Sunburst Strat Project (part 5)

I buffed the gloss finish off the body with sandpaper.

To age the body I tried denting it with a spanner and gave it the odd scratch with a screwdriver but the quickest and most effective way to mark it was simply to drop it from the waist onto gravel. This gave it loads of random marks, dings and dents. I dropped it a few times to get it really grungy.

Sunburst Strat Project (part 4)

I used clear gloss Plastikote polyurethane varnish on the neck. Although it is marked clear, it does in fact add a hint of amber to the maple, making it look slightly aged. Ideal!


The next job was to get the Fender logo in place. The waterslide decal was soaked in water then slid into place on the headstock and left to dry. The next day I gave it hourly misting coats of varnish then left it overnight. Over the next few days increasingly wet coats of varnish were applied. I usually ended up applying too much and then leaving coarse sanding marks. I couldn't get a nice finish at all. Eventually I discovered rubbing compound and was able to use this along with a bit of elbow grease to make a real glossy finish.


I used the same plastikote varnish to slowly build up a light laquer on the back of the neck. Once again sanding back and rubbing down after it had dried for a couple of days.