The Emeraldcaster Project (aka Son of Meloncaster)

[CHAZ2]

Wow , i wish i had a fraction of you skill....what a great way to spend your time !!

[Dennis68]

They look super! I really love that cover work!

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

What a great idea for a bird feeder.....Thanks Steve.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by CHAZ2

Wow , i wish i had a fraction of you skill....what a great way to spend your time !!

Thank you very much.

It's not so much skill, as stubbornness.

It IS a wonderful way to spend my time.

I have made dozens of new friends...some of whom I have actually met fact-to-face!

I live in a town right on the Mississippi River. I walk along its banks everyday as I go to work. (Yeah, I know, you are all feeling sorry for me!) Many of my friends have bass boats.

Kids, building/assembling guitars is CHEAP compared to owning a bass boat!

As I have said many times, I haven't had this much fun in years!

Steve

[Buckocaster51]

I was going to spray some clear on one of those Champagne bodies tonight, really I was. It was a beautiful 70° evening. Just the ideal weather for breathing chemical fumes...

But I had to do some school work. Scott came over to check out the Doublerubycaster. Now it is too late to stink up the garage. Maybe tomorrow!

But I did take some pictures.

Decided it might be a good idea to try to get rid of some sparkles from the "work bench" before shooting any clear.



The thing was just a mess. I just sort of soaked it done with lacquer thinner and wiped up the sparkles with paper towels. Most of it came off. The stuff that is still there is pretty much stuck in place.

This is the gun that I am going to use for the urethane clear. Just a cheap gun. Doesn't hold much. 4 ounces. I think that will be good for one coat.



Since it only holds 4 ounces of goop, and the two part goop is mixed 4 to 1, I had to do a bit of headscratching to figure out how to measure it.



80 ml of clear, and then 20 ml (15 ml + 5 ml) of hardener should work...and give me just a tad less than 4 ounces. Should work unless the goop melts the plastic.

[Buckocaster51]

The gun that I used for the champagne will never be clean again. I cleaned it as best I could. It will go into this container until I get crazy and do some more champagne, or something real close to it, bodies.



My not-so-valiant attempt to keep things neat, clean, and non-cross-pollinated (sparkleflake-wise) has brought me to this. All of the green contaminated stuff in one big tub, red in another, and champagne in the third.



There will soon be a fourth color...but that is a secret!

Managed to get decal on as well.



It's not 29 this year and the 29 contains things other than Sparklecasters. I'm not as sick as you might think!

[Buckocaster51]

With a little bit of the remaining sunlight, I snapped some group shots.



I guess you can all figure out which is which.

and their bodies



I think the Doublerubycaster is leaving me tomorrow night.



This sort of reminds me of a picture I saw this weekend of the four (4) Iowa class battleships* sailing together for the first last and only time.



BB-61 IOWA
BB-62 NEW JERSEY
BB-63 MISSOURI
BB-64 WISCONSIN

[SatelliteOrders]

You have the #2 body, a tupperware box full of red sparkle spraying gear and a great template for the pickguard. Make yourself another DoubleCaster.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by SatelliteOrders

You have the #2 body, a tupperware box full of red sparkle spraying gear and a great template for the pickguard. Make yourself another DoubleCaster.

To be truthful, as we were playing it last night, that idea DID come up.

OMG! I am such a pitiful fool!

[Buckocaster51]

Well kids, the big experiment has begun. A batch of the 2 part miracle goop has been mixed...and sprayed! Under primitive conditions no less!

There is a reason it is called CLEAR!



If the Mississippi looked like that, we could see the monster sturgeon and catfish that are rumored to live DOWN THERE!

Bob the Bike Painter uses an electronic digital scale to weigh this stuff out.



I'm going to do it by volume.

Here I am in my Darth Vader mask spraying on that first coat.



A couple of observations:

The photographer should have a mask*!
Next time I wear a hat & long sleeves!
Sure looks like I have to get some air moving in there SOMEHOW!

But it worked.

*that's a joke son! The photo was taken with the old self-timer

[Buckocaster51]

Here's what it looks like after one coat.

The front



and the back



Looks like the goop will cover the flake pretty well. The sparkle is there.

I might be on to something here.

[Buckocaster51]

I waited for the first coat of goop to dry on my forearm hairs and become just sticky to the touch on the paint stick...and mixed up another batch and went at it.

One thing I noticed is that this wonder of modern living is NOT chemically inert. It looks like it could eat polystyrene for breakfast!



Memo to self: do not leave the goop in the mixing cup very long

I cracked the bottom of one of the overhead doors about a foot. Left the side door open a bit.



It's a miracle! Just enough air exchange to keep the place from looking like downtown London in the 50s!

The flake is covered!



The stuff builds like crazy.

There is still a small step at the boundary between the flake and the binding.



Pardon the nuclear reflections. This guitar might blind somebody.

