Doing Things Wrong

Superfreaky Part IIa

I finished the shaping with a big metal file and 80-grit. Then finish-sanded 100-150 and cleaned out the fret slots. 150 is good enough for now. For final finishing, I'll take it up to 320, which is smooth but leaves plenty of 'tooth' for the finish to grab onto. I wouldn't go any higher - the surface becomes too smooth.

Finally I put several coats of poly wet-on-wet on the fretboard, to build up a single thick layer of plastic. That will give a nice thick protective covering over the stained surface. That will need a few days to harden-off, then I can smooth it down, install the frets, and give it a thin top-coat, and also finish the rest.


This is the Ric body template I made earlier. What's the point of making a template if you only use it once? Underneath are the sections for the new body. I used about 13 feet of 2x2" lumber, under $20 at Home Depot. I arranged the pieces so the stripier faces show. I'm also extending the tongue on the template. I had a brain fart and cut it too short when I made it.