Rus-ler D-10 Refinish and Rebuild

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 13 Mar 2016 1:21 pm

1977 One owner Rus-ler that was built for Paul Sutherland. D-10 Factory 9&8. I'm tearing it down and will be refinishing the cabinet and polishing all the little parts. Hard Rock Maple cabinet that was finished in black, but depending on how well it cleans up I may just leave it natural. Going to change the knee levers to something more substantial. Basically gonna give this old beast some love and affection and get it back to where it deserves to be. I'll update as it progresses for those that are interested.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 13 Mar 2016 1:50 pm

Did you find any licks that Paul may have left on there?

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 13 Mar 2016 2:01 pm

Richard I did and I placed them safely in a ziplock bag for reinstallation at a later date.

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 13 Mar 2016 5:35 pm

So, that's what it looks like under there. I'm tempted to do it to my 76' S-11, that I've had since new. I just don't have the ambition.

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 13 Mar 2016 5:57 pm

John it looks we've got twins kinda.

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 13 Mar 2016 6:28 pm

Yah, I bought mine new from the factory, too. I played it steadily for 27 years. It never failed me, not once. They're wonderful steels. Too bad they didn't get the notoriety they deserved. They sound like ZB/ShoBud"s amd you can change the copedant quite easily.
I play a U-12 ZumSteel now, but, I'll never sell my RusLer. It's been a part of me for so long. Good Luck with yours.

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 19 Mar 2016 11:32 am

Got the rough sanding completed this morning. Lots of detail sanding to go. Haven't settled on a color yet, Depending on how the cabinet looks once finish sanded I may simple stain the necks and between mother of pearl on the front apron, clear coat it and call it done. Lots and lots and lots of aluminum parts to clean and polish. Going to do away with the "machine swirling" pattern they put on these when built.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 19 Mar 2016 11:47 am

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 19 Mar 2016 11:50 am

I like the grain pattern that the hard rock maple is showing on the front apron after removing all the black paint.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 19 Mar 2016 11:55 am

I agree, whatever you do, make sure it is some kind of see through lacquer so the wood grain would be visible... I would consider even leave it as a natural finish, and put some clear coat finish on it... gorgeous wood...

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 19 Mar 2016 12:00 pm

Thank you Damir. That's what I'm thinking. A transparent laquer maybe. But now that I've seen the grain I think a little darker stain on the middle of the apron and the necks then the rest just clear coat. I love those natural finish guitars.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 19 Mar 2016 12:05 pm

I would also have someone inlay the "Rusler" name in abalone , it would look great...

Ron Kassof · Post by **Ron Kassof** » 19 Mar 2016 12:17 pm

Black dye to emphasize the grain. Then a transparent lacquer.

Carl Heatley · Post by **Carl Heatley** » 19 Mar 2016 1:01 pm

Hi Daymon...It's really looking good...Can't wait to see it when it is finished...While you have it all apart is it possible for you to take some detailed pics of the changer fingers and housing?..And maybe make a template of one of the fingers???...I would really like to be able to make a copy of that changer for any future ZB projects.
Thanks Carl.

John Brock · Post by **John Brock** » 19 Mar 2016 2:47 pm

My DeLuxe is the best...all original never been tampered with. Tone machine. Good Luck on the rebuild!

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 20 Mar 2016 3:38 pm

Thank you John, that's a flashy ride you've got there.

John Brock · Post by **John Brock** » 20 Mar 2016 4:24 pm

Thanks for that. If you need any undercarriage pictures along the way in your quest..let me know...my DeLuxe is 8\5. Good Luck. I'lll be following with great interest

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 11 Apr 2016 2:08 pm

Updated cabinet work. Necks and front apron stained, Happy with the shade. Now I'm considering doing the entire cabinet this way and clear coating it. I like the natural and shade on the necks and front. But.. Hmmm.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 11 Apr 2016 2:14 pm

very nice...

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 11 Apr 2016 2:20 pm

Thank you Damir. Probably going to do another coat of stain to darken it up some then do a single pass of stain on the rest of the guitar. Then it's on to polishing all the aluminum parts and pieces.

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 11 Apr 2016 3:05 pm

That's looking real good Daymon. I always wondered if I made a mistake ordering the steel with opaque black.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 11 Apr 2016 4:07 pm

Daymon
The color combination you have now is perfect. Just clear-coat over it.
HS

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 11 Apr 2016 5:10 pm

Paul, it was a beautiful guitar when it was black. I took a chance sanding it down and got a decent grain to work with. Thanks for following,
Herb! Thank you for your input. I appreciate your advice and agree.

Here is the final. Now it's a few coats of clear and on to the hard stuff. Polishing all that aluminum and getting rid of the "engine turn" swirls.

Daymon LaPoint · Post by **Daymon LaPoint** » 2 Jun 2016 11:32 am

Coming along slowly but making progress. Polishing is a PAIN!

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 2 Jun 2016 11:36 am

Daymon LaPoint wrote:Coming along slowly but making progress. Polishing is a PAIN!

It sure is, but it's one of those things that really pays off. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. This is going to glow when it's done and make you glad for every detail you spent time on.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Rus-ler D-10 Refinish and Rebuild

Rus-ler D-10 Refinish and Rebuild

Rus-Ler

Rus-ler