verhoevenc

OK... no on ever answered my "which woods need filler" question above, for like a guideline. The main ones I'm really interested in are Spruce, Lacewood, Rosewood, and Mahogany. ALSO, about clear epoxy as a grain filler, and I noticed someone else mentioned this, but no response/reason was given, all the stuff you see at like ACE hardware and home depot has one tube of clear stuff, and one tube of slightly yellow stuff, so the epoxy isn't 100% clear.... is the "yellowed" epoxy fine, will it "yellow" my _____ (enter one of the four woods above)? Lastly, about how much epoxy am I going to go through on one guitar to fill the grain with those woods? Chris

Hahahaha thanks, one more reason under my belt to go the vacuum wrap route! Chris

Yeah, the pearloid sold by percisiondrums mentioned earlier in this thread is a 1/2mm plastic. Sounds thin enough to heat and vacuum form to me? And to my knowledge (which I corrected after falsely stating) it's not a celluloid plastic material that they use. HOWEVER even if it was, I've read up on celluloid, and also it IS known to go soft in aceton, it ALSO does so under the light application of heat. So regardless of whether it's plastic or celluloid based plastics, the vacuum forming SHOULD work, I guess Pagelli just CHOSE to use the aceton method, or did not have forming as an option. Chris

And here's what you've been waiting for, Pagelli himselve's response: "i try to explain in my bad english.. the material is celluloid, as used on the accordeon. do you say harmonica? its a stiff material that gets soft when you put it in aceton with water or aceton steam. there are several ways to do it. when its soft, you get maximum one hour to work with it. after that, it is getting stiff again but till its completely dry and ready for sanding and polishing, it need one month. the hard thing is to get it wrapped arround the edges. thats why very seldom you see the whole guitar covered with that finish. its no problem to make just a flat top with that material. we showed that guitar at the largest music fair of the world, in frankfurt germany , a few years ago, and one year later we saw allready approx 10 companys using that material to....(for ex godin.) but i must say that in the seventies it was a common finish, especially in italy. we just discovered that material again. but to work with that material is very unhealthy and a real pain in whatever.. so. all the best to you an your friends at projectguitar.com claudio" So yeah, that's it. However for some reason... after he explained how he does it... I kinda wanna go the vacuum former route with a plastic non-celluloid version. Chris

Exactly what I wanted to hear/know. Thanks Mattia, Chris

I've searched under grain filler, thanks, the closest I found to what I needed was: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...t=0#entry225881 And I also posted on that one some time ago, but no one answered the questions. PLUS this is a totally new type of grain filler question, none talk about REfilling grain. As in like I'm asking where if I still need to grain fill if I'm taking OFF a finish that didn't have filler done under it before, ie: would that finish that was painted on have filled the grain? So no mean to be rude, but really think about the question that's being ask and see if there's aomething EXTRA to it that HASN'T been answered before. I'm NOT a newbie, I know how to use the forum. So if you don't have any helpful comment to contribute, don't bother Chris

I have a guitar that I am about to re-finish. HOWEVER it was never grain filled before the waterbased clear coats were BRUSHED on. Now when I sand this stuff back to the wood, will that clear coat have gone INTO the grain and acted like a grain filler? Or am I still gunna need to epoxy fill the grain? (the woods are mahogany sides, rosewood thru neck). Chris PS: Would black epoxy be a nice touch for that mahogany/rosewood or should I jsut keep it clear? Provided I need the epoxy that is.

Yeah, I'll get right on spending hundreds of $$$. Chris

OK, news flash (I still haven't gotten the reply yet) but I think I know how he does it. Gourmet-Guitars.com did I video special on him, you can watch a trailer of that special on their website (or from the link on the Pagelli site itself) and at one point it a fading pictures/slide-show and THREE of those pictures show the process. One pic shows him with half the body's top covered in a white pearloid, while he's brushing glue on the other side. Another shows him using like a ROLLER to make sure it's all flat, and then lastly one shows him trimming the edges. HOWEVER, his guitars ARE carved top that he does this too, but they're a GRADUAL carve like a jazz guitar top with no re-carve. IE the above method wouldn't work on something with a drastic carve and/or sharp/steep edges. Then I imagine the vacuum form would be a must. Chris PS: Go watch the two videos he links to in his "News" section anyways, they're totally pimped out! A real showcase of beauty.

