Keith's ST1-L

[fender3x]

I am in complete agreement with Colin. That said, and without accusing anyone of anything, I do think that this is a point well taken:

Please do not talk outside your own experience

...or if you do talk outside your experience, to make sure that is clear, and then cite your sources.

One of the things that builders, and builder's forums, often do is challenge orthodoxy. That is in a grand tradition. Many of our color choices have been influenced by Leo Fender's experimenting on wood with auto paint. He kept experimenting throughout his career. G&L, his last company, as a case in point, has never used NC finishes.

There is good reason to experiment, and particularly with finishes, me thinks. Since lots of classic instruments use NC, it's not a surprise that some of us want to use it too. That said, there are excellent reasons not to use it. It's toxic and dangerous (the earliest use of NC was as an explosive). It also yellows and crazes over time. I have a '68 Fender finished in NC lacquer that is crazed like, well, crazy. I have a '75 Fender finished with poly with lots of bumps and dents, but no crazing at all. The '75 has lived in Washington State, California and Florida--a very wide range of climates.

I personally welcome ALL experiments, and hope that people will post their results, whether they are good or bad. It is just as helpful to see how things have gone bad as to see how they have gone well--if not more so. It is also great to get people's thinking.

When someone comes up with a way to do a finish that is fast, easy, beautiful, cheap, clean, non-toxic, durable, idiot-proof and requires no special equipment, maybe I'll feel differently. Until then, though, please keep experimenting and posting your results!

[Keith Walters]

I’ve got the platypus “claws” carved out now. To give the headstock a more “organic” look, I earlier filed out some some flutes between the machine head holes, but now I think it will look better if I continue them down the sides. Also the pointy bit up near the mounting screw will probably look better if I round that off as well. That should thoroughly erase any Strat heritage :-)



Carving the claws was a lot easier than I expected. I’d previously bought a cheap set of “Diamond” files to assist with fret dressing (“Sapphire” is probably more like it!) As it turned out I never actually used them on the frets but they were very handy for shaping and tidying up the woodwork. It’s like having high quality rigid sandpaper that doesn’t come apart.

[Keith Walters]

To carve the “claws” I first cut guide slots on the sides and top of the five "Pointy bits" with an ordinary semi-circular file, and then used a rat-tail diamond file to produce a circular notch on both sides and the top. Then it’s just a matter of using the flat diamond files to smooth down and sharpen the “claws”, and finish off with 800 grit sandpaper. It’s a lot easier to do this than to explain how to do it!

[Keith Walters]

Here's a closeup of the final product



This will now require considerable sandpapering as I can’t so easily apply the wax with 0000 steel wool as I did with the body. I’ve got some black nail polish and the plan is to do the “nails” first, then apply a pinkish wash to the “skin” between the claws because that’s what a platypus’s paw actually looks like, and then overlay it with brown to simulate its fur. This is what a real platypus foot looks like by the way:

[Sonic Mountain]

Well said Colin.