A New Builder's Telecaster Journey - Take 2

[jstream]

Hmm... Can't seem to edit my post, so here's a quick add:

The pieces to get done



Epoxy goes on



And most of it comes right back off



And done. Except for the pickup routes, I wanted to do a little more work on those still. But they are of less importance right now.

[jstream]

3/22/12

Okay, it’s time to get going on the binding. And it’s about time too, I know So here are a few shots of the epoxy sanded and binding channels scraped. It was 83 degrees yesterday… So very nice to be able to sit outside on the porch and get the sanding done, but I’m still worried. After all, this is Wisconsin, and it’s only mid-march!







A note to self and others who may follow… Do the epoxy grain filling first, then route the binding channels. It will save you having to scrape the epoxy out of the channels. And yes, no matter how careful you are, you will get epoxy in there.

One other thing to do first. I’ve been putting this off for whatever reason. I don’t really know why, but I might as well get it done before I start on the binding.

Mark the approximate center



And here we go



Mostly done. I ran out of battery at this point. I think it’s time for a new drill. This old thing doesn’t have a whole lot of power, and I have one bad battery, and one dying battery, and of course, Craftsman doesn’t make these things anymore.



As good a place to start as any… Right on the centerline.



Moving right along. When you’re cutting tape for the job, when you think you have enough, cut another 30 or 40… It goes fast.



And one side done. I actually meant to start on the back, so if I screwed up, it wouldn’t be as easy to see. But I forgot. I had also intended to make this a little easier on the first timer by only doing binding and not purfling as well, but when I started really thinking about the paint color, I realized that it might look even nicer with just a thin strip of purfling in a different color. And that of course, got me thinking about carrying the highlight color up the neck… Well, we’ll see when we get to that point. What I’d really like now though, is a 3 ply pickguard in white/red/white. Anyone know where I can find one? Or have one made?



And here I’ll leave off for awhile and let the glue set under the tape. It’s CA glue, and should be dry within minutes, but it’s time to get in the shower and get ready to teach. Back at it when I get home.

Purfling done on one side. It would be nice to have time to do both sides at once, but does allow me to see if I messed up anywhere. And I did in a couple places. No big deal, I just didn’t use enough glue. A super easy fix.



And applied to the other side.



Tomorrow I’ll scrape the outside of this, and get set to apply the binding sometime over the weekend. Then it will be on to the back. It’s nice though, to see forward progress on this. And it’s nice to know that when I do a second one, I’ll have some experience under my belt, and a lot of notes, and maybe it will go just a little bit easier.

[jstream]

3/26/2012

Yesterday was binding day! YAY!!! With this “simple” task, it really feels like I’m moving forward here. I’ve read several hundred (probably) posts on binding guitars, both acoustic and electric, but ultimately, the best way to learn is to try it. So here goes…

Channels scraped and cleaned and ready to go.



The usual suspects…



And away we go with side #1.



The ubiquitous socket clamped in to help with the curve.



Both sides done now, and trussed up like a christmas turkey. I had some issues with the inside of the horn staying in place, hence the extra socket and clamps.



Just about 24 hours later, the clamps are off and it’s time for…



The moment of truth.



And here we are. All the tape is off, and we get to do the first inspection. Doesn’t look too bad at all. There are one or two spots on the top that I could be happier with, and it looks like there are some gaps on the sides. All in all, not bad at all. Is it perfect? no. Is it trash? no. Could it be better? yes. Is is pretty darn good for a first timer? yes. Would I be as happy with it if this were going to get stained instead of painted? no. Do I want to strip it all off and try again? Jury’s still out on that. I’ll wait until I see the sides scraped, and until I’ve done the back… Then we’ll see. I’m pretty sure I can do it better. Most of the issues stem from this stuff being kind of thick, and not wanting to bend. When I do the back, I’ll try pre-bending with heat to see if that makes it any easier or better.



After a little scraping.



A little more scraping.



