Lots of bad migraine days have slowed things down, and it's been one step forward and two steps back.
I've had mixed results with the modified French polish method I had been using to apply dyed shellac. The color was great, the neck was perfect, and the back was getting there. Then, dummy me didn't follow my own advice to be patient. I picked the guitar up by the neck too soon and left finger marks. Lots of spot sanding and re-applying of finish then ensued over the course of a few days. I got it back to 95% and the back was starting to smooth out with the same methodology: build up some body coats, knock it back with an olive oil and abrasive rub, then apply some glaze coats. While the results would look great to a casual observer, in the end I just wasn't 100% happy. What to do? What to do?
I could just finish the front the same way, give it a final polish, assemble the hardware and be done with it. Unfortunately, I know that little OCD, perfectionist voice in my head would just keep getting louder, waking me up at night, saying :you know you should have just stripped it back and started over." So to avoid any additional sleepless nights, I'm going ahead and sanding everything down, and starting fresh. Actually, the SGjr is hanging like a dressed deer in my basement right now: gutted and stripped, just waiting for me to decide whether to stick with the modified French polish, or an easier application.
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| Ah, decisions, decisions... |
One other bright note is that I successfully manufactured the pickguard and cover plate from a blank of pickguard material. Using the router table to cut the bevel was a breeze, and I'll have the MDF templates for future use.
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| Pickguard isn't scratched: there's a protective film on the front |
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| Templates |
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| Shaping the pickguard on the router table |
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| Shielding on back of control cavity cover |
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