I wore a sacrificial sweatshirt and ball cap this time. I feel (and smell) much less like a chemistry lab.

Next time I get a chance to work on it, I'll scuff it up a bit with a green pad and shoot another two coats. I think that might be enough to let me DA it and polish it out.

I might like this stuff!

[Spunky99]

I wore a sacrificial sweatshirt and ball cap this time. I feel (and smell) much less like a chemistry lab.

Next time I get a chance to work on it, I'll scuff it up a bit with a green pad and shoot another two coats. I think that might be enough to let me DA it and polish it out.

Steve,

Do all of us a favor and cover up properly. Wear a jumpsuit treated with scotchguard and headwrap and rubber gloves. You are in the nasty, please don't kill your internal organs.......

[Johnny Isaacs]

in a word... WOW!

Great stuff!

Johnny V.V. Isaacs

[maestrovert]

Hot Diggity Bucko, i'm even more impressed now than i was, an that's goin' some !

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Kids, building/assembling guitars is CHEAP compared to owning a bass boat!

a friend says: "a bass boat is a hole in the water lined with wood and/or fiberglass, an' ya throw money into it...."

Thanx again Steve !

[reddogbass]

Hey Steve- Here's some info I want you to see- not to scare the crap outta you but to warn you. This stuff is dangerous!!!

Do the paints you use contain isocyanates?

Any two-part polyurethane coating (primer, basecoat or clearcoat) will likely contain isocyanates. The isocyanates are formulated into the hardener or catalyst. If you are unsure if you are using isocyanate containing paint systems, refer to your Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDSs). The most common isocyanate used in auto refinish coating systems is hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Other isocyanates that may be used are 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), 4,4'-diphenyl methane diisocyanate (MDI); and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI).

The entire text can be found here: http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Researc...on/Default.asp

Google "paint respirator isocyanate." Lots of info on respirator and air systems. This stuff is nothing to mess with.

[Spunky99]

Steve,

Here is one more word of caution for you.
After 24 hours, the charcoal/carbon part of the filters releases the chemicals they trapped as the bond between the carbon and "the nasty" breaks. Then when you reuse the respirator, the first breath of air you take in are the chemicals that are now free from the carbon. You gotta replace the filters after spraying "the nasty".
I bought a case of filters for my respirator and I religiously change them to fresh ones if I have been spraying "the nasty".

Here is what I am using to minimize the amount of nasty that can get into my eyes and face skin. North 760008A.
I use the 75SCP100 filters to keep me safe. The mask was about $25.00 shipped and was new from the Bay. I got lucky there. The cartridges were $65.00 for 36 pairs. Worth their weight in gold.
Perfect for coating applications and nerve/mustard/CS gas attacks.:

Defender multipurpose cartridge and P100 any particulates filter. 99.97% minimum filter efficiency.
Organic vapors, chlorine, hydrogen chloride, sulfur dioxide, hydtrogen sulfide (escape only), hydrogen fluoride, chlorine dioxide, ammonia, methylamine and formaldehyde.



Get some real nitrile gloves on. Ones that protect you from "the nasty".
http://www.northernsafety.com/cart/c...KW=GP120NITR01


And for about $5.00 a pair, get a "mOOn" suit.
http://www.northernsafety.com/cart/c...35PRSH02&PFM=B

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by reddogbass

...not to scare the crap outta you ...

Well, now that I have had the crap scared out of me...

I was half tempted to hang up all of this stuff and just go back to PLAYING guitar...if you know what I mean!

Then tonight, "Steve" came by and picked up the Doublerubycaster...



But how can I say "no" to smiles like that?

Looks like I'll be shopping for some BIG bunny suits, gloves, and a new mask.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I really appreciate it.

[bobthecanadian]

Now, that is a great pic to finish a build. A happy, satisfied customer.

Cheers mate! Ya done good!

[Spunky99]

But how can I say "no" to smiles like that?

Looks like I'll be shopping for some BIG bunny suits, gloves, and a new mask.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I really appreciate it.

We want you to live a long and happy/healthy life there Steve and continue to make those beautiful guitars.

I'm spraying the deft in an open garage standing close to the opening or I am spraying outside in the open and then hanging the guitar in the garage. This is OK......barely....
Using "the nasty" like you are requires a big investment in safety equipment and the absolute dedication to use the equipment religiously.
I bought 2 mOOn suits, 6 pair of gloves and the shoe covers today as I plan on using this new NAPA product you just enlightened me about.
I haven't bought the NAPA stuff yet and won't until I have the proper safety equipment here....I suggest you wait too...
I have done the Sherwin Williams Kemvar Water White Conversion Varnish which is a precat product and I used xylene to thin it before it was sprayed via a Fuji turbo HVLP system. Talk about NASTY.......Tolulene, Xylene, Benzene....OMG.........

