Olympic White Strat is what it should look like...

[nDR01d]

Yep, thats me As for the top, it's going to be blacked out. I'd like to go with a laser etch style but a brand with hot metal is probably the method at this stage - because I know how to do that and I don't have that much $$ for laser etching!

[stan]

nice personal touches Andrew, love the Red Swan idea

[nDR01d]

Here's the end of my late nights researching the best way to burn a maple headstock with some degree of accuracy. What I ended up doing was transferring the design onto baking paper (next best thing to tracing paper) with a Sharpie and then transferred that onto a sheet of flattened corrugated iron. I then used tin snips to cut around it, filed away sharp pointy bits and I was done. All I then did was use the lowest setting on a creme brulee burner (mmm...creme brulee) to blacken the headstock. Here's something I did learn whilst practicing on pine before moving to the maple - pine burns much faster. Next up, rubbing Dingo's stuff all over it.

[wokkaboy]

looks good Andrew, so the iron protected the rest of the headstock while you burned the swan shape ? clever idea!

[nDR01d]

That's exactly right Wokka. Here is a pic of it.

[wokkaboy]

nice one Andrew, you may be able to use the template on future builds

[nDR01d]

Here are the last two photos of my guitar until September. I've sprayed on two cans of acrylic lacquer and now I just wait till it cures. In the mean time I'm deciding between saving for a left handed Strat, a JK-1, or the Rick 330 that's on sale. Decisions, decisions.

[wokkaboy]

looking nice and white Andrew, how come the wait till September, you away or funds ?

[nDR01d]

No, I just thought acrylic lacquers took that long to cure. What's the general consensus on curing times?

[pablopepper]

3-4 weeks dude. I've been told to go by smell. As soon as all traces of smell have gone, you're good.