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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | For those of you that actually enjoy my entries on refinished rescues of beaten and batterred instruments here is the current entry in the love it or leave it catagory. A Sunburst Viper bought from Cruster some time back and sent to my project pile.
First attempt at the body finish was with reddish brown stains or increasingly darker hue. didn't work due to something they knew at the the factory 25 years ago when they graded it and assigned it to be a sunburst. It is a three board Ash with diverse grain in each board. I tried hard since the middle board had a flame figure to most of it. Alas!
So if you must go solid go red! Italian Red, if you will! Spray can lacquer from the hobby shop. Main coats are drying now. Is it sacreligious to make a Viper solid?
Tonight I replaced the black dots with Abalone dots, put a gold logo on the headstock and lacquered the head. Waiting to decide if the neck gets shiny lacquer or Tung Oil. We'll see.
Made a wood veneered pickguard from some thick Cherry Veneer. It is looking hot! Hope to have more on the body paint and some assembly done this weekend. Pictures to follow.
Beats the heck out of arguing with Trolls! |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | It is always exciting to see what the master does to his new recruits. Can't wait to see the pics! |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Can't wait to see pics!!! |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Well! :) That makes two of us that can't wait to see pics.......so get postin' :D |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Boy, if it even looks half as good as the magic you worked on mine, it will be beautiful!
Did I ever say thank you for everything you did? If not, thank you very very much! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Somebody tell me I suck before I get all inflated! When all the real work is already done in their design and workmanship these Ovations clean up easily!
PM, you are welcome! With the challenges in doing yours I picked up some experience that is allowing me to have even more fun.
but no checkerboards this week ;) |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Hey Paul, You need to get busy and post some pics also.....I'm still waiting on pics of your GCDB and I'd like to see what Woody did to your Viper!(was it your '75 "Deluxe" Viper w/Preacher neck?) |
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January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | Just don't get too inflated to post the pics. |
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June 2004
Posts: 365
Location: NC | Let's see the pics.! |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I demand pictures! |
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March 2005
Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | MWoody,
What do you recommend, if anything, for trying to polish out a bunch of pick and belt buckle scratches in my black Ultra GS? I tried some 3M swirl remover for cars, but it didn't seem to do much. Never worked that well on my car either. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | From scratches to scrapes the best thing to use is the huge, slow moving buffing wheels at the factory and owned by other Luthier's. To remove most of what we get on the Poly finish of these solids you need to step up from rough to cotton only. Small wheels will burn and we want to do everything in one step!
My solution is to strip them and refinish. I don't have spray equipment (yet).
Stewmac has some faom backed pads used to polish airplane canopies which are hard plastics. I have played with those where the 2600 grit is the starting point and the 12000 is used prior to the buffing wheel.
Poly finish is tough but once it is dinged it is tough to remove! Lacquer can be melted but poly rejects new layers.
I would check Guitar Forums for polishing techniques. If I had 4 big buffing wheels I would be so dangerous! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | I have posted some pictures in the Gallery.
Here is one:
:D |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Sweet as always!
Great job Michael. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Nice.
I love what you do with pick guards. |
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February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | I admire y'all who have such shop skills. If books were tools, I could make a great guitar. |
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Joined:
May 2005
Posts: 327
Location: Evansville,IN | Originally posted by Paul Blanchard:
I admire y'all who have such shop skills. If books were tools, I could make a great guitar. I know exactly what you mean. I can read about all the good things people can do, and just wish I had some of that talent. :rolleyes:
Nice refinish on the Viper. How did you get it to look that good with spray cans? I need to break out my airbrushes, and start praticing again. :) |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | The real trick in making things look nice I learned from Ebay - blurry pictures!
The body is Red Lacquer ala Poof Can. Since I don't have a booth there are several dust specs and small insect parts incorporated into the project. Followed by more clear coat.
The neck is Tung Oiled and the pegface is lacquer. I put on a set of mediums and the magic that Ovation built into it still comes out! |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Capt. Kirks women were all blurry too and they always looked good as well. |
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Viper Project
