I'm done graduating... Now I'm sanding...

[grandmainger]

I'm just wondering how much I should sand/smooth my top and back now that it's graduated. I really want to sand it nicely now, just because of the satisfaction to see it smooth, but I'm wondering if there are some pitfalls to avoid... Perhaps needing to have that extra layer to prevent damage until it's time to finish it...

How much do you sand when? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Cheers

Germain

[John Bertotti]

I am no pro but believe it would be best to sand any marks free of the inside of the plates but leave the outside alone till it is assembled. You may decide to fine tune the plates once they are together. I may be wrong in which one of the pros is sure to correct me. Have fun. John

[Chris Baird]

Germain, it is best to sand everything to shape with 100-150 grit and then not worry about small dings and whatnot until the final sanding just prior to finishing. I used to try and fix every little problem as it arose but realized I would save time and wood by just doing it once at the end.

[grandmainger]

Thanks John & Chris.
I'll sand the inside prior to glueing the back. I'll wait for the rest!
I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to scratch the surfaces prior to finishing http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Cheers

Germain

[Dale Ludewig]

I do no final sanding on the outside until after it's been strung up and played for a day or so. Otherwise, as stated, it's a waste of time. Besides, I usually reshape the neck a bit while the strings are on it in the white. Plus it will get dirty, if not dinged up, while playing in the white, etc. I'm curious as to how far other builders go in final sanding before finishing. In that I'm using a dye, I usually don't go past 320 because there's no pigment in dye and the sanding scratches don't show up at 320, plus they get filled with finish for a nice smooth look... like glass.

[sunburst]

Dale, I sand to 80 or 120 only until just before I'm ready to stain.
For a sprayed finish, I don't sand past 220. There's no difference in how it looks sanded to 320 of finer, especially if it's stained.

Before final sanding, I steam out any dents that have found their way into the instrument.

when I've sanded to 220, I wet the surface to raise the grain, let it dry, rub it with 220 again to smooth the "whiskers", stain, scrape... etc...