U.S. Guitar Kits Cutaway User Manual download pdf (Page 29)

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KIT TIP: Sanding

Always use a backing block or pad when sanding

the guitar body. It will help maintain a level surface.

On round surfaces, use a ﬂexible rubber backing

pad, a thick piece of felt or leather, or fold the

sandpaper three or four times to give it ﬁrmness

with ﬂexibility.

Unmask the top, and sand it just as you did the back and

sides. Don’t use the same sandpaper you used on the rest

of the body. Blow-off and vacuum the dust from the open

grain pores.

We recommend ﬁnishing the neck and body separately,

for a better job of sanding and bufﬁng. When the neck is

attached, it’s more difﬁcult to ﬁll the grain, sand, and buff

around the neck/body joint. Also, lacquer tends to build up

in that area, and unsightly air bubbles may become trapped

there.

The quality of your ﬁnish work is certainly important to the

appearance of your guitar. A thin “nonprofessional” ﬁnish

won’t necessarily harm the sound of your guitar, however.

If the following instructions seem beyond your skills (we

assure you they’re not), or to be more work than you’d like,

you can simply apply a low-gloss “wipe-on” ﬁnish by hand,

consisting of a couple of coats of waterbase lacquer or

freshly mixed shellac. This will seal the wood and protect

it from the elements, and you’ll be playing your new guitar

a lot sooner.

The following instructions, for spraying an aerosol nitro-

cellulose lacquer ﬁnish, are relatively foolproof and don’t

involve an investment in shop spraying equipment. Aerosol

lacquers require no thinner, or course, but it’s nice to have

thinner around for cleanup. Feel free to apply the ﬁnish of

your choice, however, according to the manufacturer’s di-

rections. If you decide to use spray equipment, always thin

nitrocellulose lacquers with nitrocellulose thinner only.

KIT TIP: Aerosol Lacquers

Aerosol lacquers have a tendency to “spit” if the

spray tip gets clogged. Wipe the tip clean often.

Also, you can clean the tip by turning the can upside

down and spraying until the spray stream stops. We

recommended doing this each time you are done

spraying, to keep the tip clean.

There are many gallons of ﬁnishing information in our book

Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step, and we know of many custom-

ers who are glad they studied the book before ﬁnishing their

ﬁrst guitar. In brief though, here are some pointers and a

ﬁnishing schedule to follow.

KIT TIP: Finishing

ALWAYS practice on scrap wood until a ﬁnishing

method has been perfected. Scraps of wood are

included in each kit so you can practice all the

ﬁnishing steps. If you’d like your guitar to look as

good as it sounds and plays, DON’T RUSH!

Finishing

Introduction to ﬁnishing and materials

All the wood surfaces should be ﬁne sanded up to 220-grit

using Fre-Cut® paper on a sanding block. Start by sanding

the back and sides. Mask the soundboard with brown paper

and masking tape, to protect it from the darker wood dust.

The sandpaper should be no coarser than 150-grit, and

you should switch quickly to 220-grit. Sand in the direction

of the grain, not across it. After the ﬁrst 220-grit sanding,

dampen the entire surface lightly with a water-dampened

(not soaked!) cloth to raise the grain. Let it dry, and sand

again with 220-grit. Blow-off and vacuum the wood dust.

Sanding the body

Stewart-MacDonald’s tool recommendation

ColorTone Aerosol Finishing Kit Item #1850

Even if you’re a beginner, you can achieve beautiful results you’ll be proud to show off.

You’ll get professional guidance from the best instruction book available too—included

FREE with the kit.

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U.S. Guitar Kits Cutaway User Manual Page 29

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