Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Nope. Pics of yours up soon, though...

Sweet anticipation x2!

Here are some shots of the paint work, which began last Wednesday with a light scuffing of the sanding sealer final coat. The antiqued finish was inspired by one of the 325s on Glenn Lambert's fine pages. It's a really old Autumnglo, as if the conversion varnish had soaked up a lot of years. The basic color was a nice maroon-brown semi-transparent that I mixed especially for this project. It's like Rickenbacker's tints in that, you can spray it on very light and it's quite transparent, but successive coats turn it darker and more opaque until finally it gets a bit more brown and completely opaque. The darkest areas of the burst. at the edges and heel, are completely opaque. There are about 8 coats on these areas, and less toward the center. A transparent amber, also specially mixed for this project, was sprayed over the entire guitar in 3 passes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/colorfront.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/colorback.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/frontcu.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/backcu.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/neckcu.jpg

Next, the guitar was allowed to dry for an hour. Then a non-tinted clearcoat similar to Rick's conversion varnish was sprayed over the entire guitar, first in one light dust "bonding" coat, and then in two double wet coats. These were allowed to flash off for ten minutes, and the clearcoat was thinned about another 20% before a final gloss coat is applied.

This clear ranges from smooth to a bit bumpy as it cures overnight. Now I mask off the fretboard and spray it again, standing the guitar on its headstock. This allows the clearcoat to flow in the opposite direction so we have a meniscus on both sides of the frets.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/320before2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/heel.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/upsidefretboard.jpg

I let this cure for three days and then this morning began color sanding with #1000 paper, using Windex as a wetting and lubricating agent for the sanding. I begin with a hard sponge rubber block and do the entire guitar, flat surfaces first. Then I move on to #2000, again with Windex and the same rubber block. It is critical not to get the guitar too wet, as water can soak into the tuner holes and screw holes and cause the wood to swell, ruining the paint job. Sometimes I will seal these holes with paint applied by hand before wet sanding.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/bodyfrontsand.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/fretboard2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/headsand.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/headsand2.jpg

Next, I wipe the guitar dry, checking for anything I may have missed. Then there's one more going-over with a plexiglas block and some fresh #2000 sandpaper, using plain water. This is for the flat surfaces only, to get them perfectly flat. Sanding the entire guitar took 1/4 sheet of #1000 and 1/4 sheet of #2000!

Now it's time to buff, using a sponge rubber buffing wheel on a velcro mandrel chucked in my largest drill press, rotating at 350 RPM. I use 3M Perfect-It III white rubbing compound and keep the wheel well-charged. I do flat surfaces first, and end up hand-rubbing the heel area and neck to body joint.

Next is Perfect-It III machine glaze, applied with a softer sponge pad on the same mandrel. Last is good old Zymol. See the shot with the diaper? That's what I use to do the rubbing and polishing. It took 2 hours to completely color-sand and another 2 1/2 hours to buff the guitar out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/topbuff3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/topbuff2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/shinyback2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/shiny320.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/diaper1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/320%20redux/320shiny.jpg

Stay tuned for the pickguard fabrication and parts installation. There are some more surprises in store before this beauty is finished!

Wow!!! Sweet as can be!!

Very.................Nice!!!!!!

Stunning, you really did a wonderful job!

Simply Fantastic! Splendid work my friend, I can't wait to see it when it's put back together.

Paul, that is an amazing looking job! Exquisite work! And your photo diary and step-by-step explanation was very enlightening to us who don't realize how much work and care is required to put a top-notch finish on a work of art like a Rick.

Today I am proud to be Polish, my friend!

Wow, Paul, that is fabulous.... I guess I know who to call when I want a refin done!

Aw, jeez, near frickin' perfect! No, take that back...it is a perfect AG!!! Hats off! Stunning!!
Did it come out even better than you imagined?

It came out exactly as I wanted. I wanted to duplicate the color of this guitar on Glenn Lambert's site:

David Coyle's refinish in Autumnglo is a bit lighter, less yellowish and more reddish.

Now I'm ready to install parts again. I'll be making several pickguard combinations and knob combinations to try out different looks. And although I'd love to see this with toasters, it will start out with hi-gains just so I can savor that sound for awhile. I'll be doing plugs in the harness for the pickups so I can swap them around easily.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a "Design a Rick" software thingie? It would have all the basic Rick shapes, with pickups to plug in, knob styles, color choices, pickguards, truss rod covers, tailpieces, headstocks, etc. etc.

I do it in my head but it's hard at my age to remember to wake up...

"Design a Rick" software.... Cool idea.

BTW, do you do refins for other people very often?

I always have one or two in progress, Melissa. Because I have a so-called "day job", this is a hobby thing, and I can afford to charge reasonable rates and take the time to do as darned near flawless work as I can.

This one worked out just fine so I could get my Autumnglo ideas onto a guitar before finishing the paint work on David Coyle's 335.

Besides, I love working on Rickenbackers. It is so relaxing and inspirational, to be restoring things that were built with such integrity, so they can once again be objects of perfection.

A shrink might call it an "object relation neurosis", but my Mom and I get along just fine...

Paul, WOW. Great job!