Coda's Black Friday Black Limba Bolt Kit

[MichaelGA]

Yes, he's a great resource! I've found some others, but his seems the most straightforward (so far, anyway). I was thinking of just doing a clear coat (true oil or something similar) for simplicity, but it looks like a dye finish wouldn't be that difficult or expensive and you could still see the wood grain if you liked. It looks like the most difficult part of the job is the sanding, and that doesn't change much no matter what finish you're using. I would like to build my bass with as little equipment as possible. It looks like there are a few ways to get a beautiful finish without having to buy a spray gun or any other expensive gear.

Michael

[MichaelGA]

So I don't know if this is blasphemy, but I am thinking about carving up my bolt kit body and doing a little modernizing/weight reducing. I've been looking at my Bolt+ lately with the eye of a crazed plastic surgeon thinking, "hmm, I can do a little trimming here, maybe a tuck (or bevel) there..."

Hi Coda,

I was exploring some of the older posts for ideas and I came across someone who did exactly what you're thinking of doing. Check it out!
http://www.carvinbbs.com/viewtopic.php?t=35185

[MichaelGA]

Here's a good tutorial on dyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ygOsqYsOY

Michael

[Coda]

Thanks for all the great resources, @MichaelGA! Great stuff!!!

I had seen those dyes before, and the YT tutorials really drove the idea home. Man, now I want a spray booth and a buffing wheel!

So how about that bass kit mod! I love the idea but i'm kind of anxious about chopping away at a perfectly good guitar body, lol!

[MichaelGA]

I prefer the stock body, but I still admire someone taking the time to build what they like! I can't wait for my kit to arrive. I'm not sure what I want to do with the color, it will depend on what the wood coloring and grain looks like. I love the look of the swamp ash, but I ordered the alder body!

Michael

[Coda]

I just ordered a wood dye kit from Keda Dye. I'm still thinking of an orange-red subtle finish for my Bolt, maybe to look like a koa burst.

I've been watching a bunch of guitar finishing YT videos. Now I also want to try my hand at a classic 3 color sunburst and a DTS blue finish. This dye set should give me plenty to play with. Maybe I'll get some scrap wood or veneer and make a set of coasters while I'm waiting for my kit...

[MichaelGA]

Sounds great! I'm thinking about buying the kit as well. I'm not sure what color I want to use. Something light to contrast the black hardware, maybe white, cream or translucent yellow.

Michael

[MichaelGA]

I just purchased the Keda Dye kit as well! I want to purchase some alder to try the colors on see what looks the best.

Michael

[Coda]

I don't like waiting...

I was going to do an amber wash on this kit with a reddish burst. Conservative enough, right?

I've always liked race cars and bikes with painted flames. (Didn't see that coming, eh?) Last year I bought an airbrush, tried it once and put it away. I want to pick it up again, and I thought that maybe there was a way for me to integrate some dragster flames onto my black limba bolt kit.

So I'm doodling. Here's a rough sketch of what I'm thinking. (I like the upper flames but not the lower one by the output jack.)



I received my Keda dye kit, and I thought I'd give it a try with the airbrush. Please don't make fun - this is my first try!



I can't even count all the things I think are wrong with it! But it was a good learning experience. The red and yellow are the dye. The black is opaque water based paint.

The dyes are pretty cool, but while concentrated, they are really thin. I don't think they are made for detail work - rather they are good for wide areas. With the airbrush, they just don't 'build up' like a paint would. I DO like the transparency - and if I end up doing something artsy-fartsy on this kit then I want the grain to show through. I might use the dye to color the body overall, and then use transparent auto paint or the like to do the art.

Hmmm. I'm not really sure. Whatever - it was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

[spudmunkey]

Wow...that looks super cool!!!

[MichaelGA]

That looks great! Is the board you're practicing on alder?

Michael

[Coda]

^^ Thanks Spud!

^ Michael, it's a piece of luan plywood - I'm pretty sure it's not alder. It is medium dark and has a reddish-brown tint. Red oak, maybe? Luan is a pretty good candidate for testing finishes, in my case simulating a darker wood. Both the front and back are nice quality, and cost per square foot of surface area is far cheaper than solid wood boards. The bonus for me is I had it lying around.

It would (wood?) be nice if Home Depot had black limba in their cut-off scrap wood bin. There's so much variation in black limba that it's hard to imagine what I'll actually end up with. It could be dark or it could be light. Streaky, figured or not, even grained or coarse, I have no idea. I don't really have a preference (but figured would be cool). I guess that's part of the 'K/C wait and see' experience.

* Product suggestion - K/C should sell 5# bags of scrap wood in each body or top wood choice for us workshop noodlers.

[MichaelGA]

I've been trying to find some cheap alder pieces to practice on, I'll give that luna plywood a try. I'm probably going to do just one color because of lack of experience and artistic skills. I might try a black burst, but I'll have to practice on a piece of alder or some pine first to see how the dyes work.

Michael

[Coda]

Second attempt - I'm getting closer on the dyes. I mixed it about 10x stronger than my first attempt, above - about 1/8 tsp. to 1 oz. of water. That's 8x more concentrated than the instructions say to. But it served my purpose and gave me much bolder results when airbrushed. I still love the way the grain shows through! I also had a go at using thin masking tape to lay out the design. I'm much happier with the color saturation, and I'm starting to get a better feel for the airbrush, particularly for blending the red and the yellow into a gradient.



Now I'm starting on a quest to find a top finish. I'm torn between an oil-like finish, like tung, and a clear gloss finish.

(Waiting for a kit might be worse than waiting for a built guitar to arrive because you know there's still work to be done...)

[Coda]

FWIW, I had really bad GAS about 10 years ago for a James Burton Telecaster. I think this guitar fueled my flame quest.



(I always thought the flames were burning in the wrong direction, though.)

[skully13a]

Cool, though I agree with you. Those flames would look right while the guitar is on its stand.

[spudmunkey]

Dude, I can't wait to see the real guitar's progress shots!

Of course, an oiled finish has it's charms, but nothing will make the colors "pop" like a gloss finish...which is also a much more complicated process, and harder to get perfect.

[ioneater]

That's quite an improvement, Coda. This is going to be fun to watch.

[Coda]

^^ Spud, I agree that gloss really pops what's under it. It's a lot of extra steps, and I'm anxious I might fudge it up. Oil is much more forgiving. We'll see...

^ Thanks ioneater! I'll keep the pics and progress coming.

[canon_mutant]

Do you have a pic of your actual Limba body? Just curious . . . or did I miss it?

Limba is one of those magical woods that, if it's a classic piece, it would be almost a shame to cover it with a whole lot of graphic.

Just food for thought is all . . .