Thanks again for all the helpful tips Dan. Decided to give the project a few more hours and made some huge progress today. Started off with the easy stuff by filling the fret marker holes. I tried using my inlay filler, but it's a bit old and was not usable; so, I opted to use some automotive touch up paint. I had flat black available and its viscous enough to fill the gaps well and hardens pretty well because its polyurethane. Just put enough paint on the end of a toothpick to create a droplet, when the hole touches the paint it just sucks the paint in. Repeat until a bead shows up like so...

Then just sand it down. The flat black paint color was just a bit off...oh well, I don't think it will be too noticeable.

I also began my binding installation. Had to approach this a bit differently. Used a hair dryer to bend the plastic binding into general shape then the outter binding was CA'd to the bowl.

Then I inserted the rest of the binding/purfling in between...this is just a dry run...

Settled on a white black/white/black and gold (brass) trim...

Unfortunately, there are some big gaps between the binding and the edge of the sound board...

The sound board must have been just a tad bit off when I Hysoled the top back on to the bowl! Think I'm gonna need some pigmented wood filler to fill the gaps...oh well. Feels good to make some progress anyway. Gettin' closer!

Okay...this baby has been on the shelf for over an year! My daughter has been playing my 97C, and she's learning really quickly. This Elite was originally for her until she lost interest. The other day as she was practicing she asked about this guitar. So, I started explaining about the difficulty of the brass binding, and how I was hoping to go with some difficult wood binding... she starts looking through my stash of wood and plastic binding, and says, "Plastic! Black/white/black, Dad..." Taped her up (the guitar, I mean...) for a dry run, and...

Hey, I like plastic b/w/b binding! Cool! Much easier than wood and brass! Doh!

This Elite is off the shelf and on the go... AGAIN! Glued the binding into position, and will start scraping the binding down this weekend. Looking for a 2018 finish! About time!

Thanks for reading through the entire thread moody, p.i. Throughout these 4 years, this project has taken a lot of twists and turns. Come to think of it, the whole thread kind of reflects my journey as a guitar repairman. From my mistaken bidding to my countless incorrect observations, the thread also reflects my deepening appreciation of these incredible instruments. Through the interesting and sometimes strange twists and turns, the OFC/BFLG was always helpful, informative and encouraging (thanks tpa, et. all!)!

In retrospect, I re-assembled this guitar in the wrong order. I should have completed the binding installation BEFORE I "ebonized" the top. That sure would have made things easier. As it stands, shaving the binding down will be a slow process. Still, excited to have this project closer to completion. Finished my preliminary run of scraping down the binding. Found the edge of my trusty chisel to be an excellent scraping tool!

Nothing you all haven't seen before, but because the assembly order is incorrect, the top needed to be covered with tape just in case my make shift scraper went astray. Oherwise it would have been an easy scrape, some overall sanding, "ebonizing" and finishing. In any case, when the scraping is done, I plan to use Z-Poxy's Finishing Resin (really dig this stuff) instead of a poly-finish. Should be an interesting December! Thanks for the encouragement BFLG!

And continuing with the progress... all done with the scraping process, and down to leveling off the wavy binding. Using my edge sander to get the job done without jeopardizing the semi-finished guitar.

It's a really slow inefficient process, but the waves are really leveling nicely. The four coats of lacquer based sanding sealer are really protecting the ebonized top at this point. The small blemishes caused by my edge sander will only be lacquer deep. Additional thin coats of lacquer will melt right into the existing coats; and the lacquer will basically clean itself up. Once the edges are flattened, an additional coat of sanding sealer, then on to the Finishing Resin final coats. Still need to complete the fret job as well, but it's slowly getting there. Finishing this project sure would be a great way to close out the year!

Finally got the binding leveled off, well to the best of my amateurish hands anyway. So now the sanding sealer coat needs to be thickened. Just using locally available nitrocellulose lacquer sanding sealer at this point. This stuff works well, but I wouldn't be too surprised if this stuff was just US product repackaged for the Japanese market. Using my trusty model spray gun to apply nice thin coats - one coat at a time...

This stuff dries pretty quickly; and after an hour, I can take some 400 grit sand paper to smooth things out. I'll end up using nearly all 300ml of this bottle (maybe 5 thin coats) before I go to the finishing resin. By then all the micro-surface irregularities will be completely leveled and filled. After two coats she's already starting to level and fill nicely.

Really important to keep these lacquer products warm as you work to prevent splattering. Sheesh, I just might get this thing done this time! Yes!

The tooth brush is essential to clean edges and crevices after wet sanding is done. The clean soft cotton cloth wipes away the rest of the debris. The water sprayer has one drop of unscented dish washing fluid to provide some lubrication during the wet sanding process. The finishing resin components are warmed in the cup which is filled with one part boiling water and one part warm tap water. The hair dryer and brush will help to spread the finishing resin. First, the sanding sealer is wet sanded with 400 followed by 1,000 grit sand paper to eliminate the "orange peel" effect.

After thorough cleaning, the top was left to dry for 24 hours. Now onto the finishing resin. The epis and edges were taped up to create a reservoir for the finishing resin. Warming up the resin makes it more viscous and easier to work with. The resin was mixed and poured onto the top, but my estimation was way to conservative, and there wasn't enough to go all the way around. The resin gathered in thin blobs all over the top...