The scraping finished on the top, and some sanding done. Again, I think the top is passable for a first timer, there are really only two small spots here that would make me want to try again… On the inside and outside of the horn. Again, I’ll wait till I’ve had a solid chance to look at the sides before I make any decision on this. I am pleased though, overall, with how it turned out. I kind of wish though, that the red purfling was plastic. I think it would be easier to deal with, and look nicer in the early stages. It should clean up pretty well though.



Would I do anything drastically different though? Not really. Except maybe cutting the channels just a tad deeper to ease taping, but that's about it.

[jstream]

3/28/2012

It looks pretty good. I “sort of” made a decision yesterday about whether to keep the binding as it is, or to strip it and redo it. I decided I had to see what it would look like finished on the body itself… And not simply on a test piece. It really looks pretty good.





But it could look better



And I think it does.

But in the process, I had to scrape it flush with the body. That of course, leaves me no room for paint. The paint will be relatively thick, certainly as compared to stains or dyes, which will leave the paint standing proud of the binding by quite a bit. So it looks like I will have to strip the binding and do it again. It’s certainly not a disaster, just an affirmation that I can do this, and a phenomonal learning experience. And I haven’t done the back yet, so there’s plenty more hands-on learning that can be done before I tackle the front again. Like I’ve said before… It’s a hobby, and part of the nature of a good hobby is wasting some quality time So here’s the plan… I’ll finish scraping and sanding the front for the very valuable experience, then go ahead and bind the back. Then I’ll strip the front and re-bind. Then I’ll clean up the glue mess, and start painting. Once the paint is done, I can CAREFULLY scrape the binding down to the level of the paint, then simply start on the clear coats. And if anything goes according to the plan, it will come out absolutely beautiful in the end.

[jstream]

4/1/2012

Starting to get ready to try cutting some fret slots. I just needed a question answered before I began. Now that it’s been covered, I think I’m ready to give it a try soon. Maybe tonight even.



A box of stuff (the technical term) came in the mail the other day. I haven’t been able to really do anything due to a med test that has kept me away from power tools for a few days. All clear now, and time to get back to work, but I shot these yesterday. Just because I had to. Come on everyone, cut me some slack, you’ve all done this



The pickguard will need a little finagling. It just doesn’t play well with the control plate. But that’s okay. I’m not really thrilled with the single ply guard, and I really got it to make into a template for future builds. I think I need to set the control plate first, then work the pickguard to fit that. But I am so very happy with what I’m looking at here. I can truly see what this thing is going to look like. And it’s easy for me to visualize the color. And at this point, I just can’t wait!!!



And best of all, the neck plate fits the holes I’ve drilled. Yes, it’s probably insane to drill the holes before you have a neck plate, but I trusted the drawings and master templates. Heck, you have to trust somebody sometimes, right?



I just have to force myself to continue to work slowly and not rush anything. We’ve come too far to screw it all up now. But every time I get a chance to work on it, I’m amazed at the progress, and at how much fun it really is to do this.

Till next time then.

[glen smith]

Starting to shape up, looking good!

[Dunkerhook]

There are lots of great build threads on TDPRI -- so it's hard to stand out. But this one is just wonderful. Thanks so much for the thoughtful comments, patience with photography, and most of all, the candor with all those Grit-your-teeth-and-pray noobie moments. I've learned a lot from other build threads, but as another noob, your perspective is coming from a place I know well.

Inspires me to do my own "learn-out-loud" thread.

[jstream]

Thank you very much for the too kind comments. But stay tuned... More grit-your-teeth-and-pray moments to come :)

[coolpool]

Hi Jstream,
Thanks for your experiences; it's making me brave enough to consider options for a scratch build of my own. Here are a couple of options for your pickguard.
Warmoth
or
Greasy Groove
Have fun!

[DeepSouth]

Apart from the tremendous job you are doing on your build, you have really documented each step really well. I've learnt a lot reading it so thanks for the time you have spent posting each step. You must be as proud as punch with what you have ended up with and I'm looking forward to watching the various steps to complete the neck.