Hahahaha, yeah, a bunch of different ones you can just switch out by using low level adhesives like rubber cement lol, I lOVE the idea. However, with the MDF idea, one fatal flaw... if it's a carved top guitar (Which I'm planning on) then theres no WAY to get the carve on the MDF and the carve on the original the exact same (unless you have a CNC). So there'd always be little parts that aren't right, so getting it to fit even NEAR snug would be a pain in the butt. Plus, from what I've read I'm not risking my guitar body at ALL by forming onto it (as long as the grain is filled/sealed). Aparently the plastic comes RIGHT off. As for my comment on it being celluloid, I was TOTALLY wrong, went to their site, and it's pure plastics. Beautiful 1/2 mm thick plastic Chris

Yeah, it'll be a carved top... but a flat back... Next couple things to think about, will this stuff freak out and chip and break all over is you tried to routeit /through it (ie: to reveal your f-holes again after vacuum forming?) and to accomplish the back edge binding idea. Concern two: see if my schoo has one that I can abuse the use of ... or I guess I just make my own like everyone else online seems to be doing. Chris PS: I've asked Pagelli himself about what method he used (told him our assumptions) and I'll repost with his reply.

Hey... how does one go about getting out the inserted parts of a T-O-M bridge? Like the part that's sunk into the wood... I've tried everything I can think of. Chris

you tell 'um captain america! Chris

Hahahahaha I think that stuff IS celluloid... but oh well... trying won't hurt, and this is for the FUTURE too. As for how I'm gunna do that whole thing? Easy, vacuum form the stuff over the top and sides, then cut it flat on the bottom, and add binding that's flush with it that sticks out the back a little, then since the back of the guitar is flat, i just use my body template to cut another piece of the stuff, and fit it in the surrounding groove of the overhanging binding and tada, whole guitar done nicely. Chris

Chuckielad you are a life saver. The idea seems pretty steadfast. HOWEVER, my one concern is, I read those tuts on vacuum forming, but they're all using what looks to be some seriously thin material... how thick is like "percision drum"'s pearl drum wrap? I'm fearful it'll be too thick to heat/vacuum form. Chris

I just emailed those guys, awaiting return asking about how thick their pearloid, and if that heat application is a reasonable idea or not. But I was thinking, you could do this quite nicely if the heat thing works. Like under-route some black binding so it sticks over the top, and hangs over the side by an extra bit as thick as the pearloid. So when you attach the stuff everything is flush, etc. Chris

Anybody know how to do a "mother of toilet-seat" finish? Like on the Pagelli Jazzabilities, or the old Hofners? If you don't know what I'm talking about... That's it. Any possibility of anyone explaining the process, or even how one MIGHT go about doing it/where to get the stuff needed (google turns up nothing...) Or a tutorial????? Chris

I must say, compared to ya'll, being a non-newbie in sock buying (which my mommy versed me in well before I moved out), I take sock buying one step beyond Dillards. I get my gold toes at the (drum roll please) Gold Toe outlet store! Rock on! Chris

I know, I would too, but I'm LOOKING for the wood bobbin look, not a wood cover look. Cause like I said earlier, I want that zebra pickup look, but instead of cream and black, i want natural spruce and black. Chris

so you can have both a 12 and a 6 from ONE company without having to buy BOTH a 12 and a 6 from them lol Just food for my personal thought. lol Chris

kinda like inlaying the bobbin into a wood top for it.... I like it!!! I'm getting some broken pickups to test my idea first, but if that doesn't work, i'm goin' for your idea (cause it seems yours will be slightly harder) Chris

Sorry rhoads for your impression that I was spamming. I was just trying to get a bigger audiance, expecially since 'broken pickups' aren't what I would consider plentiful and easy to come by. I ment no harm. Chris

yeah, I'm not trying this on any like NEW pickups. I've got another thread asking for broken/old unuseable pickups so I can try it out on those first. Chris PS: What would you say is TOO thin? I was planning on sanding about HALF the thickness, and then adding spruce of that missing half thickness on top. And I might not sand it, I may just sit watching TV and slowly scrape it to thickness with a scraper, etc.? So I MIGHT use a more accurate method.

For single coils, I'm gunna agree with you, but on a humbucker (what I plan to do it to) it won't. The bobbins are as such: So therefore, if I take out the pole pieces (so they don't get sanded down when I sand the plastic) all it'd be is them coming out of those little holes, and the collumn of the bobbin should keep everything nice and intact. ESPECIALLY if I only take them out of the "screws" side (cause those are made to come out)(which is what I plan to do). Cause the look I'm going for is that "zebra" pickups look, but instead of black and cream, I'm wanted black and "natural spruce" Chris

OK, this is gunna sound weird at first. But does anyone have an old or broken pickup that they wouldn't mind parting ways with, or was just gunna throw away because they don't want/need it anymore? Here's why, I wanna try and made figured wood bobbin tops (not just veneered tops). Here's the thread on it so far: Wooden Bobbins Thread So yeah, if you've got an old/broken pickup you know you won't need/want ever again... could I have it so I have something i KNOW I can't screw up on before I try it on a brand new pickup... (Preferablly humbuckers, and without covers... however, at this point in time I'm open for ANY donations, cause like they say, beggars can't be chosers, and I can probably learn just as much from any type of pickup in the end). Oh yeah, I'll pay the like $4 shipping it'll probably take to get it to Florida. Thanks in Advance, Chris Post here or PM me if you've got one, and I'll get you S&H and my address.