Thinline Cabronita: Primer

I just got back from Europe yesterday and went straight to the man cave - jet lagged and all. After 2 weeks away, I just have to get something done on something! Turns out, that something was the Thinline Cabronita, which I have decided to paint a solid colour. The decision was kinda made for me when my initial sanding attempts showed that the factory had filled all the grain with some kind of vinyl sealer. Rather than try to sand it all out to allow the stain to take, I opted for a solid paint job. I'm still thinking about colours, but I'm looking at a 50s rockabilly palette, so maybe Studebaker Green or 50s fender light yellow. Something like that anyway.

In the meantime, I set about getting the body ready for paint, and that meant primer. I got out the tried and trusted Rustguard white primer and laid down 2 coats. She's already looking great. Tomorrow I'll give her a light wet-sand with 800 grit and lay down a couple more coats and then see what I have.

White primer is looking great and brimming with possibilities.

Just looking at my primer, I think my decision for to use a solid colour on this axe was a good one :).

While the primer was drying, I also started sanding the neck with 240 grit. Here again I found that the factory had sealed the neck already, but half an hour with 240 grit paper finally removed the last of it. I really want to give the neck some amber stain, so removing the sealer here was really worth the effort.

The neck sans sealer is now ready for 360, 400, 600 and 800 grits.

With the sealer removed, the neck now just needs finer sanding down to 800 grit before the stain and Tru-Oil can go on. I've just now realised that I've primed the body without drilling the post holes for the roller bridge (bummer), so that will have to be done before more primer coats go on. Ahh the impetuousness of the jet-lag addled brain!