[jstream]

4/4/2012

Okey Dokey. Can’t put it off any longer if I want to get this thing done… And I do. Today was the day for the scariest (and messiest(sp?) thing I’ve done yet in this project. Removing the first try at binding. So much potential for disaster, that I don’t even want to have to think about it any more. So I set up the Colt, the set it up again, and then again one more time. Then I did a test piece on a cutoff just to be sure. And here are the results of the first pass.



First pass done, second pass done, and one more just to be sure everything is nice and clean. And we’re all set to go at it again.



But first, a little more sanding for the top, just to make sure that all the epoxy is clean and smooth. Hmm… I don’t think there’s very much left on the top. But that’s okay, because any dings or what little bit of grain there may be is filled. And we’re going to put a dozen plus layers of paint on it anyways.



I pre-bent the binding in place with a heat gun, taped it and clamped it a bit to help it set to shape, and then put it aside to cool and set.



While I’ve got the time today, why not tackle the next scariest part… The fretboard. So I stuck it to the template with double-stick carpet tape (the good Ace stuff).



And spent some valuable time figuring out the Stew-Mac jig. My first try at it, I quickly realized that the bearings didn’t have to be so tight against the saw. I was simply making things more difficult for myself. So after some more adjusting, it felt much better, and I had gotten used to the feel of it, so off I went.



And look ma! I haz fretboard nao! And I think it looks pretty darn good.



Then I wiped it down with some denatured alcohol to clean it up a bit, and Holy Stuff!!! it looks frighteningly awesome!!! Even if it is drying faster than I can take a picture of it.



And with that done, it was back to the binding. This time through, I”m trying the Weld-On 16. Yes, it’s just as nasty as what I remembered from my youth. Make sure you’re wearing a respirator and working with good ventillation (I had #1, but not #2 – got to fix that).

I did it this way… I started on the centerline, with a couple pieces of tape off to the side so the pre-bend would be in the right place. I did a few inches of glue out of the tube, then spread it out with a small brush. Took the binding and purfling together, making sure each was in it’s proper channel, and started sticking in on. Tape, stick, tape, stick, you get the idea. Sorry, no pics of the glueing process itself, this stuff sets way too fast to do that. Maybe I’ll try it once on the other side. I worked up one side with a few inches of glue, and pressing the binding in place and taping right away.

By the time I’d gotten a couple of inches, the glue was pretty much set up. Fortunately, this stuff reactivates itself so as you move on, the join between the already set up part you just did and the next part dissappears completely. Of course the real test comes tomorrow when I take the tape off and try to clean up (with acetone per instructions). I’m a bit worried that the acetone will overly soften the glue and binding and it will come off. Or worse, when I take the tape off, the binding pops off. It is nice however, that when I’m done, I can clean up the brush in acetone, and it’s all ready to go for tomorrow. BTW: Have I ever mentioned how wonderful acetone is? And how much I hate working with that horrible, nasty, icky-ugly stuff?



I got the first side done, and clamped a socket in to help with that tight curve, and took a break for a half hour or so. When I came back, I was able to shift the clamp a bit so I could get to the other side. A soon as I got some fresh glue on to of the old glue at the centerline, all was good to keep going. So the front is done, and with less tape than I needed before with CA, and that’s where we sit till tomorrow. I’m cautiously optimistic.

[jstream]

Coolpool and Deepsouth - Thank you for the kind words. It's as much a voyage of discovery for me as anything else, and I figure that if I can help someone else get started, or past a scary hurdle, then I'm a happy camper. I can wait to see it finished and here it sing... Well, I may have to get someone else to play it if I really want it to sing, but that's okay too :D

[glen smith]

Good work and beautiful fretboard!

[jstream]

4/7/2012

Re-binding of the top is done. And I think overall it looks much better the second time around. Which is a good thing… I really didn’t want to do it a third time. So I flipped it over, and pre-bent the binding for the back, and set it aside to cool and set up.



And returned my attention to the neck. Still the scariest of all operations I think. The main reason I put off scratch building for so many years. So far though, it really hasn’t been too bad. So if you’re thinking it’s that difficult, stay tuned… There’s still a lot to be done here before I can say it wasn’t really that bad.

