After the lacquer has dried for at least 24 hours, the entire mandolin is very lightly sanded with 320 grit free-cut sandpaper. Then it gets another 3 coats of lacquer, sanded with 800 grit and sprayed once more. Now I'm using 1500 grit and a foam pad to level the finish coats. This dulls down the gloss to an even matte. If there are any shiny spots, it means I'm not there yet.
On the headstock face, I use a wooden block with the sandpaper to make sure it stays perfectly flat.
Every square inch must be sanded. I like to watch or listen to a KC Royals game while I'm sanding. It takes a good nine innings to level sand a mandolin. Sometimes I need extra innings.
Inspector #12 uses his cat-like senses to discern even the slightest imperfections in the finish.
"You missed a spot."
Magnificent!
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