Shellac done!

Not a big update, just following up on the shellac'ing... i think we're just about done. Took 12 coats to get the right shade (using my dad's '66 Tele as comparison), then some sanding with 400-grit, and finally some touch-ups after that. Here ya go, with the natural maple scrap alongside for comparison:

Next step is Tru-Oil, after I give the shellac a few days to cure.

Shellac her? I barely know her!!!

I promised more frequent updates, and just like Karl Malone, I always deliver... today we begin the neck finishing process. Yesterday, I grabbed all the necessary supplies from Lowes, and started mixing the shellac.

First, a little info on shellac that you may find interesting: Shellac is a resin secreted by the female Lac bug, native to India and Thailand. It is sold as dry flakes, which are dissolved in denatured alcohol to create a stain (Everclear is actually a popular mixer, but in my house, we have much better uses for that...). Shellac was THE wood finish of 19th century France, and the technique of "French polish" was invented for applying shellac (not to be confused with the French polishing you can get at the Moulin Rouge for 20 Euro).

Here are all of the neck finishing supplies, and a closeup of the shellac flakes in the bag and then mixed:

So after letting the shellac dissolve overnight, i tested out wiping on some scrap maple til I got a nice shade. Here's the untouched neck alongside the scrap test piece:

The first coat was very light, but here's the comparison after wiping on two coats:

And after three:

I added a fourth coat just before I left for work... i'll stop here for now and match the fretboard tomorrow, then see if we still need more.


And oh yeah, I fuckin' love this shit.

Aaaaannnnd we're back!!!

Sorry for the delay, faithful followers, but the past few weeks were very unproductive to say the least... third can of clear coat took forever, due to a combination of extremely high humidity and summer getting all crazy on me. But we're back, the weather here is perfect, the body is curing for the next 3-4 weeks, and my Warmoth custom neck has been delivered!

Here are a couple pics of the body after the final coats of clear lacquer... i also have to take a moment to pimp out Behlen's stringed instrument lacquer. This stuff is great! After using ReRanch spray products for the color & first two cans of clear, I went with Behlen's for the third can, simply because the shipping was free from Amazon. I gotta say, this stuff sprays more evenly, consistently, and ends up thicker & glossier than the ReRanch clear. The gloss may have more to do with it being the third can, after the first two built up a nice base... but it still feels like you're working with a higher quality product. Almost went for a fourth can, but i'm kinda sick of lacquer fumes right now.

So now we play the waiting game... the lacquer takes about a month to cure before final wetsanding and buffing. In the meantime...

Yup, that's a neck! Finally arrived last Wednesday. Perfect fit in the body's neck pocket, too. Gotta love that! I'll be grabbing some scrap maple from Lowe's this week and testing out the Shellac and Tru-Oil finishes before applying them to the neck. Here are a few more pics:

So that's where we are... i'm hoping to have the neck finished by Labor Day, then after two weekends away (wedding & a gig upstate NY) i'll sand & buff the body. Updates should be more consistent now.