Another 72 thinline telecaster – day 2

Bottom half carved

The second half finished its run in the carver. I flipped it over and cut away the tabs.

Cutting away the tabs

With both halves freed up, I assembled them in a dry-fit to make sure everything went as planned.

Test fit

Before I can permanently assemble the body, I need to finish off the inside of the “F” hole. On the last one that I made, I painted the inside chamber with a flat black before glueing it up. For this one, my client wants a clear coat of polyurethane. I hand sanded the inside of the chamber with 220 grit paper to remove any splinters or rough patches.

Sanding the F hole chamber

Masking the chamber

Next, I masked off the entire chamber, on both halves, with painter’s tape.

Applying a clear coat of polyurethane

I applied two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane, leaving about eight hours of drying time between each coat.

First coat applied

This evening I will glue both halves together, and if time permits, sand down the outside and apply a small round-over to both sides.