Bullet headstock ... and not what you think

[TeleKato]

So I'm pogo-ing into the house knowing that my new Warmoth neck is waiting in the magic box, ready for me to install tuners and put on my favorite guitar. The neck is gorgeous by the way ... Vintage (7.25), flamed, boatneck, vintage-tint finish: BEAUTY.

As I'm installing the tuners, the little screws (vintage Fender tuners) ... one snaps. Hmmm ... pull it out and try again. #2 snaps. I then try to deepen the hole a bit; *snap* goes the bit. And another! Finally, I get a larger titanium bit and work to drill out whatever is in there. What comes out in fine powder form looks for all the world like steel-jacketing on a bullet! No pictures, sorry ... but that's what it looked like.

I cleaned out the hole (now about .25" in diameter) and have filled it with plastic-wood filler. I hope when it dries and I can get the tuner-mounting screw back in there and be done, all hidden by the tuner body and no one the wiser (hell, I'll probably forget it too ... the wonders of age). But this sure was odd?

The headstock was PRISTINE when it arrived -- nothing. So somehow, that metal must've been INSIDE the wood. An eighth of an inch left, right, or sideways and it never impacts me. Half-an-inch and Warmoth gets it when they drill out the tuner hole.

SWMBO is telling me to send the neck back. Yeah, I think Warmoth will next ask me if I have some swamp land in Louisiana to sell them ...

Cross your fingers for me and hope that this was just a little bullet -- er -- bump in my road!

[BritishBluesBoy]

Soap or candle wax on the threads of the screw will stop them breaking like that.

[Bolide]

Well, it happens. Someone hammers nail in tree, years go by, head rusts off nail, cambium, cork, and bark grow over nail, nail winds up hidden.

[TeleKato]

Originally Posted by Bolide

Well, it happens. Someone hammers nail in tree, years go by, head rusts off nail, cambium, cork, and bark grow over nail, nail winds up hidden.

I like to think someone was squirrel hunting.

As an update, wood filler dried, new screw was driven (gently) in and the tuner is well mounted. Everything seems AOK so far and you can't see a thing. Hopefully, it'll just become part of the story of this guitar.

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by TeleKato

So I'm pogo-ing into the house knowing that my new Warmoth neck is waiting in the magic box, ready for me to install tuners and put on my favorite guitar. The neck is gorgeous by the way ... Vintage (7.25), flamed, boatneck, vintage-tint finish: BEAUTY.

As I'm installing the tuners, the little screws (vintage Fender tuners) ... one snaps. Hmmm ... pull it out and try again. #2 snaps. I then try to deepen the hole a bit; *snap* goes the bit. And another! Finally, I get a larger titanium bit and work to drill out whatever is in there. What comes out in fine powder form looks for all the world like steel-jacketing on a bullet! No pictures, sorry ... but that's what it looked like.

I cleaned out the hole (now about .25" in diameter) and have filled it with plastic-wood filler. I hope when it dries and I can get the tuner-mounting screw back in there and be done, all hidden by the tuner body and no one the wiser (hell, I'll probably forget it too ... the wonders of age). But this sure was odd?

The headstock was PRISTINE when it arrived -- nothing. So somehow, that metal must've been INSIDE the wood. An eighth of an inch left, right, or sideways and it never impacts me. Half-an-inch and Warmoth gets it when they drill out the tuner hole.

SWMBO is telling me to send the neck back. Yeah, I think Warmoth will next ask me if I have some swamp land in Louisiana to sell them ...

Cross your fingers for me and hope that this was just a little bullet -- er -- bump in my road!

It may seam odd, but its a SUPER common occurrence. I know you have this fixed already, but just FYI for anyone

1. Screws that come with tuners SUCK. They are cheap POS, and I am amazed at how they keep getting worse and worse. Most guys who put together guitars often buy better screws and toss the screws that come with new tuners.
2. When you instal tiny screws, its supper important to drill the proper size pilot hole for the screw. Especially in wood as hard as maple.
3. Some of the screws are threaded all the way to the head, and some have shoulders. A lot of times, shouldered screws require tapered drill bits to drill the pilot hole (PITA to find) or need to have stepped pilot hole ( essentially drill the top portion out wider so the shoulder doesn't bind).
4. ALWAYS, ALWAYS lubricate the screw threads , and it doesn't hurt to throw some lube in the pilot hole either. You can use a lot of stuff for lubrication, but by far, wax is the best. A lot of guys will recommend soap, but be cautious, most soap contains water, and it can and will cause screws to rust over time. I have also used lip balm to lube screws.
5. This may sound trivial, but use the proper size screw driver. By that I mean that the head of the driver needs to be the same size as the head of the screw, and the actual size of the entire screw driver. If you are using a big handled screw driver with big shank, it is super easy to over torque those little screws and snap them in half. If you use the wrong size head, it will mar and strip the head of the screw with every turn.

[RollingBender]

I used to work for a company that made moderately large quantities of semi-custom interior wood doors. In the collection of wierd things found in the wood when it got sawed up to make doors was a few bullets.

Most stuff like that gets caught by the sawmill or by metal detectors employed by the mills when they have reason to suspect things but some of it slips through. We found a nicely sectioned deer slug in a stack of veneer once!

If it was a bullet, I would have expected a flaw elsewhere in the wood that would have caused it to be rejected from the start.

[itsGreg]

We quite often get buckshot in wood at work. I wouldn't worry about it, maybe it'll add some mojo!

[bullfrogblues]

I have a 11" wide x 10' 4/4 board of cherry that has a very large lead slug in it. I bought the wood already skip-planed and didn't notice it until I was stickering the lumber in my shop! I think I'll just cut the piece out and save it!

[TRexF16]

TeleKato,
I have a Claro Walnut gunstock blank that will one day become part of a lovely little rifle that has what appears to be a .30 cal rifle bullet lodged in the buttstock portion. But I will be able to "lose" it in the shaping. Looks like this is not uncommon. Good luck with your neck and keep us posted on the build.
Rex

[Mark Moore]

As long as we're talking about tuner screws ...

I always drill the holes on the large side so the screw threads will just barely bite into the wood. A dab of Titebond on the threads, and we're good to go. I've never had one break (knock wood) and if I need to remove them they back right out.

May not be the answer for everyone, but it works for me.