Thanks Grubta, was a real challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grubsta
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Thanks Grubta, was a real challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grubsta
Headstock Decal arrived at last from the States.
Aslo ordered some Humbrol decalfix from Sydney, it arrived to.
Attachment 24451
So the process is...... cut out with just a small amount of edging, soak in the humbrol mixture for 3-5 mins.
When loose, thoroughly wet the headstock surface with the Humbrol to help it slide.
Place in position ( i used clear masking tape to help with positioning) and gently slide off with a small soft brush.
After 15 mins gently wipe off excess liquid with a paper towel.
After 20-30 mins put the paper towel over the top and gently press down over all the surface to squeeze out bubbles and excess liquid and Bobs your uncle, ready for clear. The Humbrol helps the decal to meld to the headstock contours, like it was painted on.
Attachment 24452 Attachment 24453 Attachment 24454
EDIT.. Ditching the official logo, and doing a custom one. My guru advised me..lol
Finished product with emphasis on REPLICA so i dont infringe on copyright. Will also put "M & M Customs" on back.
Attachment 24455 Attachment 24456
Trouble with the headstock decal. Its very fragile.
After applying, i sprayed it with 3 mist coats of clear then a heavy top coat. Apparently that wasnt enough, 10-15 fine mist coats are recommended so as the solvent wont affect it. Received 3 decals, 1 for practice, 2 is ruined, and one more to go. Fingers crossed.
I peeled it off before it had set really hard but scratched the paintwork in the process. Back to sanding, spray primer, body filler, base coat and red coat, decal the final clear, again...SIGH.
decal has cracked and crazed.
Attachment 24697 Attachment 24698 Attachment 24699
removing the clear
Attachment 24700Attachment 24701
So its 4 days later and im at the last stage.2 coats of clear to seal it then decal time...
Clear is patchy until its dry, at the moment its still very wet.
Attachment 24702 Attachment 24703 Attachment 24704
Some of those ebay decal sellers are downright dodgy IMO.
I've had decent results buying the decal paper and creating my own.
Best if you have a good clear coat coverage for it to stick to.
I'll use a damp cotton bud to carefully squeegee out the bubbles and let it dry out.
I've been lucky with clear coating but Tru-Oil has provided good results.
cheers ,Mark.
But you need to apply a lot of Tru-oil over the decal before rubbing back. Tried it on a decal on a replacement neck for a mate's guitar. Was very careful but 4 coats wasn't anything like enough and I sanded some of the decal off. So it was sand back and apply a new decal time. A lot more coats going on now!
I hear ya mate, need a lot more thin mists coats before applying the final full coats.Quote:
Originally Posted by king casey
Never used tru oil, just single pak and 2 pak poly. But a lot more mists coats for me this time round.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
So after removing the tape from the headstock i could see the paint layers showing through. TOO MANY COATS!
Attachment 24786 Attachment 24787 Attachment 24788
The edges were smudged and i could see where the silver basecoat was showing through. You can actualyy see the bottom layer of red, then the grey primer, then the silver basecoat then the clear red overlay. With just a solid colour you would not have these problems.
This is the mess too many coats makes of the headstock, fretboard join..
Attachment 24794
YUKK.
so the sad conclusion, remove and start again.
Next step.....removing all that paint. i tried electric sanding but the paint got too hot and melted it, so i used a heatgun very gently and on the lowest setting. Worked like a treat. Used universal thinners to clean it all up being careful not to rub too hard in the stained edges.
Attachment 24789 Attachment 24790 Attachment 24791
A little bit of builders bog, a gentle and careful sand and all ready for taping and silver coat.
This time i sanded the edges so they have a slight curve to them so i wont have such a square edge.
i will also apply the tape a little higher for the silver basecoat, then take it off and reapply again a little lower so all the silver is covered.
Attachment 24792
In the last pic i have reapplied the gold teak stain to the edges again and reapplied the wipe on poly, all ready for the silver basecoat. Fingers crossed!
Attachment 24793
Hope this helps any Newbie like me if they ever want to paint their headstock. Documented trial and error...lol
Good luck with he re coat - I'm a little disappointed you are going with a Fender decal, this is a cool build, I reckon you should own it as yours. I could do you a custom graphic if you like? Then there are heaps of places on line that could produce it for you (as you'll want silver or something over the red rather than water slide black I think). Obviously its your guitar and up to you.
I reckon its always a good idea to share goofs, I don't think anyone has a completely smooth sailing build and its great to add stuff lieke this into the community knowledge pool.
You are sooo right sonic, im ditching the Fexxxx logo, your right, i really want to make it my own. Im going to do a custom one, but still in the chrome. Thanks for the great advice mate, really appreciate it. And your right on the second account,i think the more we share stuffups, the more everyone can avoid them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
I've made my own Silver/gold decals with info gained online. Can't remember where but I saved some of the images.
I use Adobe Illustrator and a Monochrome Laser printer with Laser decal paper.
The tutorial has you wetting the decal and then flipping it over so you can paint the reverse.
