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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 3:20 am
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That sounds like a great idea, as above- it would be a bit of a task but maybe I could scratch up some local Paua for inlays or something... just an idea. It could be the forum "Worldcaster" or something to that effect.. everyone wouldmake a contribution.. :) :wink: :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:02 pm
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Blertles wrote:
That sounds like a great idea, as above- it would be a bit of a task but maybe I could scratch up some local Paua for inlays or something... just an idea. It could be the forum "Worldcaster" or something to that effect.. everyone wouldmake a contribution.. :) :wink: :idea:

Great idea! If all goes well today, I hope to route the neck socket on this project and wire up the pots and switch.......

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:17 pm
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As I mentioned earlier on this thread, and was pointed out by Mr. C, that there are sometimes problems with mounting a Tele neck on a Strat body. The "mouse ears" on the neck route of the body do help alleviate the problem to a certain degree—but not 100%. The Tele neck is more square on the butt end, while Strat Neck is more rounded,—thus the neck will not mount flush against the back of the neck socket. This causes the mounting holes to be off and would significantly effect the intonation if it was mounted that way.

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What needed to be done was to route a bit out of the corners of the Strat body so the neck will fit tight, and would correct the intonation issue. There were several ways to go about this but I decided on using my drill press with a drill bit that had cutting edges to do the job. It was Sunday so the hardware stores in my area were closed so I could not buy a special bit for this, so I would resrot to a chisel edged drill bit.

First I measured where the wood needed to be taken out and marked the areas with a pencil. This was determined by putting the neck in place and using a straight edge to mark the area that needed to be removed.

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Next I put the body on the drill press and raised the table so the bit slightly touched the bottom of the neck route. Using a small about of force, I was able to push the edge of the bit into the corners of the neck socket, making it the right shape to fit the Tele neck's butt end.

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When I was done I fitted the neck to the body and it worked perfect. No chipping of the finish. No blocked removal of wood. I did practice on a junker Strat body I had that was made in China or some such place to make sure this would work.

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Next we need to finish wiring the pickguard and to spot refinish the top of the body to repair these UPS shipping damages!

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:14 pm
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Nice work Xef!!!

I admire your moxie. I would have fussed and fidgeted over that, and probably would have made a template and used a router. i wouldn't trust myself to free hand something like that. I could have extended that job into at least a weekend project, maybe longer!

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:41 am
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Twelvebar wrote:
Nice work Xef!!!

I admire your moxie. I would have fussed and fidgeted over that, and probably would have made a template and used a router. i wouldn't trust myself to free hand something like that. I could have extended that job into at least a weekend project, maybe longer!

Thanks. As I look at this body I am thinking it might be one of those "Alder shortage era" Poplar bodies. The wood is fairly soft and there are a lot of fibers in the paint inside the routes, which I have been told is common with Poplar. I guess it just does not route as clean as other woods.

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:43 pm
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Ah, can't help to not pet this gal of mine when she looks at me this way! How can I get anything done on the guitar with this going on? Women!!!!!!!

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:16 pm
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Ok, I know this must be super boring…… Anyhow I am moving forward with repairing this body. The trick to any decent paint work is found in the prep work. The first thing I do is to wash whatever I am going to paint with solvent to remove wax or other contaminates. I use a clean paper towel and turn it frequently to pick up contaminates and not spread them around.

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Since this is a fairly superficial flesh wound, I will grind it with a 80 grit disk and then use some polyester filler. this filler is pretty fine grained material so it works well for something like this.

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The filler is buttery smooth. I use to do auto-body repair, so this is a simple fix. I tried to contain the filler to the area that was ground.

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After it hardened, I got out some 80 grit file paper and used it on a rubber block trying to take off just the top, so the filler was still a bit high. Then I moved to 180 grit by hand without the block. and worked the filler smooth, following the contours of the body. Finally when I could see where I ground on the edges I knew I was at the right height.

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I am going to do a "spot repair" on this body so I want to contain the primer as much as possible. This way I can use the edges of the body as a "break" area for the finish. This way I do not have to refinish the whole body, as it was in great shape before UPS poked something through the box it was shipped in.

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This will take a few coats of primer to fill in the 180 grit scratches. I have been working on the wiring and will toss those picts up next.....jejune eh???? :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:50 pm
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Mr. X,
Nice how you were able to take the dent out of that Fender. :mrgreen:

The devil made me do it,
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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 3:44 am
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I'm probably going to ask this wrong but...
How smooth do you make the repair before applying the filler? I want to say that the area to be patched has to have some "tooth" to hold the filler? Is it sanded 'flat' or do you leave it somewhat irregular?

