NZGuitars.com

Compressed air leaves spider web crackle finish as opposed to long natural looking checking. Don’t go there.

Was that finish nitro? You’re right, it probably needed more layers/ thickness to check.

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:12 pm Was that finish nitro?

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:12 pm Compressed air leaves spider web crackle finish as opposed to long natural looking checking. Don’t go there.

That's good to know. So what process would leave long natural looking checking?

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:38 pm

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:12 pm Compressed air leaves spider web crackle finish as opposed to long natural looking checking. Don’t go there.

That's good to know. So what process would leave long natural looking checking?

It's less the process and how you have sprayed the lacquer. I think I have a looong lesson on that somewhere here in the bowels of our forum?

1. Mix the nitro initially slightly thinner.
2. Spray shootloads of layers (10 maybe)
3. Some sanding
4. Lots of drying
5. Bake on freezer at -19 degrees for 30-60mins.

Serves 1

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:46 pm

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:38 pm

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:12 pm Compressed air leaves spider web crackle finish as opposed to long natural looking checking. Don’t go there.

That's good to know. So what process would leave long natural looking checking?

It's less the process and how you have sprayed the lacquer. I think I have a looong lesson on that somewhere here in the bowels of our forum?

1. Mix the nitro initially slightly thinner.
2. Spray shootloads of layers (10 maybe)
3. Some sanding
4. Lots of drying
5. Bake on freezer at -19 degrees for 30-60mins.

Serves 1

Ah, I see. It's more about how to apply lacquer to make it relic naturally by freezing, instead of how to relic any nitro lacquered guitars. I have no idea how my Eastman's nitro was applied. I guess that means step 5 still may not produce long natural looking checking.

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:52 pm

GrantB wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:46 pm

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:38 pm

That's good to know. So what process would leave long natural looking checking?

It's less the process and how you have sprayed the lacquer. I think I have a looong lesson on that somewhere here in the bowels of our forum?

1. Mix the nitro initially slightly thinner.
2. Spray shootloads of layers (10 maybe)
3. Some sanding
4. Lots of drying
5. Bake on freezer at -19 degrees for 30-60mins.

Serves 1

Ah, I see. It's more about how to apply lacquer to make it relic naturally by freezing, instead of how to relic any nitro lacquered guitars. I have no idea how my Eastman's nitro was applied. I guess that means step 5 still may not produce long natural looking checking.

It's almost guaranteed to not give you the result you want. Manufacturers cannot afford to have lots of checking/cracking so they mix all sorts of goop in the finish.

The steps above are rough, not in order, and missing a bit....but you get the idea. It starts right from fresh wood to have a finish that will check properly.

very cool but I'm not sure how your partners feel! My wife would think I've lost it if she sees my guitar in the freezer

KNNZ wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:01 pm very cool but I'm not sure how your partners feel! My wife would think I've lost it if she sees my guitar in the freezer

Do you have a freezer big enough for set-neck guitars? We have chest freezers, mostly for dog food. They don't mind sharing though.

You could test the back with some aerosol freezing product, bit of heating in the sun first. Caveat; never tried it myself but this is what I remember reading once.
All mine bar 1 are polyester epoxy, only hammer or heat gun can effect it, not even paint stripper. As for the one nitro I have, it's beautiful as is.

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:09 pm

KNNZ wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:01 pm very cool but I'm not sure how your partners feel! My wife would think I've lost it if she sees my guitar in the freezer

Do you have a freezer big enough for set-neck guitars? We have chest freezers, mostly for dog food. They don't mind sharing though.

My freezer is bloody tiny. Barely fitted the Strat body, and I had to remove all the food and drawers. I wouldn't feel good about freezing something with a neck. I prefer them to be straight.

codedog wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:09 pm

KNNZ wrote: ↑Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:01 pm very cool but I'm not sure how your partners feel! My wife would think I've lost it if she sees my guitar in the freezer

Do you have a freezer big enough for set-neck guitars? We have chest freezers, mostly for dog food. They don't mind sharing though.

definitely not possible in our fridge freezer even though we have a large double door one, tho I understood it to be a chest freezer but still... trying to explain leaving a guitar body in the chest freezer to my wife "um so the paint can crack and it'll look better..."

Fender Ultra
Allparts 60s tele with Fender Professional II hardware. Ebony fretboard, 1960s neck.

The Ultra is way louder acoustically.

Haven't yet wired up the Allparts tele.

7.25 inch radius fretboards feel strange.

There was a fair bit of work getting the Allparts tele done. Filing fret ends, rounding fret board, reboring tuner holes, fitting a nut, coating the neck, drilling the holes in the neck and body, getting a shim into the neck pocket, fitting the weird vintage tele lead socket.

A MJT project tele. Roasted pine hollow body, nice and aromatic .
I went with 50’s tele wiring with the blendable neck pup in the middle position.
A Clapton profile v neck and Kluson hardware.
Very happy with the feel.

Great colour Kev, what's that green called?

Miza wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 8:25 pm Great colour Kev, what's that green called?

Hey thanks, I’m not sure. I spent very long time getting it right. There were some examples on their site and I just show them the pic. MJT are great to deal with