Some advice on refinishing a 66 Tele.

[jwells393]

Man o man ............. there have been a lot of negative posts in this thread....... suggesting that you should take it to a professional for rework and refinish. I'm glad to see you are proving them wrong. I don't think people should make such suggestions based on their own abilities.

[sean79]

Amen.

[shoretyus]

Originally Posted by jwells393

Man o man ............. there have been a lot of negative posts in this thread....... suggesting that you should take it to a professional for rework and refinish. I'm glad to see you are proving them wrong. I don't think people should make such suggestions based on their own abilities.

Ahem as well. At the start I seriously thought it wasn't .. emm do able.

Wrong again. looking great. You have me looking long and hard at mine ( posted way back in this thread )

A pro.... hmm somebody that will charge you money.... With the amount of work you have into it seems to me would exceed the value of the guitar.

[Rizo]

Man o man ............. there have been a lot of negative posts in this thread....... suggesting that you should take it to a professional for rework and refinish. I'm glad to see you are proving them wrong. I don't think people should make such suggestions based on their own abilities.

I wasn't being negative (at least I don't think I was). If I was I apologize, I certainly didn't mean for my suggestion to be taken in a negative way.

It's just that this is a very valuable instrument here and doing a period correct finish is not usually within the reach of the average DIY-er. When the idea of aging the finish (oh no! relic!) to make it look more appropriate gets thrown around I get a little scared. I've seen more than a few guitars become a nightmare when Joe Anybody tried to do it. Our OP is apparently beyond average however and if he knows he can do it, then I have no reason to doubt his skill.

[Superc_1]

ooops

[Superc_1]

opps again, sorry!

[Superc_1]

I just read the whole post and I'm with Jewells on the negetive busniess. Putting a blonde finish on a guitar is really easy. I started reading the post cause you asked for advice? I think the post should end up saying here is a tutorial on patients and belief in yourself to perserve on righting a wrong. When you are applying the blonde just build up the edges more than the middle til it hides the inlay work around the edges. I use laquaer from sherwin williams add a couple drops of white paint and amber and start spraying after you finish the grain fill. You did a fine job. There is no doubt the finish will come out fine. You will have something all the money in the world can't replace, but only the satifaction of a job you can call your own and the pride you will feel. My hats off to you, Sir!!!

[Goluphi]

If you do a lacquer finish, if you mess it up, it should be pretty easy to start from scratch. In fact, if this is your first finishing job on a guitar, you'll probably learn enough that you'll want to start over from scratch!

[BAW4742]

Originally Posted by Superc_1

I just read the whole post and I'm with Jewells on the negetive busniess. Putting a blonde finish on a guitar is really easy. I started reading the post cause you asked for advice? I think the post should end up saying here is a tutorial on patients and belief in yourself to perserve on righting a wrong. When you are applying the blonde just build up the edges more than the middle til it hides the inlay work around the edges. I use laquaer from sherwin williams add a couple drops of white paint and amber and start spraying after you finish the grain fill. You did a fine job. There is no doubt the finish will come out fine. You will have something all the money in the world can't replace, but only the satifaction of a job you can call your own and the pride you will feel. My hats off to you, Sir!!!

Hey Superc - thanks for what you said. I did come here for advice and opinions and I haven't really taken any of it as negative. It's just that - advice and opinions. Doesn't mean I agree with all of it and doesn't mean I'll follow all of it. But it's all valid.

I had some ideas of my own when I started this and I got lots of reinforcement on those ideas. Helped me sort out what was right, what was wrong and what I wanted to do as well as how some others would go about it. I could have researched this for a year and not learned as much as I did here in a few weeks. That's been a big help.

Thanks to all for input.

[BAW4742]

Originally Posted by Goluphi

If you do a lacquer finish, if you mess it up, it should be pretty easy to start from scratch. In fact, if this is your first finishing job on a guitar, you'll probably learn enough that you'll want to start over from scratch!

I'm pretty sure it'll be a nitro finish. This will be the sixth guitar I've finished and I have picked up something on each one.

My first one looked pretty good to me when I did it but when I look at it now.

[Superc_1]

Maybe not so much on the negeative, because everyboby was trying to help. Everybody keep telling me just buy a neck on my build and in hind sight it would've been easier, but now I have a tele that I built the main parts on (body and neck). I'm just glad to see you stuck to your guns. Like you said " right a wrong". I have '71 tele that I had to right a wrong on (refinish). I didn't fill in the swimming pool routes but maybe its time to restore it again. p.s. can't wait to see the finished product.

