Dual Build: GSJ-1 and GSM-1

[McCreed]

Good work Simon.
How do you do your bevelling? Scrape, sand or file?
A bit of each?

[Simon Barden]

I filed, medium and fine files, then sanded using a small block of wood as a backing. I was planning to try a router with a bevelled bit, but I never got round to making a suitable template. I would also have probably needed to make the template slightly oversize to allow for the material almost certainly not sitting right on the very smallest part of the bevelled bit.

And the scratchplate is safely stored inside, wrapped in paper towel inside a plastic bag to prevent scratching.

[Bakersdozen]

I don't know if I dreamt it, but I'm pretty sure you can get a 45 degree follow bit for the Dremel to use with the table attachment. Or angling the table at 45 and going carefully with the drum sanding attachment.

Wish there were more mini router bit options for the Dremel, I know some exist but they are freaking expensive ..

[Simon Barden]

Well I've now got a few offcuts of the material, so I'll spend some time playing about when I have the chance. I need to work out how to cut nice straight lines in pickup cutouts for my next two pickguard creations.

Though on Monday I'm off down to Cornwall for a week, as crew on a small 24' yacht for Falmouth Week. Covid means it's just the yacht racing this year, no big festival in the town, which is a shame. So today will hopefully be final clear coat spray time for several guitars, allowing a weeks drying whilst I'm away. But it really is a bit on the hot side to spray.

[WeirdBits]

You didn't dream it.

Some of my Dremel bits. I use the 45 pattern follower for bevels, as the rounding bit is too subtle on 2-3mm plastics:


For the 45 bit to work you need a wooden template for it to follow (3-4mm ply is fine) as there's no bearing so it'll melt plastic almost instantly. And the template needs to be on the back of the pickguard/plastic with the 'good' side face down.


Works pretty well as long as you're willing and/or have the time to make a template even for one-offs.

[Bakersdozen]

Very cool, thanks Weirdy

[Simon Barden]

I've got some of those bits. So it's going to be template making time.

[McCreed]

If you don't have a router, dremel or sanding drums; it can be done with a DIY scraping tool.

I've posted this pic before relative to scraping binding, but it can also be used for bevelling pickguards.

You can adjust the blade to whatever angle you want your bevel and go along the edge with the dowel. I recommend clamping the p/g to the edge of your bench or work area.

It does take time, but compared to making jigs and templates and so on, it's probably not much difference (unless you're doing mass replication). Also, once you get a rhythm going it's not bad and kind of therapeutic. With a good sharp blade, you'd be surprised just how quickly the material peels off.

Note: a safety razor blade is fine for binding, but I recommend a Stanley knife blade for pickguards.

[Simon Barden]

Well, got up to about 33°C today, so another warm one. A few flaws kept appearing that needed sanding back during spraying, but at least it didn't take the lacquer too long to dry hard enough to do some rough sanding. But I was getting into the flow by the end of the afternoon, so I've resprayed the EX-1 white (again) as my decals part-peeled off when I removed some masking tape (grrrr) but at leats it's now a uniform white again.

And more importantly, I've finished the clear coating on the GSJ and GSM.



I should have been at this point weeks ago, but things conspired against me. But they are now done, so need to hang and cure for a couple of weeks at least. They are both very similar colours, the GSM just looks a bit darker because it's further away from the garage side door and the light. So I can relax a bit and then I've got the three other guitars to concentrate on now when I get back from sailing.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Looking great! Love how they turned out!