Oops, no need to panick... just need to prepare some more, but this time the proper amount was calculated. Grabbed the drier, brush, and expired credit card to distribute the resin... OH SH...eep Feces, calculation error! Too much resin... Ahhh, two hands not enough... "Daughter, oh daughter, please help Dad! Bring your hair drier... HURRY! Yikes, just about tanked the project (thank God for the 30 minute working time!), but I scooped out the excess resin while my daughter kept the surface warm...glad I was working on my blue sheet - what a mess! Still, my daughter helped me salvage the project. Whew!

3 hours to dry. Some touch up of areas that may have been missed, and I'm down to the final stages of wet sanding, polishing and buffing! Gotta finish up the frets, final assembly and adjustments. BUT I will RUSH no more! Oh man... goog night!

HAPPY NEW YEAR OFC/BFLG! So here's my 1868 all finished up! Just in time to ring in the New Year!

NOT! Well, this is as far as I got! I'm actually counting my blessings! I almost did choke with this one! When I poured my second "calculated" run of the finishing resin, I completely forgot to account for the finishing resin used in my first run! After my daughter helped me "save" the project; she said, "Dad your hands are shaking like crazy!" They really were shaking! After waiting 48 hours, (to calm the nerves as much as to let the resin cure), it was time to start the wet sanding process. Immediately noticed a battle scar from 48 hours before...

Do you see it? Just to the right of the bridge? Yeah, that one strand of hair! My daughter's (too long, dark and healthy to be mine, Lol). We were both beside ourselves in a mad rush to salvage the project that neither of us saw this! Crazy! We both examined the whole guitar carefully for air bubbles too! Oh well, this will sand out as the project nears completion.

After removing the "reservoir tape", it's easy to see all the flashing built up all around the edges.

At this point, the final finish is right at 1mm thick. That gives me plenty of room to sand, polish and buff the finishing resin to a gleaming luster! Dissappointed that a 2018 finish was not realized, but this will be one of the first out of the shop in 2019! Meanwhile, hope you all have a fun and safe New Year celebration! May 2019 be a banner year for you all! Thanks for all the encouragement too!

Thanks FlySig. It's been quite a nerve racking adventure for sure. Hope this thread helps folks to remember what not to do when re-building a valuable USA O! Along with my inexperience, one of the other "excitement" inducing features of this project (in retrospect) has been the fact that I've introduced too many experimental variables in one project. Ebonizing and routing the epis into the sound board, attempting an all epoxy finish, radiusing the fret board to 20 inches (instead of the 10 inch standard), and using Warwick's brass alloy frets... jeepers are these frets hard to work with! Had to resaw the fret slots wider and deeper (due to the change in fret board radius), and they were a bear to get seated properly. After wrestling with the frets, I finally got them filed down and dressed up...

The neck angle is absolutely perfect! Assuming disasters are avoided until completion, she should be a beauty with depth and clarity of voice. Just can't wait to finish her, string her up and take her for a spin! Getting really close!

Thanks for the generous comment, Notalent! The OFC/BFLG really gave me encouragement and direction every time I felt like walking away. This, and nearly all of my projects, would have never made it to completion had it not been for the patient inspiration shared by the members here. Speaking of "completion", this 1868 is really coming down to the wire...

Having avoided a major disaster, I've found it better for my blood pressure to slow down; and man, have I slowed down! The epoxy finish was leveled with a 220 grit "wet" sand. My daughters healthy strand of hair was happily eliminated by this step...

As the pic clearly shows, there were still small dips in the final finish, so three thin epoxy coats were applied using an expired credit card. The thin credit card application of epoxy prevents the formation of tiny air bubbles (which I found to be a risk when working with this Finishing Resin product); however the credit card or window squeegy application leaves very subtle streaks that will need to be sanded away later. The glossy finish in the pic below is deceiving.

After the standard 24 hour wait, the subtle streaks were wet sanded with 1000 grit sand paper and wiped down with a slightly damp cloth. After another 24 hours, the whole top was lightly dry sanded with 1000 grit paper. This ensures theres no build up of wet epoxy residue in any micro-air bubbles if they exist. Finally, the whole top is cleaned with naptha (lighter fluid). The left photo was taken after cleaning with naptha, and the right photo was taken after my first pass using 7 micron polishing compound...

Stayed with the 7 micron polishing compound... wax on, wax off; wax on, wax off; wax on and on and on....

Final polishing is still going to take quite a bit of time. Need to go through 1 micron, 0.2 micron, and plain polishing compound as a substitute for going through a buffer. While the Z-Poxy's Finishing Resin is great for touching up finish cracks and dings, I've found it a bit difficult to work with as a complete finishing solution. Of course, my application method leaves much to be desired, but having worked with lacquer, poly, and shellac (French polish); epoxy would be my least favorite finishing solution. However, it's more durable than lacquer (not as strong as poly), and ounce for ounce, I think it's the least expensive of the finishing methods I've tried to date. It would have been much easier if the Finishing Resin could have been sprayed. Still, when all is said and done, it will provide protection and beauty for years.

Still have a few more steps to go but getting really close! Don't blow it, Ken!