Searcy Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydRDzKu-_OE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 Ok, time to address the crack in the body. At some point this bass got wet and stayed wet for some time. This caused the body to de-laminate at the glue joint.Because this is water damage it means that the dimension of the wood has changed a bit so trying to pump glue into the crack and clamping it closed likely wouldn't work for long. My friend and master luthier and repair lady Amy Hopkins advised me to spline or splice the crack and anyone who ignores Amy's advice is a fool. So first I drill a hole at the end of the crack. This will help to stop the crack from creeping any more and give the saw blade we will be using a place to stop. Next, run a circular saw up the crack to make it more uniform in shape. This will make it easier to fit a splice into the crack and it will clean out the rotten wood and dirt that might be in there. That's better. Now I dig through the junk in my shop until I uncover the band saw and cut a scrap bit of rock maple I have into shims of various thicknesses. I sort through the shims to see which one best fits the crack in the body. Once I find the one I want I get the wood glue... ... and glue it in place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Pics of heart surgery would have been less cringe-worthy. Nice work, Doc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 Once the glue is set I fire up the Porter Cable with some 80 grit and level to splice. There is a slight gap at the edge so that will have to be filled in the finishing process but all in all it's a decent match I think. Still have some sanding to do to get the color right on the water damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Is it even possible to get the water damage colored part to match? Umm..yea...it looks like the spline was done right, and the appearance it has makes it look like it was. Besides, I don't know how anyone could have any control of the color or the placement when you are dealing with a thin piece of wood on the side, and the spline goes pretty much where it needs to be. Said all that to say, that if it were to be left visible, it would still have a coolness factor to it, and still look "good" in a way even if it was still visable. It's interesting to watch. Don't see water damage being fixed every day. Especially appearance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Is it even possible to get the water damage colored part to match? Umm..yea...it looks like the spline was done right, and the appearance it has makes it look like it was. Besides, I don't know how anyone could have any control of the color or the placement when you are dealing with a thin piece of wood on the side, and the spline goes pretty much where it needs to be. Said all that to say, that if it were to be left visible, it would still have a coolness factor to it, and still look "good" in a way even if it was still visable. It's interesting to watch. Don't see water damage being fixed every day. Especially appearance. I have honestly never tried to get out water damage this bad before. I think that's about as good as it's going to look. Now come the deciding time. Do I leave it blond and show off all the lumps it's had over the years or do I cover up all the damage and make it look new with a fresh coat of white? Well, I decided that since this is MY bass and I don;t mind if people see all the work that's gone into bringing it back, I'm going to leave it blond. Here is a sloppy shot of it with the first sealing layer of poly. I think once it's drop filled and polished and all the hardware is back in place you will not likely notice the splice until you really look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Very good on the splice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavestate Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 This thread makes me want to find a beat up guitar and go nuts with it. I have an old Cort Stratocaster clone from back in the day that I always wanted to get back up and running. Perhaps I'll see how that goes. I look forward to more updates. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Thanks guys. I've done this type of finish before and it takes a while. Updates will be slow for a little bit. Plus I'm headed out to Ceder Rapids this weekend so there's that. In the meantime here's some fun stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 Second coat of poly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 Looking very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 15, 2012 Author Share Posted October 15, 2012 New part came in today. How about a quick test fit before we hit the 3rd coat of poly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Ok, so I have used an entire can of Minwax poly on the body and head stock to act as sort of a sealing coat on the bass. Next will be many coats of brush on poly to get the drop fills and the deep look I'm going for. There will be lots of block wet sanding in the next 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 That's already pretty sick looking, coming together quickly! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 I decided to go with an odd color shift for the head stock. The original blond Rippers had a black faced head stock. I was afraid that the black tuners would get lost against a black faced head stock so I decided paint the edges and most of the back of the head stock black and leave the face natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 . I've been following along. Really enjoying watching your project progress. Thanks very much for taking the time to update with great pics and comments. Beautiful work. . B) . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrNylon Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 You have it looking very good in what seems like a pretty short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Step one of the headstock make over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 27, 2012 Author Share Posted October 27, 2012 Ok., got a bunch of coats of poly on the thing. Now it's time to start the wet sanding. I start with #320 and work my way down to #2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Looking very good indeed. Uh....sure you don't want it black? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Ohhh I'm very sure. Black was never an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Spent a little time today digging through the lower part of the shop trying to see if I has any finishing supplies left. It's been over two years since anyone has touched any of this stuff. Most of it is sitting exactly where the flood waters left it. The buffer was found under the stairs and I was glad to see that it still worked. I also found a sealed bottle of TruOil that will be used for the back of the neck if it hasn't turned to stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 After sanding the head stock down to #600 I decided to hit it with the buffer and see what we had. This buffing compound is the best stuff ever. After a half hour or so were arrive here.... Well why not..? Now it's time to move on to the body... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Picked up a new iPhone 4S last night. If you're getting a new contract or if it's your time to upgrade they are free at BestBuy right now. So I thought I'd use it to show off the progress on the Ripper body. Need to do a little more sanding and buffing today. It's a lot more tricky than the head stock because the body has contours and the finish can be thin it the corners making sand through a problem. I've only done that twice so far. Click on the image to see a 19 sec video of the bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Ok. got the final sanding and buffing on the body. It matches the head stock now. Now it's time to start the Tru Oil on the back of the neck. These are just hand rubbed layers that build up as slick as you feel like going with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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