Doing Things Wrong

Red-on-Red Burst

I smoothed down the brushed poly on this body and was dissatisfied with the result. The shape, with binding and German carve, is rather complex to sand, and the brushed-on finish required an excessive amount of sanding. The foam brush made no difference. Another bad idea from talk_ass, which is an endless spring of bad ideas. I will never again try to brush on a finish - there is no reason, I have excellent spray facilities.

So I made a mix of equal parts stain and poly, masked off the binding, and shot the sides opaque red, feathering into the center, where the grain is still visible. When this is dry, I'll do the same around the front.


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I only use clip-less battery boxes for two reasons. First, those 9-volt battery clips may be tolerable for a smoke detector, but if you plan to use it a lot, it is a pain in the ass, and then it breaks. And second, 9-volt batteries ( all batteries, really, but especially 9-volts ) are guaranteed to leak, and should never be left inside a device unless absolutely necessary. I only put a battery in a guitar ( or anything else ) when I want to use it, and then take it out afterward and keep it in a little dish. That's much easier if it just slips in and out and you don't have to mess with one of those stupid clips. And if when it leaks, I just throw it away and wash out the dish.