cwoodall

YES!! I also use the flapper disc like Bluesp..... talks about. They work great on any hardwood. Take your time, don't get real aggressive, watch the angle of your grinder so you don't carve where you don't want to, and have at it. Cheap, effective, and dusty, so wear a mask. Good luck! Curtis

I don't know if this is any help, but it's a good check to make sure you have the right size bit before you mount stuff (I'm real picky about pilot holes and the various materials that I'm drilling). I always try to anticipate what I'm going to be working on well in advance so that when I drive by a Home Depot, or similar, I can run in and pick up a drill bit or two taht I might need. Let's face it, most of the holes we drill into wood, for wood screws, are going to be #2, #4, #6, #8, or #10. The pilot holes, be it for soft hardwood, or hard hardwood, are small, so the price of a fresh bit is usually just a buck or two. A small price to pay to have a smooth project. Believe me, I learned the hard way that the often times seemingly trivial aspects of fitting a piece to your work can be the show stopper. I've barbequed brisket over more than one piece of GOOD project wood..... http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-informat...-Hole-Size.aspx

That's the way I was thinking, however, it's nice to know that you're not thinking is way out in left field. True, it wouldn't matter which was which as long as you followed suit, at least for each guitar setup. It would only really make a difference, I guess, when it comes to modelling authenticity/duplicating the originals. Thanks for the replys!!

I like to ask the questions that showcase my lack of knowledge in certain areas. I'm comfortable doing this because of my hillbilly ways and lack of self-esteem. Anyway............when winding pickups, there are two choices in winding direction, clockwise and counter-clockwise. Great. Now, which is which? My winder is similar to the Jason Lollar winder (horizontal drive shaft/faceplate perpendicular to drive shaft). If my faceplate is turning away from me, it is going clockwise, however, the wire wraps on the bobbin in a clockwise direction. If my faceplate turns towards me, it is going counter-clockwise, however, the wire winds on the bobbin in a clockwise direction. So, if we say that Fender pickups are wound clockwise, do I need to have my faceplate turning towards me, or away from me? Can someone set the record straight for me??? Thanks!

I understand the benefits of winding your own pickups as far as being able to wind forward, reverse, magnets with the north poles up, north poles down (assuming single coils), etc. I've looked in the archives, have Jason Lollar's book, etc. but seem to have overlooked or just can't find what the standard way to orient the alnico 5 0.1875" dia. x 0.625" long magnets.....north up, or south up? I don't have a strat-style single coil pickup handy to check. I seem to recall seeing or hearing that south was up as a standard. Maybe I'm ate up with it, or more likely, just have my head up, well, you know... Thanks.

I have some on order from SM too. I got the nitro lacquer, the vinyl sealer, some retarder in case I need it down here in the south. 35 psi, eh? I have a SATA Minijet IV that I've never used (or any other spray rig for that matter). Time to live and learn I guess. I heard the Behlen stuff was pretty good, that's why I opted for it. I also got some ColorTone liquid stain (blue) that I'm going to use to tint the nitro until I get a deep but transparent shade. Lemme know if you spray before I do so I can compare notes. Curtis

Yea, and I gues it simplifies one more step in my endeavor to wind my own pickups........no need to wory about those holes, just grab the awl and have at it! (of course the holes for the solder eyelets would be a different story....)

Your help will get me on my way. (BTW, I wired up a set of Texas Specials to it, plugged into a little Marshall MG15DFX and it actually made noise. And that's good seein's how I'm not a player and noise is all I will probably ever be able to make) THANKS! Hope you don't mind if I keep pumpin' you for info. Curtis

THANKS! I was thinking that, but dang-it, I;m about done with this project and everything has gone right. That's just not like me. Thanks again........there may be sound before daybreak....................

OK, Since I don't play, I haven't had much exposure to electric guitars. I am, however, sitting here with a set of Texas Specials in fron of me ready to go in. Am I stupid? (don't answer that) From the outside of the pickguard, doesn't it go like this: 1. Put screw thru pickguard 2. Put rubber tubing on screw 3. Place pickup cover on screw 4. Place pickup on screw and thread on. Don't the screws "self-tap" into the Forbon material of the pickup base? I'm not going to mess these up until I get some kind of response....... Dang! I feel stupid.................... Thanks, sincerely.

One thing I have is plenty of scrap. But all is not lost there either. Ash/maple-smoked brisket ain't half bad, especially at about 3 in the morning. I am still kind of wondering about using the dark (or black) filler first, then going with vinyl sealer to get everything leveled out real good. Then the tinted coats of nitro until the color and depth is right.......time to start doin' it and see what happens. Thanks again.

AlGee, Part of the reason of my post is because I haven't seen one that addresses my question. Is MetalCast compatible with nitrocellulose lacquer? If not, then it won't meet my needs, because I know what the final coats are going to be.....nitrocellulose. It's just the first preps and finishes that I have questions about. I can see where the black epoxy would give the open-end grain the dark contrast I'm looking for. How is it to snad compared with say a dark grain filler like the black ColorTone that StewMac sells? Anybody with similar experience as to what I'm looking for? Thanks

I have my ash strat body sanded to 320. The way the blank s were cut and glued up made for some nice grain pattern (kind of tiger striped). I want to end up with a very shiny blue finish that lets the grain show through, transparent blue I guess you might call it. Will this work? From where I'm at (320 grit sanded), fill with paste filler. Use dark filler to make the alternating grain more definite. Then use sanding sealer or Behlen Vinyl Sealer, as I'm going to use Behlen nitro lacquer later. Get the surface all leveled up with sealer (sanded between coats). Then use Behlen nitro-lacquer tinted with ColorTone blue liquid stain. Sand between each coat and adjust amount of stain to get the desired darkness of blue. Finish up with several coats of nitro-lacquer to build a thickness that will allow for polishing to high gloss (sanding between where applicable). I'm using a SATA Minijet IV spray rig. Does my approach seem plausible? I'm all ears for some good advice/help. Thanks, CUrtis

OK, now I'll spell it right............ Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)

MEK = methy lethyl ketone It's a solvent kind of like acetone, but slower evaporating.