However with Illustrator you can flip the image so that it's reversed on the first print.Attachment 24796Attachment 24797Attachment 24798Attachment 24799
cheers, Mark.
Cheers Mark, i watched a similar video that has you filling in the infills of the lettering on the reverse side with a silver/gold waterproof ink called china ink, but i cant source any here, and ebay wasn't very helpful either. this ink is supposed to simulate true chrome which is what i want. I talked to the guy from the US who supplied the Fender decal and he is willing to custom make me one in chrome with custom lettering. If it was black or gold i would do one myself, but on a red headstock i dont have many option, and on the jaguar all the accessories are chrome and i really want everything to match.. Thanks for the help mate.Quote:
Originally Posted by king casey
Thats a neat idea for adding colour to a black water slide....filing that one away
EDIT: You can usually get china ink at a good art supplies or craft place. I think if you had a good black outline you could spray the silver then trim into your design edge with a craft knife
you know im gonna have to give it a go. A trip down the street to Lyncraft might be in order.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
PS here is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPGpSaOWa1M
Only problem is they use the reverse side of the decal paper but dont tell you if they use a glue on not to stick it down. i doubt if it would stick without some adhesive.
Glad you're going to do your own logo - not that it's something I'd felt very strongly about, but Sonic is right, it's nice to make it your own
I got these metallic paint pens from Eckersleys.Quote:
Originally Posted by nitroburner1000
I also used Tamiya metallic paint from a hobby store.Attachment 24800Attachment 24801
cheers, Mark.
Gotta love a Posca. I use a red one for fret levelling.
Yea i suppose after all the hard work you dont want to let someone else take all the credit..lolQuote:
Originally Posted by JohnH
Thanks mate, ill check em out.Quote:
Originally Posted by king casey
Ha ha ha, so trueQuote:
Originally Posted by nitroburner1000
On to the next stage. Taped the headstock again, making sure to keep the tape edge a fraction of a ml higher so no silver basecoat will show under the red.
Used a nifty little gadget to spray with, its awesome for either mist or heavy coats. It avoids the casualty of the spray hitting the top front edge of the can, which can lead to splotches to the surface you are spraying because of too much downward pressure on the nozzle.. And presto no more tired fingers...
Attachment 24815
The headstock taped up and 3 coats of base.
Attachment 24816
After the silver had tacked off i immediately removed the masking tape so the paint wouldnt harden and make the tape too hard to remove. Will wait till its completely dry the retape a fraction of a ml lower and apply the red doing the same until i apply the clear.
All going well it should work.
The headstock with tape removed and slightly cleaned up overspray with thinners.
Attachment 24817
Looking good, where'd you get your gadget from?
I got it from my local Paint Place for $14:99.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
The shed of disgrace has them also, slightly different design but functions similarlyQuote:
Originally Posted by nitroburner1000
Yea their great, makes using rattlers a breeze.Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankenWashie
Huh, that is indeed a nifty gadget. Well worth the fifteen bucks. Will have to invest in one.
So headstock is back to pristine condition, even after the spray can fell on it and i had to redo the finish. Note to self.......be very careful where you put a nearly empty can with a plastic handle attached, it makes it very very top heavy!
Proceeding with my own design logo and now waiting on some chrome paint to arrive from overseas. Thanks guys for changing my mind. Will keep you posted with pics when it arrives. Thats all for now
Attachment 25580
Lovely looking colour there, Nitro. I can't count how many silly finish damage incidents I've made, despite knowing not to do exactly what I actually do, so I sympathise fully.
Wow, just caught up on how things have progressed and impressed with how professional that Candy Apple finish looks.
Hopefully no more dramas as you enter the home straight.
Cheers, Waz
Really appreciate your sympathy mate, glad I'm not alone. Ta for the kudosQuote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
Thanks heaps mate, I hope so too. All I've got left is the logo so fingers crossed.Quote:
Originally Posted by wazkelly
Pm me if you'd like some help
I think i will have to mate. Having problems with my art program, ta.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
Hi Phil heres a pic of the logo space.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
Attachment 25636
For everyone else Sonic is helping me with my logo, yay.
So while i was waiting for my logo i decided to string up the jaguar and check for straightness and intonation. When i fitted the bridge i noticed it was very sloppy and low so i used 2 washers to heighten it. Intonation was not good. research time....
The jaguar has a floating bridge, the bridge has 2 pivots which you extend with an allen key. DUH... Now it floats and pivots nicely. If you want a non floating bridge just use a nylon or plastic sleeve made from tubing.
just posted this for newbies like me wanting to do a jaguar kit. cheers.
Attachment 25642 Attachment 25643
If you have the bridge set as in the second picture, so that it's resting against the side of the hole, then when setting the intonation, you are also adjusting the string height slightly. And if you adjust the bridge for string height, then you affect the intonation slightly.
Far better to have the bridge posts sitting upright, even if you do fit some plastic tube around the posts to keep them upright but not floating.
Thanks Simon, appreciate the advice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden