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How to build a Floyd Rose


Wix

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im thinking in heat de metal until it is red then trouht it to a pot of used oil and repeat some times,

I wouldn't do this as a matter of principle. It makes the steel more brittle (turns it martensitic if I'm being a smart arse about it). It probably wont make a difference for a trem, but it does for other things.

Personally I'd try to get it galvanized (or anodized for that matter). If it's galvanised and you get a scratch on it, it wont rust in the scratch (which is useful for iron).

Anyway, thats a wicked project dude. How long do you think it's taken so far? Looks like a good 30+ hours. Hope the guitar turns out as good as the trem.

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I am not sure of the process for galvanizing metal, but I don't think it's just a coating, I'm pretty certain it's a chemical process during the production of the metal. I also don't think you can do it to certain alloys, not sure what is being used in this floyd but I believe it requires a softer steel.

Anodizing is not an option on steel, you cannot anodize steel. Alodining is a steel process but it will not do much for you here. It is a hardening process but won't help you to add color or much corrosion resistance.

Powder coating or plating are your best options here.

This project reminds me of my first year school in machining, all we got to use were files and a drill press LOL!!!! I appreciate lathes and mills so much after that!

Kudo's to you, building with files is a skill unto it's own.

What did you do for your lock block holes? did you drill them to a close size and then file the corners square? did you broach them? just curious.

Jeremy

ps. As for heating the metal, again, depending on the alloy it won't harden it. Steels like 1020, 1018 etc do not have enough carbon in them to heat treat, you can heat it red hot and oil quench as many times as you want and it won't become more brittle. Steels like 4140 will, D2, O1, 316 etc, will all harden, but you can take the hardness right back out by reheating to a straw color anyway.

The black coating you are talking about on the metal is simply carboned burnt oil. It won't last and although it will add some corrosion protection, it won't be enough to keep it from rusting with the acidic sweat we as humans produce :D

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I am not sure of the process for galvanizing metal, but I don't think it's just a coating, I'm pretty certain it's a chemical process during the production of the metal.

no,we send ours off all the time to be galvanized

the steel(beams in our case) are punched,fitted,and welded,and then sent to the galvanizer as the final step...it is called hot dip galvanizing because they dip the entire piece to be galvanized into a hot vat of zinc,or so i have been told...i have not actually SEEN this step...but our truck driver who has seen it explained it to me

welding that is nasty stuff,and when you heat it to the point that it vaporizes(the zinc),it comes off in a green cloud and will make you sick as a dog if you inhale very much of it at all...at the point where you have inhaled enough of it that you can taste it in your mouth,you have to drink a good amount of milk,and that will help some

but anyway galvanizing is thick,heavy,and ugly...and when you galvanize something you must make it smaller than you really need it or the parts will not fit

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What did you do for your lock block holes? did you drill them to a close size and then file the corners square? did you broach them? just curious.

yes , first i drilled a hole close to the size then shaped it

---------------

thank you all for the info , im learning something here :D

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Anodizing is not an option on steel, you cannot anodize steel. Alodining is a steel process but it will not do much for you here. It is a hardening process but won't help you to add color or much corrosion resistance.

Good call, well made. Don't know what I was thinking. Read steel, thought aluminium :D

There is somewhere that does a sort of electrostatic coating that makes everything all soft and a bit fluffy. Can't remember what it's called but you could have a blue, midly fluffy trem B)

I'll see if I can track it down.

Oh yeah, you can vary the thickness of the coating when galvanising, I think you vary the current and the time that it's being dipped for. I Agree that it's a bit butt ugly though (just look at the barriers at the side of the road).

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  • 3 weeks later...
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FODA_SE!!! Este homem é um SENHOR!!!

Sorry guys, I was giving him my congratulations in Portuguese... This guy really rocks!!

Wix, tava a pensar fazer uma guitarra p mim, pq ñ me dás umas dicas?? B)

Tb costumo estar n forumusica... c este nick!

:D  with this :D

Ei vcs usam FODA-SE em portugal tb hauhauahua q irado!

Sorry guys, I was giving him my congratulations in Portuguese... This guy really rocks!!

How can i see the pictures of the tuto??? thanks!

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how did you make the bits and shape the steel? im thinking of doing the same and have been for a while and you have given me alot of inspriation. I might have access to a large workshop with milling machines and lathe so that might help :D .

I was thinking on designing a FR Edge Lopro thingamebobby except using a brass bridge block that i got given (wont fit a strat so not sure what its for) and having the strings to go through the baseplate into the block like on a strat. (- im thinking hardcore sustain!)

And also id like the posiibility of being able to adjust the string height like on a strat but im not sure how to do it. Ill make up a few designs i think.

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how did you make the bits and shape the steel?  im thinking of doing the same and have been for a while and you have given me alot of inspriation.  I might have access to a large workshop with milling machines and lathe so that might help B) .

I was thinking on designing a FR Edge Lopro thingamebobby except using a brass bridge block that i got given (wont fit a strat so not sure what its for) and having the strings to go through the baseplate into the block like on a strat.  (- im thinking hardcore sustain!)

And also id like the posiibility of being able to adjust the string height like on a strat but im not sure how to do it.  Ill make up a few designs i think.

hello

i understand all what you said, i will try to explain you how i did it with my bad english.

1º i cutted a peice of metal in 14 equal pieces

2º then i shaped them with a heavy tool , i don´t know how it is call in english , it´s a machine that hve an abrasive disc!

3 º i shaped them to almost finl step with a "rasp " i think its caaled like that

4º drilled a hole and with the rasp i made the corners

:D hope you understand

now about the possibility of adjusting heigt you can make a hole and them make in the hole the shape of a screw but you will have to redesign the shape of all things

:D

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Thanks alot wix, your work is very inspirational, and i am pleased to find another guitar maker that is not afraid of more radical designs, and is not afraid to try new things (like makeing the sustainer and bridge).

I find people these days too stuck on trying to 'recreate' a vintage sound and making guitars that aren't really very outlandish. Keep up with the good work!

Matt

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