Sevenstring.org - View Single Post - Refinishing complete, picstory! (el 56k no bueno)

MrRedRaider · 05-13-2008, 09:24 PM

With the combined forces of MrRedRaider and the sevenstring.org minions, the ugly and decrepit black flake finish on my Fernandes 7 string has been defeated and a new satin black finish has been crowned. Bow to me!

Haha, ok, seriously now. I appreciate all the help I got from you guys, especially Jessie/The Illustrated Luthier. I started the refinish on Friday night, May 2nd. What else would I have to do on a Friday night?

The last encounter of the ugly kind.

Operating table set and prepped..

+10 minutes, poly removed.

+who knows, down to the sealer.

2.5 hours later, down to bare wood

3 piece alder body, not too shabby.

Yea Fernandes, we all like veneers of balsa wood on our guitars.

So, sanding took around 12-15 hours total. Was a bitch. Onto the fun part! I was planning on using a light coat of sealer, but I heard Alder isnt very porous and sealing really isnt required, so I skipped that part. Didnt plan on using any filler either until I saw those two dumb shit veneers of balsa on my guitar. I used Zynolyte black primer first, two coats, multiple coats of black laquer (more on that later...), then multiple coats of Deft's satin finish. Didnt take many progress pictures, sorry guys. Lets get to it!

Oops.. I bumped the horn with my finger immediately after spraying the next to last coat of satin. Had an ugly dimple and sanded it down after it dried. I didnt think 400 grid sand paper would go through a finish in less than 5 seconds.

Ooh baby, thats smooth! Finishing complete on May 8th.

Finally! Bought the set from this guy in Singapore on the SD forums, took 9 days to get here. Felt like an eternity.

Time for some music! What better than Opeths newest album that hasnt been released yet? hehehe

Oops again, did I do that?

So, I ran out of 7 string sets and had to use a D'addario 10-52 set. Still needed that 7th string, so went to 2 different guitar stores (did I mention the ONLY two around here?

) and finally found some strings bigger than 52. Too bad 56 is the biggest they had, and too bad I didnt check the strings, like a retard. Yea, its an acoustic string.. lol!

After 11 days, its finally all assembled and ready for mayhem.

My only two guitars and only amp! I try to stretch my cash

And yes, that is pink carpet. Fail.

Really enjoyed this project, and I recommend it to anyone that isnt particularly happy with their guit finish. Just make sure you have a set of strings to put on afterwards so you dont end up with an acoustic string for a B!

About the black lacquer. I had a very frustrating experience with the paint I originally bought. I went to a couple different local stores around here, and found what I thought (and the employee) to be a really good lacquer, made by Gemini. After the first coat, it looked great. After hanging it up, it started turning an ash gray color. Didnt think much of it, and assumed it just needed another coat. Well fuck me sideways, I had 4 coats and it was still gray.

Luckily, I had bought another can of black lacquer before I found the Gemini, made by Champion. I sprayed both on the outside of a cardboard box and sure enough, the Gemini turned gray after a few moments, and the Champion remained black. A real champ. Thankfully it only took one coat. So if any of you see Gemini paint, STAY AWAY!

Hope you enjoyed!

05-13-2008, 09:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
MrRedRaider ss.org Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Paris, Tx Posts: 152 Real Name: Will Main Seven: Fernandes Revolver Pro 7 Rig: SD1>VH100R>Splawn Thanked: 7	Refinishing complete, picstory! (el 56k no bueno) With the combined forces of MrRedRaider and the sevenstring.org minions, the ugly and decrepit black flake finish on my Fernandes 7 string has been defeated and a new satin black finish has been crowned. Bow to me! Haha, ok, seriously now. I appreciate all the help I got from you guys, especially Jessie/The Illustrated Luthier. I started the refinish on Friday night, May 2nd. What else would I have to do on a Friday night? The last encounter of the ugly kind. Operating table set and prepped.. +10 minutes, poly removed. +who knows, down to the sealer. 2.5 hours later, down to bare wood 3 piece alder body, not too shabby. Yea Fernandes, we all like veneers of balsa wood on our guitars. So, sanding took around 12-15 hours total. Was a bitch. Onto the fun part! I was planning on using a light coat of sealer, but I heard Alder isnt very porous and sealing really isnt required, so I skipped that part. Didnt plan on using any filler either until I saw those two dumb shit veneers of balsa on my guitar. I used Zynolyte black primer first, two coats, multiple coats of black laquer (more on that later...), then multiple coats of Deft's satin finish. Didnt take many progress pictures, sorry guys. Lets get to it! Oops.. I bumped the horn with my finger immediately after spraying the next to last coat of satin. Had an ugly dimple and sanded it down after it dried. I didnt think 400 grid sand paper would go through a finish in less than 5 seconds. Ooh baby, thats smooth! Finishing complete on May 8th. Finally! Bought the set from this guy in Singapore on the SD forums, took 9 days to get here. Felt like an eternity. Time for some music! What better than Opeths newest album that hasnt been released yet? hehehe Oops again, did I do that? So, I ran out of 7 string sets and had to use a D'addario 10-52 set. Still needed that 7th string, so went to 2 different guitar stores (did I mention the ONLY two around here? ) and finally found some strings bigger than 52. Too bad 56 is the biggest they had, and too bad I didnt check the strings, like a retard. Yea, its an acoustic string.. lol! After 11 days, its finally all assembled and ready for mayhem. My only two guitars and only amp! I try to stretch my cash And yes, that is pink carpet. Fail. Really enjoyed this project, and I recommend it to anyone that isnt particularly happy with their guit finish. Just make sure you have a set of strings to put on afterwards so you dont end up with an acoustic string for a B! About the black lacquer. I had a very frustrating experience with the paint I originally bought. I went to a couple different local stores around here, and found what I thought (and the employee) to be a really good lacquer, made by Gemini. After the first coat, it looked great. After hanging it up, it started turning an ash gray color. Didnt think much of it, and assumed it just needed another coat. Well fuck me sideways, I had 4 coats and it was still gray. Luckily, I had bought another can of black lacquer before I found the Gemini, made by Champion. I sprayed both on the outside of a cardboard box and sure enough, the Gemini turned gray after a few moments, and the Champion remained black. A real champ. Thankfully it only took one coat. So if any of you see Gemini paint, STAY AWAY! Hope you enjoyed!