ST-1 Custom experiement

[McCreed]

Seems a bit weird worrying about scratch protection on a scratch plate, but hey.

Here's a can of black gloss a lot cheaper than I paid for my cans - https://www.caswellplating.com.au/st...c-gloss-black-

Yeah, I get the irony! The good thing is if the pickguard gets scratched up, you can repaint it!
That price is better than what I paid too. It has become more widely available here in recent years and I suppose that affects the pricing.

FWIW, I recently used SCA Acrylic spray paint (also suitable on plastics - like bumpers) with good results. I just used White Knight Acrylic Clear over it, again with good results and no compatibility issues. I had a full set of Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups that had two black covers, and one aged white. I now have three black! (and they match really well!)

[McCreed]

I've got some cans of Squirts black and some polyurethane that I'm hoping to use, but so far on other projects they're not playing nicely, so I might go down this path yet.

The White Knight Squirts are a acrylic enamel paint, you definitely don't want to put polyurethane over that.

The Squirts do state they bond to plastic, so it would probably be no different than the SCA acrylic enamel I used. However, if you want to clear over it, just make sure it's also an acrylic enamel - like the Squirts Clear or White Knight "Crystal Clear".

I try to use the same brand of base & top coat as much as possible in an effort to eliminate incompatibility problems. Still not always a guarantee, IME.

[m0j0]

I try to use the same brand of base & top coat as much as possible in an effort to eliminate incompatibility problems. Still not always a guarantee, IME.

^ this....

[Andyxlh]

^ this....

+1, there's heartache there otherwise...

[lunaticds]

The White Knight Squirts are a acrylic enamel paint, you definitely don't want to put polyurethane over that.

The Squirts do state they bond to plastic, so it would probably be no different than the SCA acrylic enamel I used. However, if you want to clear over it, just make sure it's also an acrylic enamel - like the Squirts Clear or White Knight "Crystal Clear".

I try to use the same brand of base & top coat as much as possible in an effort to eliminate incompatibility problems. Still not always a guarantee, IME.

I've gotta stop reading responses at stupid hours (I had a cortisone injection a couple of days ago and haven't really slept since... so I'm a bit loopy). This might explain a lot. Time to just buy some Krylon stuff and move on!

[lunaticds]

I ordered a can of Krylon black and a couple of cans of clear coat. I've got another little job I'm working on where the problems with using different types is biting me on the rear, so my test with this stuff will be sorting that little drama out.

[m0j0]

You might have a bit of overkill with a couple of cans of clear. After doing the clear coats on my job, the can feels almost full. I went through way more white than I did clears.

[lunaticds]

You might have a bit of overkill with a couple of cans of clear. After doing the clear coats on my job, the can feels almost full. I went through way more white than I did clears.

The clear's on special and I'm tempted to see how it goes over the Squirts stuff.. I may have some other uses for the stuff

[lunaticds]

Finally a step closer. This was scanned into Melbourne overnight finally, so at least confirmation it's in the state.
Paint for it is scheduled to arrive today. Now that the Thunderaptor is on the wall letting the Tru Oil do its magic, I'm keen to get on with this one.

[lunaticds]

Finally, it has arrived.
So far:
I've rough carved the headstock. A little messier than I'd like given I had to use the jigsaw. Still, a bit of time with a file and it's in the general shape I want. I could really do with getting the sander on it where I've cut.. except it's dead and needs to go back to Bunnings. And we're in a local lockdown... that may end this Thursday. Or it may not.

I realised today that the new Babicz bridge is a string through, and this ST-1 is a custom made for a hardtail, so I need to do some alterations. Sounds like a challenge.
I think I'll buy a cheap drill press when I replace the sander. I might at least have some hope of drilling through straight. I'm debating, after some practice with the router, seeing if I can create something of a cavity in the back with enough space for the string balls then print a plate to go over the top of it to make it look tidier.

The original plan was to spray the pickguard. Starting to think I may just leave it as is and cover it with stickers anyway to add some contrast.

Everything otherwise looks OK. I'll probably avoid doing much with the body until I've had time to sort out the string through issue.