SG jr Finish Prep Part 1

I decided to forge ahead today with some basic finish prep on the SG jr, migraine or no. Sometimes the activity helps, and at least it takes my mind off the pain.

Regardless of the type of guitar build, I recommend these steps for anyone attempting their own finish and assembly with a couple of caveats:

Use caution if  you're using a bolt-on neck that already is sealed/finished. You'll need to know what the manufacturer used to avoid using an incompatible top finish that just ends up peeling and flaking off! Most bolt-on necks are maple which, as a closed pore wood, does not require as much prep, either.  A thin coating of Tung Oil maybe all you want or need.

Different woods require different preparation.  StewMac.com has some great information on flowchart form here.

I also suggest that you don't start any finishing steps until you have all your parts: bridge, tuners, pots, etc.

1.  You'll want to check everything for fit and alignment. If adjustments need to be made, it is easier before any finish is applied.  In the case of my SG jr build, I needed to slightly ream out the holes for the control pots as the CTS pots I'm using weren't slipping in as easily as I like.  Some Stikit adhesive backed 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a dowel does the job admirably.  A pencil also works.

Adhesive backed sandpaper is a tremendous help in the shop.  As you can see, I also use it to shape a control cavity cover template correctly as well. I'll use the MDF template to shape the cover from a blank of pickguard material.  Or red oak. Depends on what I'm feeling later.

Using the table saw rip fence to keep the template square while I hand sand.

Template ready for use.

2. Mask off the fretboard, the neck pocket in the body,and the portion of the neck heel that will be glued into the body.  Glue adheres best to unfinished wood.

3. Contour sand using 220 grit paper, going with the grain.  You can soften radius edges to taste, remove any ragged edges left from routing (no ragged edges from Precision: thanks Phil!), and just generally check for rough spots.

4. Raise the grain by wiping all the sanded surfaces down with a damp (not wet) rag.  This will cause all the broken/rough end wood fibers left from the 1st sanding pass to lift.

5. Sand again-- lightly, and at a slight angle to the grain,  with a smaller grit paper. If you used 220 grit for the contour sanding, use 320 or 400 grit. I'll often repeat with 600 wet/dry paper on non-maple necks.

Stikit adhesive backed sandpaper is a great help.

6. Clean off the saw dust.  Brush, vacuum to get the bulk, then wipe the whole thing down with a clean, lint-free rag dampened with mineral spirits.

Mineral spirits wipe really reveals the natural grain & color.  Also reveals any nicks and scratches.

Save some sanding dust.  If you need to fill in a ding, you'll have matching wood to mix with some glue.

6. While everything is drying, you can play around with some tests of dyes or stains.  Two things I'm considering for the SG jr are "pickling" the front of the headstock to turn it black while allowing the underlying grain to be seen, and applying a slight stain with the sanding sealer to enhance the natural beauty of the mahogany.  I'll use spots inside the control/pickup/neck cavities that won't be seen to try various mixes.  The small black spot in the pic is from my pickling mix.

7. If I do decide to apply a dye tint, I'll do it before applying grain filler.

Coming up in finishing...

Grain filler, final sanding, seal coats,top coats, and final buffing & polishing.