Carbon Fiber Pickguard

monfoodoo · February 9th, 2008, 02:01 PM

Anybody ever do a pickguard in Carbon Fiber?

marc sosnoff · February 9th, 2008, 02:34 PM

i never have but it should be done i bet it will look great

go for it

marc

casterway · February 9th, 2008, 03:27 PM

I've seen one on a Strat in tweed that looked really good. Same material used for the old cases and amps.

Nick JD · February 9th, 2008, 09:07 PM

Carbon Fiber Pickguard in 7 Easy steps!

1. Surface: Get a clean piece of glass larger than a pickguard. Wax it with three layers of mould release wax, waiting 20 minutes between coats. Wait one hour after last coat.

2. Gel Coat: Mix up 30-50ml of your clear resin of choice (polyester, epoxy, vinylester...) and pour evenly over waxed glass. Use paint brush to spread out to a uniform thickness. Wait 1 hour (poly/vinylester catalysed with 1-3%), or 3 hours for epoxy at 20 degC. Clean brush in acetone.

3. Carbon: Cut out sufficient carbon fiber (get 200g twill and hold your breath when they tell you the price) and roll it carefully. Unroll it onto the slightly tacky gel coat. Mix up 30-50ml of resin and using a fiberglassing squeegee, work the resin into the carbon. You'll hear popping noises as the air bubbles are driven out. Keep working the resin through the fibers until you hear no more popping (around 2 minutes). Wait until hard.

4. Filler: Add a dab (<5%) of black pigment to 50ml of resin. Follow procedure Step 2 on top of carbon. Wait until hard.

5. Backing: Since you are not using the carbon for its great tensile properties, repeat Step 3 with 200g fiberglass cloth to save money. Hint - if you add white pigment (or any colour) you'll get a "ply" effect. Keep adding successive layers of fiberglass/resin until you achieve your desired thickness. I'd say about 5 x 200g cloth. You can do this 2 layers at a time - if you try for too many you might be halfway through a layer when your resin starts to go hard. If you are new to laminating, 2 layers is fine, and you'll get more practice.

6. Cure and Demoulding: Give it a few days to cure, more if you use epoxy, or it's cold. Slide a sharp knife between the pickguard and the glass and peel it off carefully.

7. Shaping: Use normal techniques to shape your pickguard.

This video shows the same process - but done a little badly IMO (way too much resin to glass ratio!). You'd do the same without the white pigment, and using CF instead of glass.

Have fun. The same process can be used to make any PG - try using paisley cloth (your best pajamas) or floral or Hawaiian instead of carbon!

February 9th, 2008, 02:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
monfoodoo Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: baltimore,md Age: 53 Posts: 400	Carbon Fiber Pickguard Anybody ever do a pickguard in Carbon Fiber?

February 9th, 2008, 03:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
casterway Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Aldergrove, British Columbia,Canada Age: 40 Posts: 2,845	I've seen one on a Strat in tweed that looked really good. Same material used for the old cases and amps. __________________ There's nothing wrong with a proper repair... "I don't scratch no guitars." John Lee Hooker, when asked to carve his signature into an old acoustic.

February 9th, 2008, 09:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Nick JD Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2007 Location: North NSW, Australia Age: 36 Posts: 2,588	Carbon Fiber Pickguard in 7 Easy steps! 1. Surface: Get a clean piece of glass larger than a pickguard. Wax it with three layers of mould release wax, waiting 20 minutes between coats. Wait one hour after last coat. 2. Gel Coat: Mix up 30-50ml of your clear resin of choice (polyester, epoxy, vinylester...) and pour evenly over waxed glass. Use paint brush to spread out to a uniform thickness. Wait 1 hour (poly/vinylester catalysed with 1-3%), or 3 hours for epoxy at 20 degC. Clean brush in acetone. 3. Carbon: Cut out sufficient carbon fiber (get 200g twill and hold your breath when they tell you the price) and roll it carefully. Unroll it onto the slightly tacky gel coat. Mix up 30-50ml of resin and using a fiberglassing squeegee, work the resin into the carbon. You'll hear popping noises as the air bubbles are driven out. Keep working the resin through the fibers until you hear no more popping (around 2 minutes). Wait until hard. 4. Filler: Add a dab (<5%) of black pigment to 50ml of resin. Follow procedure Step 2 on top of carbon. Wait until hard. 5. Backing: Since you are not using the carbon for its great tensile properties, repeat Step 3 with 200g fiberglass cloth to save money. Hint - if you add white pigment (or any colour) you'll get a "ply" effect. Keep adding successive layers of fiberglass/resin until you achieve your desired thickness. I'd say about 5 x 200g cloth. You can do this 2 layers at a time - if you try for too many you might be halfway through a layer when your resin starts to go hard. If you are new to laminating, 2 layers is fine, and you'll get more practice. 6. Cure and Demoulding: Give it a few days to cure, more if you use epoxy, or it's cold. Slide a sharp knife between the pickguard and the glass and peel it off carefully. 7. Shaping: Use normal techniques to shape your pickguard. This video shows the same process - but done a little badly IMO (way too much resin to glass ratio!). You'd do the same without the white pigment, and using CF instead of glass. Have fun. The same process can be used to make any PG - try using paisley cloth (your best pajamas) or floral or Hawaiian instead of carbon! __________________

February 9th, 2008, 02:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
marc sosnoff Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: new jersey Age: 55 Posts: 538 10 Photos	i never have but it should be done i bet it will look great go for it marc