I finished applying the first coat of the stain today. I decided upon a deep brown mahogany finish. I used a sponge brush to apply the stain, trying to make it as even as possible. I noticed after the first coat, that some areas didn't adsorb the stain as well as others. In some places its lighter or spotchy, but I think it will just add character.

In order to apply the stain, I needed to sand the guitar body first. I used 100, 150, and 220 grit sand paper in that order. Sanding by hand is never fun.

If I finish this guitar I'm working on, I'm gonna make one of these. Its a mandolin-telecaster, or telemando or something.

Today I tested some funky wood stains my father had in old mayonnaise jars. I used alder test blocks to match the actual guitar and varried the amount of coats I applied. I liked the Brown Mahagony stain the best (most left block, lightest coat) and will use that on the guitar.

The parts came in from Stewart Mac today. I laid them on the body just to get a feel for what it will look like. Very excited to put it all together eventually.

10/20/09

Today I created the cavity for the electrical compartment on the back of the guitar. I did this with a router, leaving a small platform around the edges so that the cover plate can rest on top. This is where all the wires from the pickups will be stored and connected. Here's what it will look like with the cover plate on.