ProSchoolBoy Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 hi, i am currently refinishin a peavey predator guitar (same body as strat) for a school project, i have sanded it down to wood, but i am not sure what type of paint to use, and as it is my first time i have no past experience could anyone point me in teh right direction of a type of paint (i live in england and mosto of the makes i have seen on other forums i cant find here...) and secondly, i am looking to make my own pickguard out of perspex i have already made a backplate and it looks really sweet has anyone made their own start pickguard and how did you do it !!! thanks fro any help ... ProSchoolBoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezerboy Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 re:paints/varnish in the UK...my local halfords had just about everything they have all the car paints you could want (in spray cans) and cans of nitro-cellulose laquer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 I have not done it yet, but where did you get the Perspex? What color is it? I'm searching for (cheap) resources to make my own pickguards, too... so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 i got the perspex from my school, and as it is a image project, i have pink, green and orange perspex. thanks for the info about halfords ill get down there as soon as i can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weezerboy Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 pick up a tube of turtle wax scratch remover too...i've done a whole polishing stage using that alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Pickguards are FUN!!! My approach is simple (like me )...... Strip the body and lay it on a flat surface. Tape a piece of tracing paper big enough to cover the are where the PG is going and draw your routed area on the paper, including the neck pocket. Then draw on your proposed PG design. I usually do something out of my own twisted mind. Pull the tracing paper and lay it on a piece of card board. Cut out the design and lay it on the guitar to make sure you like it. If it's to your liking lay the cardboard on your PG material and trace around it with a marker. I use a dremel tool with a cutout blade and cut the material about 1/8" outside the line and then use a file to get my final shape and 45 degree angle. You can also use the dremel with a 45 bit to do your final cutout (or a router) but I would recommend this only with a template. Since all of my PG's are different I don't bother with templates and use the old fashioned method with the file. When your design is cut lay the tracing paper back on it (remember you traced on the routed pockets) and layout your holes for your pups with a marker. It helps if you kept the plastic on the PG material so you don't have to remove marker lines later! Make sure they are square with the bridge and centered!!!! Cut them out with the dremel and the cutout blade carefully. Finish with a small file. I always have the pups handy so when I'm finish filing I can get a nice tight fit. Drill your holes in the edge and use a countersink bit to finish them. Lay the PG on the body and either use a marker or an awl to mark your holes in the body. Pull the PG and drill your pilot holes for the screws and you are done! It sounds like a lot of work, but usually take me less than an hour - unless I screw up! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 7, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 i got the perspex from school, pink, green and orange. thanks fro the info about halfords, can i get the sand sealer there ? and does anyone have a template fr a strat pickguard that they could send me. thansk alot. proschoolboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Here's a pic of my latest pickguard on a custom J bass I made. the plastic is still on the guard - that's why you see the outline of the neck pup. http://home.centurytel.net/bluespresence/1...107_0768_r1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted December 7, 2003 Report Share Posted December 7, 2003 Do you use a bevel cutter bit like the one they sell at stu-mac for the edges? so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 No, I have one but like I mentioned above unless you have a template they are hard to control (in my experience). The pg material is pretty soft and when you throw in a hunk of steel spinning at 10 or 15000 rpm's it melts and sticks and grabs and causes all kinds of problems. I find it easier to just cut it close and use a fine file to bevel the edge. Filing goes quick and allows me to make small changes in the shape while I'm working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 sorry, I was tired last night when posting that...after re-reading your post I came to my senses ;-) thanks for the info nonetheless so long ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluespresence Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 Ace, I noticed your "location" is Germany, near the French border.....Any chance you're by the Venn Mountains? The homeland!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 i got the perspex from school, pink, green and orange. thanks fro the info about halfords, can i get the sand sealer there ? and does anyone have a template fr a strat pickguard that they could send me. thansk alot. proschoolboy THERE IS NORMALLY A HOMEBASE OR B&Q SOMEWHERE NEAR MOST HALFORDS. THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME. I'LL HAVE A LOOK FOR THE SCRATHPLATE TEMPLATE FOR YA. ANY ACCESS TO AUTOCAD? WHERE ABOUTS IN ENGLAND ARE YA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 hey, thanks for lookin for that template, i was thinkin about going all the way around the trem unit, that would look quite cool, i could prob get onto autocad at school what would i use that for ? i live in leeds (the best part of the world, purely becasue im there) thanks alot. proschoolboy. oh yeah ..... how do i seal the wood before i spray it and what do i use ? thans . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 I was going to e-mail you an AutoCAD template, so you could print it out. Unfortunately I can't find one! If you do find one and need it printing out 1:1 scale, get in touch and I'll post it up to ya (on the work account of course). I would tell you how to seal the wood, but I don't want to give you the wrong info. I'm sure you'll be told by one of the more knowledgable geezers soon. Leeds then eh? Good football team (Actually, I'm an Everton supporter so I can't really take the p*ss ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 i cant find any pickguard templates but i have made my own so that will have to suffice, i have got my guitar down to wood now, and reallised how bad it really is, i think it is some kind of plywood laminated with mdf (wow, what a sound it makes!) my teachers have conflicting opinions about it, my res mat. teacher says that i should have stayed with the old paint and gone over it, my systems techer is glad ive hacked it to bits (litterally) what colour do you think (baring in mind i want it to look stupid) i was thinking spraying it orange, then putting circles of masking tap on it, and spraying it green , so it is green with orange spots with a pink pickguard and backplate (and the headstock is going to be lilac with yellow stripes!) and about leeds(what have they done tio themselves) i dont support football im a rugby fan! COME ON THE TYKES!!! but everton... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 YIKES !!!!! Why the ummm...different color choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2003 i needed my guitar to be different from everyone elses. one thing i dont know is how many coats of the paint and the lacquer to put on, can anyone help ? will i have to put less coats of each colour or the same amount as usual.??? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted December 13, 2003 Report Share Posted December 13, 2003 I'm no finishing expert, but did you ever think of this. After the wood is sealed and grain filled (if needed), spray your base color with as many layers as usual. Let it dry, then spray a few clear coats. Sand that out tape off for the stripes, and spray the stripes over the clear. That way there's not much chance of messing up the base color with the tape. Finish the job as normal after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSchoolBoy Posted December 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2003 thanks ill give that ashot, how much colour an dlacquer will i need, im using aerosol cans ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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