:

Wez, you're right. That makes it look dead easy as I'm wudtoning, I'll take your advice to prevent bleed and mask everything off and put a tiny bit of colourless base coat on the binding, before masking that and finishing the rest. Neat idea to help stop bleed. 

you want it like this to get the sharpest lines, not sure if bleed on a rubbed on finish will cause issues with the technique though, you will need to do a few light coats i think

http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/007/12.jpg

I have a 335 to scrape the binding on at some point... a lot of work

ftumch

I still need to get it setup Andy, I know I finished it ages ago really should pull my finger out

ThePrettyDamned

WezV;60689" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:



Wez, you're right. That makes it look dead easy as I'm wudtoning, I'll take your advice to prevent bleed and mask everything off and put a tiny bit of colourless base coat on the binding, before masking that and finishing the rest. Neat idea to help stop bleed. 





you want it like this to get the sharpest lines, not sure if bleed on a rubbed on finish will cause issues with the technique though, you will need to do a few light coats i think

http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/007/12.jpg

I have a 335 to scrape the binding on at some point... a lot of work

That's some extreme masking, but I think you're definitely right about bleed. I'll probably use a super thin coat or two first.

johnnyurq

@ftumch

Awesome job dude it looks lovely.

I do like a nice Gordon Smith though.

@WezV

Do you sell that stuff to BDSM groups? A killing to be made I reckon.

The guitar looks like a blue mummy and yet strangely cool too.

ftumch

johnnyurq said:

@ftumch

Awesome job dude it looks lovely.

I do like a nice Gordon Smith though.

@WezV

Do you sell that stuff to BDSM groups? A killing to be made I reckon.

The guitar looks like a blue mummy and yet strangely cool too.

Cheers I've had it fitted with the Jimmy Paige wiring, coil splits, out of phase and series parallel. Really really need to get it setup, this has given me the kick up the arse I need.

WezV

johnnyurq said:

@WezV

Do you sell that stuff to BDSM groups? A killing to be made I reckon.

The guitar looks like a blue mummy and yet strangely cool too.

its not mine, its a david myka guitar

http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/049/52.jpg

ThePrettyDamned

WezV;61546" said:

johnnyurq said:



@WezV

Do you sell that stuff to BDSM groups? A killing to be made I reckon.

The guitar looks like a blue mummy and yet strangely cool too.





its not mine, its a david myka guitarhttp://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/049/52.jpg

Phwoar!

johnnyurq

^^

What he said, that is lovely too.