Fuschia SparkleCaster build Thread, inspired by Buckocaster

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 08:27 PM

I'm waiting for my router but have the rest so I thought I'd get started on the headstock.
Here are the parts I'm starting with.
Real Fender bridge plate, 51' Nocaster pups, input jack, knobs, switchplate and ferrules.
Warmoth neck
1.5" thick Poplar body
RS Guiratworks Tele kit
Tusq nut
no name neck plate
MOP binding
Sperzel graduated tuners..but probably gonna change them to something else.
vintage button string tree
Giant Guitar intonated brass saddles

I taped her up and plugged the tuner holes with wads of tape , sanded with 400 grit and hit her with 2 coats. The only choice in lacquer at the big box was white, black or Chinese red...

Closeup of the headstock

Let her dry for about an hour before starting to play with the sparkles

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 08:47 PM

Getting my setup ready.
I decided to use a smaller box for the headstock to catch and reuse the sparkles.

Here are my trusty supplies

First layer of sparkles dusted over a thick spray of Deft. I patted down the sparkles.

Second layer of sparkles to cover the bare spots.

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 08:48 PM

From the reverse angle

Third layer of sparkles and no tamping with a brush. I figured I'd deal with the thicker finish to get all those beautiful angles of sparkle.

Gonna let her dry for a spell, pull the tape and see what I got.

Colt W. Knight · March 8th, 2008, 08:50 PM

Sparkly goodness. Look forward to seeing the build develop.

Nick JD · March 8th, 2008, 08:57 PM

POSSUM! SIMPLY GORGEOUS!

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 09:10 PM

I used a pencil to remove the tape from the tuner holes and the tape came off perfectly. There were no paint leaks or issues to clean up on the edge of the headstock.
This photo was taken pretty much right above the headstock and shows the color nicely.

This one is taken from an angle and the color darkens a bit. I guess this sparklecaster will be changing color from different angles.

Done for the night. Need to let it all dry out well before I start the clear coats.

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 09:19 PM

Well.......
I should have listened to Buckocaster about the sparkles getting everywhere.
I popped the first tape plugs in the kitchen and oops.....sparkles all over the floor. The dear wife helped me clean it up and she held the dustpan under the headstock for the last 4 plugs.
I am finding sparkles everywhere...singles on my arm, her pants....no complaints tho.....good wife......

robt57 · March 8th, 2008, 09:20 PM

Take the tape off the edge of the headstock before it drys all the way, no?

spicolli · March 8th, 2008, 09:25 PM

thats gonna be a beauty eh!

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 09:42 PM

Just as soon as the lacquer was dry enough to touch, I pulled off the tape so I wouldn't have any issues with the tape sticking to the lacquer.
Here is the top of the headstock.

Here is the bottom.

BTW...the neck is a birdseye maple unit with beautiful figure.

robt57 · March 8th, 2008, 09:52 PM

How thick does the layers add up to with the top finish coat??

Spunky99 · March 8th, 2008, 10:04 PM

I forgot to measure the headstock thickness.......It is really not very thick...probably on par after I'm done with a PRS Santana II or an Alex Chase guitar.
Thicker than a Fender but not by much.

robt57 · March 8th, 2008, 10:07 PM

Cool, is that a Poplar body there?

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 12:38 AM

If you look closely at the very first picture, you can see the greenish color of the natural poplar wood. It is close to alder in density but sands really well and takes paint beautifully. Since it will be covered in sparkle and binding, I don't care about the funny color. I sure wouldn't want to do a clear coat on it though...

Buckocaster51 · March 9th, 2008, 01:43 AM

Far out!

It's good to see that there is somebody as goofy as me!

This is going to be fun to watch.

I should warn you...that binding is going to drive you crazy.

We had green and red sparklecasters on stage tonight.

It was a real twangfest!

rogerzilla · March 9th, 2008, 03:25 AM

"If I were still alive, this Tele would make me give up the piano"

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 11:11 AM

I sprayed a nice thick layer of Deft this morning and letting it dry out all day. There was a tiny spot where the red was showing through by the nut. You can see it in the "top of the headstock" photo. At the top edge just behind the nut slot. Touched that up first, retaped and let her rip. The other spot further up was scraped off with a drywall blade so no need to do anything further there.

Buckocaster51 wrote

Quote:

I should warn you...that binding is going to drive you crazy.

Since I'm not using the checkerboard binding, I figure I'll use one of my heat guns to make the MOP binding softer for an easier fit.