[Durvish]

Brother I know it's a pain but I use those disposable bunny suits all the time --- you do get used to them and they can save you from the nasties.

[Dennis68]

+# on covering up, and changing out the mask filters.

I really like the double tele!

[getbent]

Steve looks like a good friend to have. They build'em big in Ioway!

He looks like he could out hit Steve Balboni!



Hey, when you get the moon suits... we need pics! ha ha!

[martyb1]

Jeez Bucko
When you said this Stripper dust gets everywhere your not kiddin
The wife busted out a can of craft stuff with a bunch of dust.Doing a little experiment.The dog wasn't even in the shop and he has dust on him
I can't imagine how it gets after doing as many sparklers as you have

[Elliot Easton]

Beautiful stuff, Bucko! A Walt Disney Wonderful World of Don Rich Buckitudinous Bliss! Please so me before I alliterate again!

[reddogbass]

Back to the respirator thing- (and I only mention this for your safety)

None of the "replaceable" carbon type filters are effective with isocyanates. Just ask the mask manufacturers. Check the paint MFR's as well.

OSHA requires "supplied air" systems, as well as a sealed suit of some sort. The big shops have a "beathable air system." The small shops have a system similar to SCUBA tanks.

We used to joke about it. But I always said, "the stuff cures in your lungs like it does on that hood." "Try getting oxygen to your bloodstream through that!"

[robt57]

Originally Posted by martyb1

The dog wasn't even in the shop and he has dust on him

You take your dog to the stripper bar ??? Man, talk about man's best friend..

[Spunky99]

None of the "replaceable" carbon type filters are effective with isocyanates. Just ask the mask manufacturers. Check the paint MFR's as well.

I have to go to a meeting at 10:30 AM today and it's right near both the Napa and Sherwin Williams stores. The Cross/Fire branded as Martin Senour is really made by Sherwin Williams and they call it Dimention.
I'll check the MSDS at the S-W store to see if it is an isocyanate. If it is, I don't have the protective gear to use it.
I found another option. it is the Pro Industrial Hi-Bild Waterbased Catalyzed Epoxy. It comes in gloss and builds at 6 mils dry in 1 coat. It is not a isocyanate and is basically the same as the Deft lacquer in the chemicals that my cartridge filters are designed to eliminate.

Good information there reddogbass....you may have saved a life.

[rodeo_joel]

I've been sitting here for an entire hour, skimming non-stop over this entire thread.

Buck you do amazing work! I'm so blown away by how awesome your tele's look. Seriously, i'm almost depressed now to sit and look at my recently finished partsocaster with a plain blonde finish... Now i want a sparkle tele w/ a matching headstock...

Hopefully my G.A.S. will subside here in a while, but it should be satisfied in about a month when i finish my 2nd build project. This one's a candy apple red strat w/ a matching headstock. I've got Tommy at USACG at the head of this project.

But ya, i'm totally in love with your silver sparkle tele, the ruby tele and the gold sparkle. They look so cool, especially w. the matching headstocks.

Buck you should make a TV show out of this, hehe, i'm sure that's been suggested before. You might only grab the attention of folks like me and my fellow TDPRI'ers but at least you'd satisfy our curiosity, lol.

Awesome Work Buck,
~Cheers~

Joel

[SatelliteOrders]

Question for Buck: If you wanted to make a red,white and blue sparklecaster, like this --



How would you go about it? Do the whole in white, mask off and do the red, then mask off and do the blue? You've shown very effectively how to do a sparkle with binding, but what would you change?

[littlebigman]

or door of your shop drawing fumes out of your shop,it will help

[Spunky99]

Originally Posted by littlebigman

or door of your shop drawing fumes out of your shop,it will help

Since it's been winter, he's had to use a heater to warm the shop and use a pan of hot water to warm the lacquer in order to spray. Maybe after it gets into summer he will be able to open the door and get some ventillation. For the cold days and nights, a bunny suit and respirator seems to be the only solution unless there are isocyanates in the product he is using. Then he needs a scuba tank

[Rizo]

How would you go about it? Do the whole in white, mask off and do the red, then mask off and do the blue? You've shown very effectively how to do a sparkle with binding, but what would you change?

I'm not Buck, but I think this has been discussed before.... I think the consensus was that it should all be done in silver, then have the blue and the red (transparent mind you) sprayed over it. I'm sure other will chime in though.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Rizo

I'm not Buck, but I think this has been discussed before.... I think the consensus was that it should all be done in silver, then have the blue and the red (transparent mind you) sprayed over it. I'm sure other will chime in though.

Jack Wells posted some extreme closeups of his RW&B sparkle guitar, and it pretty much looked like some of the flakes on the dividing line were BOTH red and silver...leading us to think that your description is exactly how it was done.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by rodeo_joel

...
Buck you do amazing work! I'm so blown away by how awesome your tele's look. Seriously, i'm almost depressed now to sit and look at my recently finished partsocaster with a plain blonde finish... Now i want a sparkle tele w/ a matching headstock...