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 4:27 am
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Twelvebar wrote:
53magnatone wrote:
No this is not a competition.
More of an expression as to what does a 56 sunburst strat mean to you :?: :?:

I was not at all thinking of winners or losers, just a variation, or I should say a....
......Global Variation on a Particular Theme.....

I do like the idea of it. Not a contest per se, but more of seeing what different people can come up with and what their idea of a certain concept would be.

Ha! I'm right up for it, or any variation on the theme. Team builds, side-by-side builds - count me in! I think 53's plan sounds lots of fun. I couldn't care less about competition: it's the joint endevour that appeals to me. :D


The_Nutter wrote:
But anywhichway, I personally probably couldn't participate since I don't have a workspace at hand

No, but you know someone who does (if Workmates in the garden count as a "workspace"). Come to think of it, you know at least two friendly people with facilities...

Anyhow.

I've just been reading this thread very carefully. Apart from everything else I want to give deep appreciation for the really excellent quality and detail of the photos and text in Jeff's posts. Some of us know what hard work goes into that - beautifully accomplished here!

Thank you for that, Mr X, and for so generously sharing all your fabulous knowledge.

Masterful. 8)

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 6:30 am
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What a great job, It's reminding me of working on my Dad's 67 Camaro SS at the body shop next door to, our Gas station (garage ) so long ago now :( when I was in high school.

I could feel right comfy and at home at that work bench, it is just like mine..
" Now where is that grommet.. :?: "

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:39 am
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tyronne wrote:
I'm probably going to ask this wrong but...
How smooth do you make the repair before applying the filler? I want to say that the area to be patched has to have some "tooth" to hold the filler? Is it sanded 'flat' or do you leave it somewhat irregular?

The whole idea of any filler like this is to have the surface being repaired rough enough to allow the filler to grab really well. On metal you want the filler to primarily be on just the metal so you grind back far enough to allow the filler to fix the dent and the primer to join the old finish and the repair. In this case, on wood, I ground it with 80 grit (on metal I use 40 or even 36). I filled it and then sanded it down with finer and finer grit sandpaper till the filler was perfectly even with the old finish, or at least the edges of the paint where it was really rough, so it is not trying to stick to the smoother paint.

Then a couple heavy coats of primer are applied. Next I will use a contrasting thin coat of primer as a "guide coat" to show me all the scratches, using even a finer sand paper (180) and the prime again. Then wet sand it with 400 and then I will shoot a black lacquer coat.....I will show later on the process.

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:44 am
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Ceri wrote:
Thank you for that, Mr X, and for so generously sharing all your ..... knowledge.

Masterful. 8)

Cheers - C

Thanks C. Really not much.....and like I said, this kind of stuff is a bit boring! But when the final project come together, that will be interesting.....

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:20 pm
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Xhefri wrote:
.....and like I said, this kind of stuff is a bit boring! But when the final project come together, that will be interesting.....

Experience shows it to be boring to perform, but this synopsis is educational and interesting for people with an interest in the process but not a lot of experience. On my own thread people showed interest in things that were the most tedious to actually do. How you get to the results can often be as intriguing as the finished project, for those with an interest in dabbling.

I for one have already filed some info away for future use. For me it would have seemed easier to strip the whole thing down and do a full refinish, as urethane is a lot harder to repair than lacquer, but you have given me a roadmap to use on similar damage.

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Post subject: Re: Stratotelecaster Build.....odd ducks...old farts...
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:08 pm
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Twelvebar wrote:
I for one have already filed some info away for future use. For me it would have seemed easier to strip the whole thing down and do a full refinish, as urethane is a lot harder to repair than lacquer, but you have given me a roadmap to use on similar damage.

Thanks for the nice comments Mr. 12. I have been watching your thread too. About spot repair...I use lacquer when doing something like this. Very fast and it will blend in nicely by breaking the finish off at the edges of the body. I have done this before many times and you can't even tell it was repaired. I can have this done from step one to the final polish in a couple hours of actual work time. There is the drying periods involved, which I do not mind as I do this in between working in the office!

For me, when I shoot urethane, I am really OCD. To do it right one must use proper sealer coat and then a color coat, then adequate clear coats. (This is the way I do it anyhow to get a deep gloss on the body.) I then let the body dry really well and then wet sand the whole thing out and buff it till super glossy with no Orange peel. It is a ton of work. I might do that to this body this summer, if I decide not to keep this guitar as a player through the summer. If I go through all that work, I will do it in Graffiti Yellow. More to come very soon. wiring almost done and getting ready for the spot repair painting.

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