Finally finished the Wudtone clear coats a week ago and have been waiting (im)patiently for the finish to cure. Ok, so I waited a week. A month would have been better, but hey, who can wait that long?? Anyway after 6 coats of clear the body was looking pretty good. There were a few subtle streaks in the clear finish (I probably put it on too thick) but in general it set strong, hard and flat. The finish wasn't a 'mirror' finish by any stretch but it was, um, shiny. From what I've read this is not uncommon with Wudtone gloss finishes - you get some shine but more work is required to buff it out. Not a problem! With my trusty Stewmac ColorTone Polishing Compounds to hand, I set to work.
I successively applied the Medium, Fine and Swirl Remover to the body using good old elbow-grease and a piece of old t-shirt. My shoulders were aching (god) by the end, but the result was worth it. The finish is quite a deal better than the one I started with. Ok, I admit - it's mirror-bloody-awesome!
The next step is to add a coating of poly to the body. To be honest, I'm pretty happy with the finish as it is, but a few coats of poly will protect the finish a lot better during it's life to come. As I found with Eben's flaming monster, you can't have enough protection on a kid's guitar. It's hard to get a guitar through the doorway when it's on the strap and you've got a peanut butter sandwich in one hand and a laptop in the other. It's basic physics.
I successively applied the Medium, Fine and Swirl Remover to the body using good old elbow-grease and a piece of old t-shirt. My shoulders were aching (god) by the end, but the result was worth it. The finish is quite a deal better than the one I started with. Ok, I admit - it's mirror-bloody-awesome!
The next step is to add a coating of poly to the body. To be honest, I'm pretty happy with the finish as it is, but a few coats of poly will protect the finish a lot better during it's life to come. As I found with Eben's flaming monster, you can't have enough protection on a kid's guitar. It's hard to get a guitar through the doorway when it's on the strap and you've got a peanut butter sandwich in one hand and a laptop in the other. It's basic physics.
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