Body work

I used what the instructions advised,
an automotive acrylic paint. It's
midnight blue metalflake. I put on a
few coats and realised that I could see
a few scratches in the wood, next time
I'll undercoat it first and make sure
it's totally smooth before painting a
topcoat. However, I used wet and
dry 800 grit and it seems to have
got the scratches out.



















I used my custom maple tree outdoor
spray booth, as it was a balmy evening.



















I will sunburst the edges with black
when I'm happy with the blue.

More neck changes

I decided to change the shape to the letter Lamed,
as my first name begins with L, and I liked the shape.
















Too late, I realised that most of the contours of
the new shape are straight, so I could have cut
them with a circular saw, and got the edges
very straight and at 90 degrees. Oops, better
planning next time.

Further neck work

I used an electric drill with a drum sanding attachment to try and keep the edges square

Shaping the neck

I wasn't sure of the peghead shape, so I experimented a little. Picture 1, the slab head.

















Picture 2, I used masking tape to put pencil marks to show the shape I was thinking of.

















Picture 3, I started using a hand coping saw but the wood was so hard I would have been hours cutting it. So, as I thought of a curvy shape, I used a jigsaw.
















Picture 4, the rough shape.

Arrival

Here's the kit as it arrived. The body was sealed and seemed smooth, the neck also