Started using Mirka sanding sheets on orbital sander. Was super smooth finish, almost no swirl marks. Learning to let sander do all the work. Sanded top and sides with orbital sander. Sanded the bevel and horns by hand. Whenever I try sanding bevel with orbital I always get in trouble, have more control by hand.

Looks like fender used red for primer and uses 1 layer of white color as a leveling coat before final color added. Much level now. One thing Squier does right are the finishes. The color paint they use is super smooth and sands almost like sanding sealer. Wonder what they use for paint, only left a couple blemishes.

Will sand to 220 and add maybe 3-4 coats of sanding sealer then add color and spray clear coat. Bought a some water based acrylic that closely matches the color I’m going for. Unfortunately the paint I bought doesn’t sand as good as the Squier color, so I have to level sand the sealer coat as flat as I can. But I definitely think I can use the orbital sander with Mirka pads at a slower speed. The Mirka pads are so amazing, no stupid swirl marks. They are bit more expensive but worth it. Must be careful ripping the pads. Going over the top caught in the cavities tearing the edge that can cause swirl marks. The paint should arrive by Friday and should be ready to go with the sealer by then. I’ll cut the humbucker and control cavity after sealer or maybe before to avoid toolmarks.