So far, it hasn’t really been that bad. I did the tuner holes first, so I had a more stable platform to drill them from the back, as the top half of the peghead will be removed later, and any tearout would not be an issue. Well, there was no tear out at all. Check off yet another step.



Setting up for the glue-up. I took extra time to make sure I had everything lined up as correctly as possible.



Got all the important tools ready to go.



Glue on, tape removed from over the truss rod.



And almost every single clamp I own goes to work. What a motley collection. Yes, I need to get some more clamps.



That was all yesterday and last night. Spent all day waiting for a phone call that never came, but I couldn’t put on gloves and a respirator, and get to work with glue that sets in seconds, because we all know what would happen as soon as I started.

And so today the clamps came off. Looks like it stuck on there pretty well, with just a thin line of squeeze out all the way around.



The phone call came early this morning. YAY! So I could get to work at last. All set to bind the back. Again, sorry there are no pics of the process… The glue just plain sets too fast to try.



And so with the binding done and set aside, back to the neck. After some preliminary sanding and routing, we have this.



And this.



And this.



And the last one of the night.



Now it’s not perfect, I screwed up with the router and started to go around the tail. I had planned on leaving a bit more overhang to give it a bit more of a nicely finished appearance. And there is a bit of rattle in there despite the silicone. Maybe it’s because the truss rod is completely slack, I don’t know. But it was an easy decision to go ahead and finish this one. The practice on my first neck will be absolutely invaluable, and if it doesn’t really work out what have I really lost? A couple of pieces of really nothing special wood that I bought so long ago that the cost no longer matters, and some frets and probably a nut. The truss rod and tuners could all be pulled and transfered to a new neck if needed. So there is where I called it a night. Tomorrow the tape comes off the back of the body, and we see where we’re at on the binding.

4/7/2012

Not enough action for a full post, so a quick update. Went to the orange store today for some hooks for yard stuff, and found these. I wonder if I can find anything at all to do with these…





And found that the clamp slipped yesterday. Must have happened right after I put it on and moved the whole thing to free up workbench space. Grrrr! But we should be okay, the Weld-On 16 reactivates itself a bit, so I reglued and clamped, and made sure it wasn’t going to slip this time. All in all, the back looks pretty good, and I think I can move forward again. One last little spot to glue down (hidden by the clamp), and we should be good to go.

[bcarter_1]

Originally Posted by jstream

4/1/2012

Looking good, I have been lucky too and had the drawings be accurate.
Great job!

[jstream]

4/13/2012

We’re getting closer to moving into the finishing room.

So, a little more neck work while waiting for glue to dry. Peghead is cut down and sanded to a nice curve. Now I’m just waiting to decide what position markers to go with. So many ideas, and so little time and money.





And the aforementioned glue drying. This part didn’t come out overly well, but it should clean up okay and well, we’ll see.



And then I marked the back of the neck for the headstock and heel transitions, and I’m currently trying to steel up my nerves to give it a go… That and I need to take the profiles off my strat neck.





And what the heck was I thinkind trying a traditional double bound for my first build? I must have been completely off my rocker… Oh wait, I am. And of course it was yesterday that I remembered that one could put blue painters tape on the sides to keep the excess glue off them. Would have made life so much easier. Oh well, I’ll do that next time I’m dumb enough to try binding.



But it’s slowly getting there.



My weapon (although not necessarily of choice) for the last couple of days…



And in use in case anyone has questions about it.



Moving right along. I’m hoping to get some quality time in on it over the weekend. I need to get all the dirty work done on this one and another project before the first week of may.

[jstream]

Sigh. Everythings mostly on hold this week for sure, and possibly next week as well. It's too hard to work one-handed.

[glen smith]

I hope it isn't too serious.

[jstream]

It should be fine. I see a hand specialist tomorrow. Hurts like the dickens though. Dog bite, but she was a good dog, and was successfully returned to a very distraught owner. And yes, I would do it again... Dog people can understand. It is getting better, but it's hard to get anything done, and the percoset precludes any work with power tools.

[glen smith]

Ouch! Sometimes the treatment hurts more than the bite.