-martin- Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Hi! This is my first guitar project, but certainly not the last The sketch: Finished skull: Pickguard template (wich failed, had to make one in wood later): Skull glued on body: Getting there: Relicing and sticker/logo: Still a lot to do. waiting for the nitrocellulose lacquer and stains to arrive. Gonna be a three tone sunburst with grey primer and black painted over (Just like the Joe Strummer replica) Take care! //Martin *Sorry for large pics* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travismoore Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Nice! That's a pretty cool guitar =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carousel182 Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 What'd you do to rust the hardware? Is it just old, or did you go through some process? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 What'd you do to rust the hardware? Is it just old, or did you go through some process? First I put everything i a bucket along with some other bolts av screws and abrasive papers and then shook it for about 10-20 minutes. Then I layed it in a large bucket with a bowl of Muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid. Put a lid on and let it stand for about a day, then i put the parts in the kind of acid you use when making PCBs for abuot a minute (to speed up the process for heavier relic) then in to the large bucket again for about half a day. Then i sprayed some WD-40 on them to stop the process Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyonsdream Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 what did you use to do the decal? I've been reading a bit about doing it so I thought I'd ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 what did you use to do the decal? I've been reading a bit about doing it so I thought I'd ask? Printed it on transparent decal paper. the final decal will be under the lacquer so the edge won't be visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 my question is about the skull, how did you attach it to the body... i must admit that i would be slightly worried attaching a strap button to a part of the body joined where that is and i reckon it might have been better to carve it straight into the body ... but what the hell - it looks damn cool!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAK Guitars Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 When I first saw the title of the thread I thought that it might be a little cliche. But that is a really cool guitar! The skull is awesome. Good Job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X1TX Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Good imagination. The theme just seems to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 my question is about the skull, how did you attach it to the body... i must admit that i would be slightly worried attaching a strap button to a part of the body joined where that is and i reckon it might have been better to carve it straight into the body ... but what the hell - it looks damn cool!!!! The skull is glued with strong woodglue. the white stuff on the pic is just gap filler. My cutting did't turn out perfect When I first saw the title of the thread I thought that it might be a little cliche. But that is a really cool guitar! The skull is awesome. Good Job! Thanx hehe, yeah the name is a bit tacky Good imagination. The theme just seems to work. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 What'd you do to rust the hardware? Is it just old, or did you go through some process? First I put everything i a bucket along with some other bolts av screws and abrasive papers and then shook it for about 10-20 minutes. Then I layed it in a large bucket with a bowl of Muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid. Put a lid on and let it stand for about a day, then i put the parts in the kind of acid you use when making PCBs for abuot a minute (to speed up the process for heavier relic) then in to the large bucket again for about half a day. Then i sprayed some WD-40 on them to stop the process interesting. Muratic acid is meant to be used to clean rust off of parts. so i think you just added a step. it cleans off rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 What'd you do to rust the hardware? Is it just old, or did you go through some process? First I put everything i a bucket along with some other bolts av screws and abrasive papers and then shook it for about 10-20 minutes. Then I layed it in a large bucket with a bowl of Muriatic (Hydrochloric) acid. Put a lid on and let it stand for about a day, then i put the parts in the kind of acid you use when making PCBs for abuot a minute (to speed up the process for heavier relic) then in to the large bucket again for about half a day. Then i sprayed some WD-40 on them to stop the process interesting. Muratic acid is meant to be used to clean rust off of parts. so i think you just added a step. it cleans off rust. Yeah, but the fumes penetrates the chrome/nickel and dissolves it, and speed up the rustinc process of the metal beneth the chrome/nickel.... or something like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 the suspending over hydrochloric () acid thing works quite well for chrome.. its not really needed for nickel hardware though as etchant eats it quite well all on its own i wouldn't have relied on wood glue to hold that carving on there, even with really strong wood glue you still have the issue of gluing it onto the end grain of the body... which is not advisable. you might get away with it if it wasnt for the strain the strap button is going to put on that join is the skull carved on the back, if not i would add a splice in the back to connect the two bits of woods in a more secure way... or i would try drilling through the eye sockets of the carving into the body to pin them together with a dowel or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 (edited) the suspending over hydrochloric () acid thing works quite well for chrome.. its not really needed for nickel hardware though as etchant eats it quite well all on its own i wouldn't have relied on wood glue to hold that carving on there, even with really strong wood glue you still have the issue of gluing it onto the end grain of the body... which is not advisable. you might get away with it if it wasnt for the strain the strap button is going to put on that join is the skull carved on the back, if not i would add a splice in the back to connect the two bits of woods in a more secure way... or i would try drilling through the eye sockets of the carving into the body to pin them together with a dowel or something The skull is carved on the back. but i don't think it's a problem, the skull sits quite hard. But i will do some tests to get it off... just to make sure it stays on there. :S Edited August 14, 2008 by -martin- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAK Guitars Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 If your worried about putting a strap pin on it, you could always put the strap pin on or around the neckplate. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted August 14, 2008 Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 I don't think you'll have a problem with adhesion in the short term, but it looks like you have end grain glued to side grain. I'f I'm correct, that's a big no no! The woods will expand/contract at different rates and by different amounts with changes in heat and humidity, and eventually your joint is probably going to fail. It's not something you can test, unfortunately. It'll be rock solid until mother nature goes at it for a while. I'm with Wez, I'd do something to reinforce it now, because it'll be a real bummer if it pulls off in a year and you have to go through the process of refinishing it! It's a cool looking idea! Best regards, Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2008 Ok, bummer :/ Think im gonna go for the idea with putting screws trough the eyes. gotta have that strap there Or is it even better to have screws though the nackpocket into the skull? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!WOOD!! Posted August 15, 2008 Report Share Posted August 15, 2008 This is a Bass I carved a few years back If we could find a drummer that played on skulls we would have a hell of a band Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-martin- Posted August 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 (edited) This is a Bass I carved a few years back If we could find a drummer that played on skulls we would have a hell of a band Hehe, that would be cool Nice bass btw Edited August 22, 2008 by -martin- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted August 22, 2008 Report Share Posted August 22, 2008 (edited) Ok, bummer :/ Think im gonna go for the idea with putting screws trough the eyes. gotta have that strap there Or is it even better to have screws though the nackpocket into the skull? Hi Martin, I don't know the best way to reinforce that glue joint with screws. A screw will stop the piece from falling off when the joint fails, but it won't stabilize the joint line any. My suggestion, if you have a 1/8" router bit, is to route some slots that cross the joint line on the back of the guitar. Then glue in the equivalent of rectangular biscuits. Once you sand them flush with the back and paint, you'll never know they're there and they will act a lot like dowels or biscuits would have. Another thing I would suggest, possibly going against conventional wisdom, is that you put a reasonably thick finish on the inside of the pocket. That area is right next to the joint, and a finish will minimize how rapid changes in humidity affect the joint. I'd personally put a coat of shellac in there as a basecoat because at a given thickness it's one of the best water vapor barriers, because whatever you finish the guitar with will likely adhere to it without any problems, and because I like how easy and safe it is to use. Just make sure you have enough room in the pocket to add the little bit of thickness the finish will take up, and don't forget to post progress pictures. Regards, Todd edit PS) Looked back and noticed Wez already suggested this. He called it a splice. and it's what I'd do. Edited August 22, 2008 by ToddW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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