Ensor Guitars- The "All American Wood" Guitar- FINAL PICS & VIDEO

[CaE]

Right before finish is when a luthier's arms try to fall off. There is a LOT of sanding. I've been testing a new finish and this guitar will be the first to get it. It requires an even higher grit than my previous finish- so more sanding. But boy is it worth it:



More pictures to come. Stay tuned.

[Stevien]

Looking to the future, hum, hum, I see that Desert Ironwood will go well with a walnut body as well ..... counting pennies .....
Steve

[CaE]

Originally Posted by Stevien

Looking to the future, hum, hum, I see that Desert Ironwood will go well with a walnut body as well ..... counting pennies .....
Steve

Yes, yes it will.

[Stevien]

I don't know if you planned it this way, but I really like how the figure in the DI flows into the shape of the sound hole. Nice touch!
Steve

[CaE]

Originally Posted by Stevien

I don't know if you planned it this way, but I really like how the figure in the DI flows into the shape of the sound hole. Nice touch!
Steve

Steve,
Somethings happen because they're supposed to...

[CaE]

A back view before finish:

[CaE]

One last detail shot before finish:

[Nemoman]

Looks great, Chris--the purfling really helps pull it all together!

[CaE]

Originally Posted by Nemoman

Looks great, Chris--the purfling really helps pull it all together!

Thanks Nemoman! And just think, it was poised to be burned as firewood.

[CaE]

It's that time. Time to start seeing what this beauty is really going to look like. FINISH TIME!

With masks but no finish:



First coat of sealer:



As I mentioned before, the finish on this guitar will be different from what I've used in the past. Previously, I was using a waterborne lacquer. I'm now working with polyester.

Applying finish is a whole different set of skills than woodworking or metalworking. The learning curve can be interesting and polyester is nothing like spraying lacquer. It's more like a syrup or thin honey. I'd been considering the switch for quite some time and finally took the plunge. It required some upgrades to my booth, spray equipment, and most importantly, my mental state.

Before spraying the guitar, I ran some test boards. This allowed me to dial in my setup and technique as well as stress the material and see how it responded. The stuff is incredible. I took it to a satin as well as a gloss with fantastic results. I then abused it with little effect. And for a real stress test I froze it and then let it come up to room temp- no effect on the finish. I then froze it again and then put it under a heat lamp. The wood cupped severely- the finish went along for the ride with no obvious degradation. The wood moved under the finish due to the wild swings in humidity, but the effect was so minimal through the finish that I'm confident that it could have been re-sanded at a high grit and rebuffed with no problems. I'm looking forward to using it on my guitars.

[SJ VanSandt]

I'm starting to like that Osage orange under finish - this is going to be an absolutely stellar guitar. Still, I don't think you are going to convert the Martin crowd to that wood any time soon.

[Eric Greno]

I make duck calls and osage is about as good as it gets for a great sounding and crisp duck call. I bet this guitar will be spectacular.

[CaE]

Originally Posted by Eric Greno

I make duck calls and osage is about as good as it gets for a great sounding and crisp duck call. I bet this guitar will be spectacular.

Eric,
I didn't know osage was used for duck calls. That's intriguing. And thanks for the kind words.

[CaE]

A little bit shinier now that top coats are going on:

[SJ VanSandt]

Ooo ooo ooo. Is this a spec guitar, Chris? I can't afford a new guitar right now, but if I could I would be seriously tempted. Very beautiful.