I did dream of scraping the binding down to match the wood last night tho...

robt57 · March 9th, 2008, 11:17 AM

You keep mentioning 'DEFT' . Do you mean Varnish or Lacquer when you say that?? Deft is a brand ??

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 11:37 AM

Deft as in a brand name. It is my favorite lacquer.

A "French Polish" is done in lacquer.
You can use varathane, polyurethane, water based acrylic to do the clear finish.

robt57 · March 9th, 2008, 11:46 AM

ThanX

maestrovert · March 9th, 2008, 11:51 AM

i quite like the colour you've chosen, and will be eagerly anticipatin' updates to your build/thread....

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 12:21 PM

After 1 hour, I brought it in as it was too cold outside and I was afraid of the Deft getting milky.
Looking good here.

robt57 · March 9th, 2008, 12:30 PM

Looks fantastic!!!

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 08:08 PM

I got a couple more coats of clear on it today after I sanded the rest of the headstock. The colors are really starting to come out now the deeper the clear gets. I can see a bit of greenish iridescence in the fuschia now.

Warm day today so I did this at 1:00 and split for the beach. Nice day in the warm sand although the water was too cold to venture into...Don't hate me for living in Redondo Beach CA.

I decided to put a couple of coats on the back of the headstock as well to see what the birdseye maple will look like when finished....Perfect I think...

Buckocaster51 · March 9th, 2008, 08:30 PM

Looking good!

Do you have your story straight for when you go to work tomorrow and somebody spots "stripper dust" on you?

Although it is tempting, don't put that DEFT on there very fast. Building it up quickly seems to slow the overall drying time. At least that is my experience.

That is going to look cool.

Spunky99 · March 9th, 2008, 09:16 PM

Thanks for the compliment and the advice Buck.
I remember reading somewhere that lacquer melts into the layer below forming a beautiful single coat which gives it that "French Polish" look. I also believe the drying time will increase if I don't slow down here.
Since I live in warm and dry sunny southern California, I am blessed with a faster drying time than you have in Iowa.
I wish I could have found a color in lacquer that better matched the sparkles as any mistakes are visible with red as the undercoat. I just have to be very careful.

BTW: the "Stripper Dust" is all over the driveway and in front of 3 garages now for my apartment building and it looks so cool in the sunlight. A lot better than all the orange airsoft BBs I shot back there last year. I've been able to contain the sparkles and the apartment is clean...so far....

I think I'm looking at what?....40 coats of clear Deft before I can sand and polish the glittery headstock?

March 8th, 2008, 08:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Fuschia SparkleCaster build Thread, inspired by Buckocaster I'm waiting for my router but have the rest so I thought I'd get started on the headstock. Here are the parts I'm starting with. Real Fender bridge plate, 51' Nocaster pups, input jack, knobs, switchplate and ferrules. Warmoth neck 1.5" thick Poplar body RS Guiratworks Tele kit Tusq nut no name neck plate MOP binding Sperzel graduated tuners..but probably gonna change them to something else. vintage button string tree Giant Guitar intonated brass saddles I taped her up and plugged the tuner holes with wads of tape , sanded with 400 grit and hit her with 2 coats. The only choice in lacquer at the big box was white, black or Chinese red... Closeup of the headstock Let her dry for about an hour before starting to play with the sparkles

March 8th, 2008, 08:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
Nick JD Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2007 Location: North NSW, Australia Age: 35 Posts: 1,645	POSSUM! SIMPLY GORGEOUS! __________________ It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up. W. Somerset Maugham

March 8th, 2008, 09:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
spicolli Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: 315 Age: 32 Posts: 312	thats gonna be a beauty eh! __________________ Rock and roll around my head Fifty watts happening

March 9th, 2008, 01:43 AM	#15 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 56 Posts: 4,305 1 Photos	Far out! It's good to see that there is somebody as goofy as me! This is going to be fun to watch. I should warn you...that binding is going to drive you crazy. We had green and red sparklecasters on stage tonight. It was a real twangfest! __________________ "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

March 9th, 2008, 11:51 AM	#21 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Branch Mi. Posts: 5,828	i quite like the colour you've chosen, and will be eagerly anticipatin' updates to your build/thread.... __________________ Sing the Song Bro' Play on Drummer www.godonthe.net

March 8th, 2008, 08:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Getting my setup ready. I decided to use a smaller box for the headstock to catch and reuse the sparkles. Here are my trusty supplies First layer of sparkles dusted over a thick spray of Deft. I patted down the sparkles. Second layer of sparkles to cover the bare spots.

