DIY Guitar Messing About (2 Viewers)

[JohnnyRaz]

Messing about with shellac of various types and various dye combos. What do ya think of the green in the middle as a finish for a tele?

 

[GO]

Winner!

 

[ann post]

Very nice, the dark on the left is my faves there but that's just like, my opinion

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Very nice, the dark on the left is my faves there but that's just like, my opinion

yeah - thats a nice one as well.
the middle bit is clear shellac actually tinted with the dye - it has a lovely depth as a result. I might try tinting with the black dye as well.

 

[ernesto]

View attachment 15438
Messing about with shellac of various types and various dye combos. What do ya think of the green in the middle as a finish for a tele?

I'm with AP - far left bottle green

 

[magicbastarder]

Is that the same sort of wood you're going to be using for the body?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Is that the same sort of wood you're going to be using for the body?

nah - thats just pine blockboard.

will be using an ash body, so will be browner/darker to begin with, with a different grain. you'd get less dramatic effect with the black for example as the wood would take it up more evenly.

I will probably grain fill with a dark colour, so it will kinda have a similar look even with out dying the wood black.

currently making an electric kalimba out of an old teak mantlepiece board. might try black tinted shellac with that.

 

[seanc]

View attachment 15438
Messing about with shellac of various types and various dye combos. What do ya think of the green in the middle as a finish for a tele?

I'm really impressed with that. I like the centre green one myself. I have something similar on a set of shelves, made of bits I saved from an old job.

Shellac completely baffled all the painters there, and here you are knocking it up in your shed.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

I'm really impressed with that. I like the centre green one myself. I have something similar on a set of shelves, made of bits I saved from an old job.

Shellac completely baffled all the painters there, and here you are knocking it up in your shed.

This was my first time working from flakes and making my own stock.

To be fair, I spent 15 years working in and around research labs. And as any ‘wet lab’ scientist will attest - getting shit to dissolve and working out concentrations is about 25% of your time commitment

 

[magicbastarder]

i bought some shellac the other day cos of the success JohnnyRaz had with it. stuff already in a bottle, mind.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

i bought some shellac the other day cos of the success JohnnyRaz had with it. stuff already in a bottle, mind.

Sure everything I’ve done up to now has been bottle. The flakes were really out of curiosity for different types and to try the tinting! Let me know how you get on!!

 

[JohnnyRaz]

nah - thats just pine blockboard.

will be using an ash body, so will be browner/darker to begin with, with a different grain. you'd get less dramatic effect with the black for example as the wood would take it up more evenly.

I will probably grain fill with a dark colour, so it will kinda have a similar look even with out dying the wood black.

currently making an electric kalimba out of an old teak mantlepiece board. might try black tinted shellac with that.

So I tried mixing the black and green dyes, on a base of dark brown old teak. Didn’t grain fill - which was a mistake, but got a high gloss finish otherwise

 

[JohnnyRaz]

Finished article. Sounds mad through pedals - have to tune it…

 

[magicbastarder]

was that a kit you bought, i.e. the electrics and musical hardware?

 

[JohnnyRaz]

was that a kit you bought, i.e. the electrics and musical hardware?

the electrical parts were all either recycled or bits I had (the white mounts were cut from what was left of an old pickguard I had)

the actual tines and mounts were from ali - only a couple of quid

the wood was taken from an old (1960-70s) teak mantelpiece.(the other 5/6ths of it is holding up a lintel in the shed.)

 

[JohnnyRaz]

JohnnyRaz - if you're passing by in the car at all, you're welcome to one of these boards. here's one, you can see it's weathered from having sat outside for a decade or two, but as you can see in the middle, a quite light skite with a hand plane and it comes up fine.

View attachment 15388

how thick are those planks again?

 

[magicbastarder]

at a guess, i'd say 20mm or more.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

at a guess, i'd say 20mm or more.

I have the mad notion to make a lap steel guitar as my next project... might get back to ya.
could swap you some shellac flakes for them..

 

[magicbastarder]

as mentioned, you're welcome to one of the planks, but i will say they're quite dry and i'm not sure if they could be brittle if you were to cut them into thin sheets.

 

[JohnnyRaz]

as mentioned, you're welcome to one of the planks, but i will say they're quite dry and i'm not sure if they could be brittle if you were to cut them into thin sheets.

I wouldn't be bringing down much thinner than 15mm really to facilitate tuners at the headstock. lapsteel is attractive as a) its essentially a plank, and b) no frets. I also have all the necessary bits and bobs apart from the wood.