BOOTSTANG. The Wet Sanding Begins.

Not sure how far I’m going to get into this process today as I have heaps on that needs doing, but the time has come to get the wet sanding started on this guitar. This job takes more time than you might imagine! I’ve done it before and it took the whole day to make sure everything was just right, before starting the cut and polish process. 

Things you will come up against that may pose a challenge -

* Hard edges/roundovers. Essentially you really don’t want to go at any hard edges with anything to abrasive, in fact you might be able to get away with simply using fine grade steel wool on them. Avoid the temptation to sand them like the rest of the body.

* Sanding to hard. It’s really easy to get a little bit heavy handed during this process, especially when your arms are getting tired. Take a break instead of carrying on, a tired arm is often a heavy arm and you really don’t need to be applying that much pressure. On that note, some people choose to do this with a sanding block, I strongly recommend against that. Your hands are one of your greatest tools and it only takes a microsecond for them to feel if something is wrong, such as somehow there is a bit of grit caught under the sandpaper. If you use a sanding block and that bit of grit is stuck there, it’s going to take a lot longer to register and by that time there’s a good chance you have just cut a very deep line into your finish. 

* The struggle to keep motivated. Yep this takes a long time to get right and it’s repetitive as you will find yourself working through the grades of sandpaper until you get to steel wool. I work from 1200 to 1500, to 1800, to 2000 before finishing with super fine steel wool at Grade 0000. Some people start at 1000 grit sandpaper, and that’s fine, it depends on the product you used to finish the guitar in, for Acrylic or Enamel - 1200 is plenty. If this process doesn’t take you hours to finish, you’ve probably done it wrong.  

Now you will also need a few things before starting. Picture 3 has some of them, and you probably wouldn’t expect one of them. A soft surface to work on! Pre soaked wet/dry paper. I’ve already worked through the 1200 so am soaking some 1500. Soak it for about an hour before starting in some fresh water with a drop of dishwashing detergent because science. Have a clean terry towelling cloth handy for wiping down excess water, and I can’t stress the part about CLEAN enough, If you are unsure where the rag has been, go buy a new one. They are lovely and soft and fun to touch… Erm, but they also are a magnet for collecting bits of dust and little sharp bits from your workshop, drag that across the body when wiping down and you will be really pissed off. And the least expected and one I hadn’t been told about before but make sure I have every time now is, nail clippers. This probably doesn’t apply as much if you have a rock hard finish if using nitro products but for enamels and acrylics, there is still a chance it could be a little soft, keep your nails trimmed super short, or you know, don’t and be prepared to dig in with your thumb nail and howl at the moon. 

So that’s it for now, wasted too much time typing, gotta get on it. Talk soon yeah?