[Old Cane]

Originally Posted by BAW4742

I read the How To on relicing here on TDPRI.

There's some interesting ideas there. I don't think I could bring myself to jab the top with a screw driver or smack it with a set of keys. But the stuff about finish checking, the surform and the dyes sounds interesting.

Has anybody ever heard of putting a nitro finished body in the freezer for a short period of time and then exposing it to heat? Or is this something that I dreamed? Bad idea?

Sounds like anything like this would be done well after the finish has cured.

Here, here! I second that. I figure mine will get hit with beer mugs and bottles, keys, belt buckles and everything else (rotten fruit, vegetables, etc)soon enough (you haven't heard me play).

As for finish checking I don't think you need to hit it with heat. I think the shock of coming out of the freezer will be enough. You'll need to wait 6 months to a year though. Otherwise the finish is too soft to really harden in the cold. I think the best way to have a little control is to heat a small area with a blow dryer and then hit it with compressed air/contact cleaner.....something like that that sprays out really cold. Bringing it out of the freezer might cause really deep cracks. Might not. I think it's pretty iffy and then if you don't like it you get to wait another year.

[PJ]

Let it age (again), naturally. Nothing looks better than a minty '66
Tele. I think Bruce is around my age - so he's got plenty of time to knock it around a little before retiring. Besides, my '70 has been through the bars, Pennsylvania snow storms, 99 degree heat, bar brawls, unrehearsed smashes-into the ride-cymbal, etc., and there's no finish checking on it - anywhere. Sure....some buckle rash, a few nice dings and some arm-wear, but that's all to be expected. Nah...I think I'd skip the freezer. For a relic....get a Joe Stummer, if you have the nerve to pull out your wallet for one.

[BAW4742]

So now I have to deal with this.



The crack does not extend to the second screw hole in the neck pocket and this is about as much as I dare pry it open.

I drilled a couple of small holes near the end of the crack in the neck pocket and in the back. And then injected Gorilla glue with a syringe here, along the crack and from the edge as I gently pried the crack open.




Then applied light pressure with a clamp to keep things in place while the Gorilla glue set.



I don't see much expansion from the glue so I waited until this morning to check it.

[BAW4742]

There's not much glue expansion here so I hope I got enough glue in the gap.



I want wait long before I try to stress the joint any.

The crack was fixed before with a screw through the side of the body.



I'm thinking about drilling this hole out a little and slathering a dowel with gorilla glue before tapping it into the hole. If I cut it a little short and can recess it a little and then fill the hole.

The other idea would be to recess a screw into this hole and plug that.

[BAW4742]

I also have to deal with this.



There is a small stress crack at the bass side of the neck pocket. It seems to be tight as I can't pry it open by applying pressure from any direction.

I'm thinking about drilling a couple of small holes form the neck pocket on an angle matching the crack. Then I can inject some watery super glue to reinforce things.

There is also a small crack on the treble side of the pocket but it's much smaller and I couldn't get a clear picture of it. It also appears to be very tight.

Do I need to address these problems or just let 'em go?

[superchicken_VI]

Because of all of the patches and repairs, I'd be inclined to stick with an opaque finish. Sonic blue would be lovely and correct, and you could freeze the body and move it into direct sunlight a few times to get it crazed to match the neck.

Looking good!

[BAW4742]

Finally spent some time this afternoon shaping, sanding and cleaning.


Then it was time to shoot her. Three coats of sanding sealer later I'm pretty happy with progress.









Tomorrow I hope to start grain filler and I'm not looking forward to that. Did I mention that I hate grain filler?

[Old Cane]

No, it must have been an echo. I'm with ya on that. I started using an old credit card (ok, health care card) to scrape off excess. I think i don't wait long enough to scrape.

[vanguard]

keep up the good work. this recovery is brilliant.

[PJ]

If your not happy with the glue, I'd go with a dowel vs. a screw. Just seems more natural, to me.

[sean79]

It's getting better every day.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by BAW4742

Finally spent some time this afternoon shaping, sanding and cleaning.

Looks like time well spent.

[PJ]

Looking pretty good, with some radius on the edges!