The Emeraldcaster Project (aka Son of Meloncaster)

[Buckocaster51]

One drop of acetone.

If it looks this good after it dries, I'll be happy!



From here on out it will just be filling the lacquer...and that is what I am doing anyway.

[maestrovert]

it's lookin' GOOD Bucko ! (well, 'cept for the ding, and it's not that bad really....)

i'd imagine that your real difficulty will be overcoming the tendency of such a finish to "orange peel"....

Thanx for posting these build threads, count me among your fans !

[Buckocaster51]

One great thing about doing this stuff, is that my (lousy) technique is constantly evolving.

Something that I noticed yesterday was that the sparkle/lacquer finish was going on so thick it was sloughing off downhill.

Can't have that!

Painting the whole thing at once with a paint stick seemed to be out.

So let's just mask off the sides and sparkle the back first.



We'll support it on some DEFT lids in one of those ubiquitous plastic containers that you can buy everywhere for not a whole bunch of money.

We'll mix up a Dixie Cup full of DEFT and a tablespoon of ruby sparkles...and have at it.



Sort of reminds me of spraying that texture goop on drywall...say! There's and idea!



Look at all of the oversprayed sparkles that tub is collecting.

Kids, this stuff gets everywhere. EVERYWHERE I tell you!



Still a touch of basecoat (black) showing through.

I'll give it another coat in a bit.

Then off to the "drying" lamps to try to get this hard enough so I can do the top later on today.

You know? It is going to be fun trying to finish the Emeraldcaster without getting all sorts of ruby sparkles in it!

[andy__woods]

ahh, I love logging into the TDPRI and seeing a new post from you Bucko. Keep up the good (and eh.....evolving) work

[Taipan]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

- One great thing about doing this stuff, is that my (lousy) technique is constantly evolving.
- Then off to the "drying" lamps to try to get this hard enough so I can do the top later on today.

Buck,
We are all evolving as we learn from you..
Let us know what your drying setup and methods are.
As always love what you are doing. From you earlier pictures where you shot the different base coats I would have picked the silver but the black is looking really good poking through all that ruby!

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Taipan

...Let us know what your drying setup and methods are...

shhhh! 200W crystal clear bulb in one of those $6 aluminum holders...about 4 feet from the guitar.

remember...It's a secret!

[Buckocaster51]

I've put what should be the LAST coat of rubysparkles on the back.

I've increased the ratio of flake to lacquer. Seems to work better. 1 tablespooon of sparkles to a half Dixie Cup of lacquer seems to really pile it on!



I've also shot a layer of clear on the Emeraldcaster.



For as "down" as I was last night, this is looking pretty good.

Both the Packers and Illini won this weekend.

Life is good!

[TelecasterBlooz]

So did the Badgers Steve!!! Go Pack Go!

[Rich Rice]

Hey Bucko!

Beautiful work there! Are you shooting that goop with a standard spray head? I see you are using a gravity feed gun, I haven't tried doing flake with my gun. Think the gravity feed helps, or it's just what you have? Thanks! Very cool thread, as always!

-Rich

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by Rich@wildriceband.com

Hey Bucko!

Beautiful work there! Are you shooting that goop with a standard spray head? I see you are using a gravity feed gun, I haven't tried doing flake with my gun. Think the gravity feed helps, or it's just what you have? Thanks! Very cool thread, as always!

Thanks

It is a $30 "HVLP" gun that I bought at Menards. It came with both 1.4mm and 2.0mm tips.

It seems to work.

But then it is the only rig I have ever used to spray goop...if you know what I mean. I don't think I would want to shoot a car with it.

I'm not even sure that it will work for the two part clear coat goop that I am thinking about putting on the Rubycaster. Might have to see Bob the Painter for that.

They are cheap enough that the other night I bought a couple more. One little one that I am going to reserve for shooting clear lacquer. The other one will be for lighter flakes.

That stuff gets EVERYWHERE. I think it would take hours to strip down a gun and get it all out. The other day I found flake in the gun in a place that I didn't even know the paint went.

I'm having a blast working with the stuff. Every time I turn around there is another "gotcha"...but I guess that is one of the main reasons this is so much fun.

Cheers

Steve Dikkers
aka Buckocaster51

[Joe Harris]

Originally Posted by Buckocaster51

Looks like I picked the right color for the base.

Yep... I painted a Strat body a dark emerald green once. It looked real rich and classy in my practice room but when I took it out to the clubs it appeared black under the stage lights.

Bummed me out ........

[Buckocaster51]

Beautiful day today...we'll try to get some more rubysparkles on this guitar.

This is what she looks like with the masking removed.



Now we'll mask off the sides and see what kind of mess we can make.



first the line between the binding and the area to be sparkled

then we'll fatten it up a bit with some of that ubiquitous blue tape.



You know, guitars masked withi blue tape sound better than guitars masked with buff tape.

I know! I read it on the internet!

[Buckocaster51]

The cars are backed out of the garage - I had a neighbor kid help PUSH them out - and the kerosen heater has the place toasty.

We'll preheat some DEFT in hot water and head on out.



Same ratio as yesterday. One half Dixie Cup of DEFT and one tablespoon of sparkles.



Still a smidge of black showing through. We'll let it dry for a big and then hit it with another coat.

[Buckocaster51]

Here's my "drying rig."



Got to keep things moving to keep it from boiling!

I think my microwave oven consumes about the same power as those lightbulbs!

Not sure I would recommend this technique, but it works for me.

[Buckocaster51]

Here it is with the tape pulled off.



Maybe tomorrow night the top gets shot!

Then I have to decide upon a neck profile and get to work on that.

[Buckocaster51]

It's "tomorrow" night...and we're at work on the top.

First thing will be to mask off the checkerboards and what we have already sparkled.



Then we'll move it out to the "paint booth."



and we'll shoot the first coat of sparkles on the beast...



Now time for some food.

We'll be back later...hear?

[Buckocaster51]

Temperature is dropping, but the heater is keeping the garage warm. The LAST coat of flake has been applied to the body.



It's pretty much dry. Let's take off some tape!



Ooooh! There's a bit of the special stuff showing through.



there's even more of it!



and some more!

[Buckocaster51]

Here's a whole body shot...



By golly, it's RED!



and the other one is green.

Ummm...I wonder what I can do while these are drying?

[Flannel Pat]

Good Lord, Buck. If I was a chick, I would do you right now.

[andy__woods]

you should decorate your Christmas tree with sparklecasters as ornaments

[hwestman]

A suggestion for you next body (or next-next-next...or whatever)?

The black base coat + the checkered binding looks fantastic IMHO!

How about a black one with your trademark bindings albeit white instead of black on the outsides?

Harald