...Buck you should make a TV show out of this, hehe, i'm sure that's been suggested before. You might only grab the attention of folks like me and my fellow TDPRI'ers but at least you'd satisfy our curiosity, lol.

Thank you very much Joel.

Nothing depressing at all about a blonde tele. That classic look is one of the best there is.

That TV show would be about as exciting as watching grass grow. But just like Norm Abram...I bet I could get every project done in 30 minutes of less!

Remember we don't like sparkles because we're cool...we like sparkles because sparkles are cool!

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Spunky99

I have to go to a meeting at 10:30 AM today and it's right near both the Napa and Sherwin Williams stores. The Cross/Fire branded as Martin Senour is really made by Sherwin Williams and they call it Dimention.
I'll check the MSDS at the S-W store to see if it is an isocyanate. If it is, I don't have the protective gear to use it.
I found another option. it is the Pro Industrial Hi-Bild Waterbased Catalyzed Epoxy. It comes in gloss and builds at 6 mils dry in 1 coat. It is not a isocyanate and is basically the same as the Deft lacquer in the chemicals that my cartridge filters are designed to eliminate.

Good information there reddogbass....you may have saved a life.

I smoke 2 cigars a year, whether I need too or not, and have always figured that cigars probably aren't going to hurt me.

I'm afraid I have adopted that same attitude to my exposure to finishes.

I've spent some time reading MSDSs today.

I've had some good advice here.

I'm going to have to take a step back and reevaluate what I've been doing out in the garage.

Thanks for the mid-course correction!

[Spunky99]

SCORE

I went over to the Sherwin Williams store today.
They serve the professional and contractor side of the business but it is still a retail store and I have an account.
Because of California's "Green Law" signed by the Guvenator Arnold...it is damn near impossible to obtain anything
that has any amount of VOC or nasty chemicals.
There was no Dimension which is the same as the Napa Cross/Fire product that BuckoCaster is using.
No way to get the catalyzed lacquer I used before on the kitchen cabinets or just about anything else good. Nothing nasty at all...dangnabbit...
I did score a gallon of....guess what?

Yes siree.....this is the real deal. It is pre thinned and ready to apply and is genuine
High Gloss nitrocellulose lacquer
The Sky_Blue_SparkleCaster is going to be finished in nitro lacquer.
The dude at the store was very surprised that they could sell the Nitro and I think someone made a big mistake and
violated state law as I know nitrocellulose has been banned in California for a lot longer than the Green Law has been around.
The dude was surprised that I could get the Deft shipped into California as it's supposedly banned from shipping and sale here.
So I scored big time. I paid my $29.77 incl tax and took it out of the store as fast as I could before the sales dude decided to check on the legality of selling this.
It's also a High Build version. Supposedly 3 mil per application so it will build a lot faster than the Deft which is probably less than 1 mil per application. I did notice the warning that it contains acetone so that may be the thinning agent. Cleans up with lacquer thinner too.

[Buckocaster51]

That is probably very similar to the S-W glossy cabinet lacquer that have used. Basically what the Emeraldcaster is cleared with...although there are a few coats of DEFT on that as well.

I have used the S-W cabinet lacquer on several acoustic guitars...some of which are nearing 10 years in age...it is holding up very well...no checking to speak of...although it is not glopped on nearly as thick on those acoustics as on a sparklecaster.

I may finish one of the Champagnecasters with lacquer...just to see how it works.

Or something like that.

[rodeo_joel]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Thank you very much Joel.

Nothing depressing at all about a blonde tele. That classic look is one of the best there is.

That TV show would be about as exciting as watching grass grow. But just like Norm Abram...I bet I could get every project done in 30 minutes of less!

Remember we don't like sparkles because we're cool...we like sparkles because sparkles are cool!

heh, i'll rephrase that one then. it's depressing because now i want a sparkle tele AND my blonde tele but i don't have enough $$ for both

You ever watch the TV Show called "How It's Made" on Discovery Channel? there was one show where they built a guitar completely from scratch. I thought it was cool. I suppose if it was a TV it might end up being like watching grass grow, but maybe the it would be good if they did some kind of special on it. Maybe i can't speak for all, but i know it'd be uber exciting for me to watch. I sure enjoyed watching all your sparkle tele's go from start to finish.

Cheers

[cknowles]

Originally Posted by rodeo_joel

You ever watch the TV Show called "How It's Made" on Discovery Channel? there was one show where they built a guitar completely from scratch. I thought it was cool.

I saw that one as well, it was Godin Guitars (watched the credits to find out)
Another episode they showed guitar amplifiers being made, this time it was Traynor's point-to-point wired tube amp, Way Cool!