Buffing

     Many people wonder how they get guitars, pianos, and other instruments so shiny. Well I'll tell you. In order to achieve this "Piano Key" finish the secret is buffing. Buffing is when a paste or compound is applied with a rag or Buffing Wheel to the surface until desired shine can be seen. I used a buffing Compound from Stew Mac, a guitar parts company. I also bought a foam buffing wheel from them that can attach to a to a drill for easy maneuvering.

     To buff, I had someone hold the guitar in front in order to reach every crevice. I applied 2 coats and then wiped the excess off with a clean rag. After buffing I applied Stew Mac Swirl Remover to the surface, sides, and back. This got rid of any marks that the powered wheel might have made. Now we have gloss.

Smoothing

     After about 10 coats of gold paint, clear coats will then be applied. The type of clear that is best for this project would be Polyoxide Spar Urethane. You may have heard of polyurethane which is similar to polyoxide except polyoxide is water based and polyurethane is oil based. The benefit of using a water based paint is its less messy, easy to clean, and there are few toxic chemicals so its safer to paint outside. When painting, always use a mask. I have one that has two air filters since I frequently paint. 15 coats of clear is recommended or until a thick layer is achieved.

     The next step after painting is the micro mesh sanding and buffing. Start out with lightly wet sanding the entire body with 600 grit sandpaper then repeat the process with the following grits of sandpaper in this order: 1200, 1600, 1800, 2200, 2600, 3600, 4000, 5500, 6000, 12000. For those that don't know sand paper is a sheet of rough paper with small granules on it in order to smooth and level a surface. The higher the number the more granules there are and the finer the sand. 12000 feels like a piece of leather and that is what makes the glossy surface.

Gold Top Paint

     This step takes a lot of time but is definitely worth it if you take your time to get it right. The trademark gold paint that is used on the real Les Paul's is arguably impossible to find because Gibson owns the rights to it and they have never put it up for sale. There are companies that make a gold guitar paint that is close but still not the same. Therefore, I spoke to a guy that helped me come up with my own custom concoction of paint to use. This is now my trade secret which I can only say involves a mixture of gold flake mica powder and polyoxide. I spent weeks to come up with what I think is the perfect gold. It can be applied either by brush or by a spray gun. Each method reveals a different design. I used a Craftsman air compressor with my Husky spray gun to apply the paint. The way to spray paint is to always apply thin coats and wait 1 to 2 hours for it to dry in between.

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Staining

      The next step in this invigorating project would be to stain the sides and back of the guitar body. To do this I used a mixture of a coffee paste and a red wine liquid. You can adjust the intensity of the colors my adjusting the ratio of coffee to red. I used a 1:2 ratio and carefully applied the stain with a 2" wide sponge brush from Home Depot. I recommend applying thin coats and waiting 2 - 5 hours between coats to let it thoroughly dry. Some tips on having a good result would be 1.) Always keep your area clean and away from any possible dust. 2.) Never sand in between coats of stain, only between coats of paint.

    Stain and paint are very different. Stain is what to use if you wish to enhance the color of the wood and still have the wood grain visible. This is referred to as being translucent. Paint is used to cover something up such as the grain on the wood. It can transform the material being used and make it look like metal instead of wood.

Preperation for Paint

     Now that mostly everything is cut and shaped it requires one last look over. I recommend fitting all the parts. I fitted the pickups one last time and saw that it was too tight. I spent some time to sand out the hole to make it snug. To prepare for paint I sanded with 600 grit sand paper and made it buttery smooth. Then I got a can of Sanding Sealer which is used to fill in all the pores from the wood to make an even surface. The process of applying and sanding should be done 3 or 4 times or until smooth. About a minute before the paint or stain is applied you should take a microfiber cloth and wipe the surface from any dust or particles that could obstruct your paint job.

Positioning the Neck

      

     The next step in this rigorous project is to sand and position the neck of the guitar. The neck is the only part of this guitar that I bought pre-made and I recommend everyone to do the same. I say this because in order to make a neck is requires many more tools which are rare and expensive. Plus it would be near impossible to get the fret bars as perfect as a machine would. It was only $90 and I believe it was the best route to go.

      To place the neck in the body you must carve out a 5 degree angle. This is a rare case where everything must be calculated on an angle because of the arc in the wood (this is a signature of all Les Paul’s). In a real Les Paul they use industrial strength glue to attach the neck. However, I bolted on the neck with a metal plate and used glue to make sure there is no chance if it separating.