Afterwards he tore me apart for the shit I build, said it passes for the first one and send me on my merry way, demanding that i never bring that thing to his workshop again.

Thanks a lot Ronny.

Long time since the last update so this is gonna be a big one. I’m about to leave town for a few days, so this is where we are… First, some things I learned.

Don’t paint guitar bodies that are lying flat on newspaper. The paint will run down, dry over night and the next morning, you’ll have personals stuck on what should be a nice black layer of paint.

Yeah, runs. They suck and they are a pain to buff out. I learned how to avoid them now, so all is good.

The painting works so much better than the spraying. For solid, one color paint jobs it is definitely the way to go. I have come to terms with the fact that the wood looks like crap and that i won’t be able to hide the woodgrain completely.

Thats the body after one of the black layers dried and i buffed out some minor dust specks and bubbles with 240 grain sand paper. Sanding doesn’t go down through the whole paint anymore. I guess thats progress.

The paint gets polished with steel wool ever time, which makes it look really nice and smooth, but is rough on the edges. These got better with later additional layers of black, and will be hidden beyond the pick guard and trem cover anyways…

I looked through the remaining parts and I am confident that i can easily assemble something that might not sound but definitely look like a Strat. The biggest problem is the nut, the thing that goes on the top of the neck an holds the strings. Mine is rubbish and I have no idea how to attach it to the neck. Maybe thats another job for Ronny.

So thats where we are now. I’m gonna let the paint dry, maybe give it another layer or so of black. Then get some decals for the headstock and maybe the body. Clear coat, assembly and I’m ready to embarrass myself with an amplifier.

On another note:

Never spray paint in your kitchen. Newspaper won’t help. It will just show you where exactly you put the newspaper, and you will spend 45 minutes, cursing, on your knees, scrubbing the floor with pot cleaners.

Good times.

If the paint looks dry, it’s not. KEEP YOUR F$%&ING FINGERS OFF THE PAINT!

Another layer of black sprayed on the front. The cracked spots are still rough, even after pre-sanding the areas.

The back sanded and after painting on black lacquer with a brush. Looks promising. Closed The Crack and it looks smooth enough. Seems to close the pores and hide the woodgrain much better, too. Should have gone this route from the start. Figures…

After sanding the second layer of black. The spray paint cracked in some places, so I had to sand/buff these spot quite severely, but not as deep down to the primer or even wood as the last time.

The reddish color is a reflection of my kitchen drapes.

I am considering to try painting on some black high gloss lacquer to get a smother outcome and fill some pores in the wood.