Project DK Refin Begins!

[quiksilver]

Hi Guys,
Time for me to delve into another project. Just got this Dinky Reverse, which was purple and, over the course of the past few days, stripped her down with nothing more than a bunch of razor blades. Here are a couple of pics:



Having tried chemical stripping (which was a joke to my polyurethane-finished guitars) and sanding (it worked, but made a lot of noise and mess) with limited success, this time I simply started at a couple of chipped areas and carefully chipped the finish off with razor blades. It worked WAY better than chemicals or sanding. There are still some specks of paint here and there, which I will remove with a LIGHT sanding, but as you can see, the majority of the work is done - and nothing but razor blades has been used thus far.

[StarRider]

Re: Project DK Refin Begins!

Cool........looks like a great start

[JBall008]

Re: Project DK Refin Begins!

Very nice. Good luck!

[Jacksonfan]

Re: Project DK Refin Begins!

Great job! Can you tell us what are you planning with the finish? Look forward to more updates and pics! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Bengal65]

Re: Project DK Refin Begins!

Nice job! Yes, tell us what color or type finish you're going to do!

[quiksilver]

Project DK Refin Plans

Thanks! I'll post more pics as I go along. Here are my devious plans. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PLAN A: I'm going to try to make it look like my version of a Charvel SD-I Reissue - though with some changes that I consider upgrades (black hardware vs. gold, reverse Jackson headstock vs. quasi-Fender headstock, direct-mount pickups vs. ring-mounted, offset dots vs. regular, and uber thin 1-11/16" neck vs. not-so-thin 1-5/8" neck); and some unavoidable downgrades (alder vs. koa body, regular maple vs. birdseye maple neck). If I'm feeling adventurous, I may also remove the headstock veneer and leave it natural maple, adding a black Jackson logo.

I foresee 3 major obstacles to making this work:

1. Color - Obviously, this is Alder, not Koa, but I'm going to see if I can come up with a stain to color it like Koa or Mahogany. I'm open to suggestions!

2. Grain - This Alder is pretty grain-free. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] However, I read a tutorial on projectguitar.com that suggests staining once with a full strength dark stain, then sanding, then staining again with a lighter, diluted stain, to accentuate the grain. I think I'll try that. And it it doesn't look very figured, that's okay, too, as long as it has that golden brown, glowing color.

3. Flaws - First, as shown in the first pic, this body is made of a few pieces of wood, and unfortunately, one little triangle is pretty visible, right on the forearm contour. About the only way I can counteract this (that I can think of) is by using a stain that's dark enough to hide it - and hope it doesn't accentuate the outline of the little "triangle" piece. Second, unfortunately, someone tried drilling a hole right in the middle of the slide switch! [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] It is filled, but I don't know what the filling material is. Thus, I'm planning to remove that and re-fill it with stainable wood putty, which ought to take stain well.

PLAN B: Add Flame Maple veneer top. If I do this, I'll probably remove the tone knob and fill the hole while I'm at it. If I'm feeling adventurous, I MAY even remove the neck pickup and fill that hole, too (and consequently, also remove and fill the slide switch).

PLAN C: Create a Warbird. If I do this, I'll probably start with an Urban Camo paint scheme, add military decals, and then clear coat it. I'll remove & fill the tone control and remove & fill the output jack, switching to a Strat-style jackplate mounted upside-down on the edge, like a Hamer Californian has. Again, if I'm feeling adventurous, I may also remove & fill the neck pickup & the slide switch, but speaking from experience, that can be a bitch.

PLAN D: The Lazy Man's Approach - A friend of mine told me knows a guy who will paint it a solid color, using automotive paint. If I do this, I'll probably choose either Snow White Pearl or Bright Yellow.

I'm sourcing black hardware for this right now. I have black tuners, and I've ordered a black JT580LP (I know, some people don't like 'em, but they've always worked fine for me).

[StarRider]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

Eerie Dess Finish? [img]/images/graemlins/idea2.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[quiksilver]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

You know, I did think about trying to pull off the Silver Swirl, using Saran Wrap, etc.

I loved that finish, and I remember reading something about how to do it on the JCF, but I didn't save the info, and I can never get any useful results out of the search anymore.

[Jacksonfan]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

[ QUOTE ]


I remember reading something about how to do it on the JCF, but I didn't save the info, and I can never get any useful results out of the search anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow, you've got alot of choices huh? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Here's the thread about the Swirl finish. Good Luck! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

http://www.jcfonline.com/ubbthreads/...page=1&fpart=1

[der_kopf]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

do u know which kind of body-wood this is? Maybe Korina?

[1trussell]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

[ QUOTE ]
do u know which kind of body-wood this is? Maybe Korina?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's an alder body.

[Inazone]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

How about a transparent ivory or trans black/Mocha finish over maple veneer? Otherwise, the urban camo idea sounds cool. I have something similar (with camo fabric) that turned out very cool, also with black hardware.

[Evol]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

[ QUOTE ]





PLAN B: Add Flame Maple veneer top. If I do this, I'll probably remove the tone knob and fill the hole while I'm at it. If I'm feeling adventurous, I MAY even remove the neck pickup and fill that hole, too (and consequently, also remove and fill the slide switch).

also remove & fill the neck pickup & the slide switch, but speaking from experience, that can be a bitch.




[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a fan of that,here's one that still in my garage drying that I did ,very similar to what youre talking about here :
www.jcfonline.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=93870&page=&view=&sb=5&o= &fpart=1&vc=1

If you go that route and need help or have questions ,feel free to ask,and good luck with the guitar! [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[mm2002]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

Damn Evol, that's been drying for over two months now eh? Get that puppy wet sanded and buffed.....I can't wait to see the final product! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[quiksilver]

Re: Project DK Refin Plans

Thanks for the input, everyone. Evol, your flametop is looking great. I tried staining the body, but I didn't like the result. Next, I'm planning to try painting it and see how it looks. I'm filling the tone knob hole, but at this point, I'm planning to leave the leave the neck pickup intact, as I already have 3 1H guitars (Model 5A, modded SL4, Warmoth). Thanks for the link to the SSW thread, Chris. I may just give that a shot!