March 8th, 2008, 08:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	From the reverse angle Third layer of sparkles and no tamping with a brush. I figured I'd deal with the thicker finish to get all those beautiful angles of sparkle. Gonna let her dry for a spell, pull the tape and see what I got.

March 8th, 2008, 08:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
Colt W. Knight Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wyoming Age: 24 Posts: 1,300	Sparkly goodness. Look forward to seeing the build develop.

March 8th, 2008, 09:10 PM	#6 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	I used a pencil to remove the tape from the tuner holes and the tape came off perfectly. There were no paint leaks or issues to clean up on the edge of the headstock. This photo was taken pretty much right above the headstock and shows the color nicely. This one is taken from an angle and the color darkens a bit. I guess this sparklecaster will be changing color from different angles. Done for the night. Need to let it all dry out well before I start the clear coats.

March 8th, 2008, 09:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Well....... I should have listened to Buckocaster about the sparkles getting everywhere. I popped the first tape plugs in the kitchen and oops.....sparkles all over the floor. The dear wife helped me clean it up and she held the dustpan under the headstock for the last 4 plugs. I am finding sparkles everywhere...singles on my arm, her pants....no complaints tho.....good wife......

March 8th, 2008, 09:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	Take the tape off the edge of the headstock before it drys all the way, no?

March 8th, 2008, 09:42 PM	#10 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Just as soon as the lacquer was dry enough to touch, I pulled off the tape so I wouldn't have any issues with the tape sticking to the lacquer. Here is the top of the headstock. Here is the bottom. BTW...the neck is a birdseye maple unit with beautiful figure.

March 8th, 2008, 09:52 PM	#11 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	How thick does the layers add up to with the top finish coat??

March 8th, 2008, 10:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	I forgot to measure the headstock thickness.......It is really not very thick...probably on par after I'm done with a PRS Santana II or an Alex Chase guitar. Thicker than a Fender but not by much.

March 8th, 2008, 10:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	Cool, is that a Poplar body there?

March 9th, 2008, 12:38 AM	#14 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	If you look closely at the very first picture, you can see the greenish color of the natural poplar wood. It is close to alder in density but sands really well and takes paint beautifully. Since it will be covered in sparkle and binding, I don't care about the funny color. I sure wouldn't want to do a clear coat on it though...

March 9th, 2008, 03:25 AM	#16 (permalink)
rogerzilla Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: UK Posts: 128	"If I were still alive, this Tele would make me give up the piano"

March 9th, 2008, 11:17 AM	#18 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	You keep mentioning 'DEFT' . Do you mean Varnish or Lacquer when you say that?? Deft is a brand ??

March 9th, 2008, 11:37 AM	#19 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Deft as in a brand name. It is my favorite lacquer. A "French Polish" is done in lacquer. You can use varathane, polyurethane, water based acrylic to do the clear finish.

March 9th, 2008, 11:46 AM	#20 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	ThanX

March 9th, 2008, 12:21 PM	#22 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	After 1 hour, I brought it in as it was too cold outside and I was afraid of the Deft getting milky. Looking good here.

March 9th, 2008, 12:30 PM	#23 (permalink)
robt57 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Lost Yankee in Nashville Age: 51 Posts: 1,756	Looks fantastic!!!

March 9th, 2008, 08:08 PM	#24 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	I got a couple more coats of clear on it today after I sanded the rest of the headstock. The colors are really starting to come out now the deeper the clear gets. I can see a bit of greenish iridescence in the fuschia now. Warm day today so I did this at 1:00 and split for the beach. Nice day in the warm sand although the water was too cold to venture into...Don't hate me for living in Redondo Beach CA. I decided to put a couple of coats on the back of the headstock as well to see what the birdseye maple will look like when finished....Perfect I think...

March 9th, 2008, 08:30 PM	#25 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 56 Posts: 4,305 1 Photos	Looking good! Do you have your story straight for when you go to work tomorrow and somebody spots "stripper dust" on you? Although it is tempting, don't put that DEFT on there very fast. Building it up quickly seems to slow the overall drying time. At least that is my experience. That is going to look cool. __________________ "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

March 9th, 2008, 09:16 PM	#26 (permalink)
Spunky99 Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Redondo beach Age: 54 Posts: 274	Thanks for the compliment and the advice Buck. I remember reading somewhere that lacquer melts into the layer below forming a beautiful single coat which gives it that "French Polish" look. I also believe the drying time will increase if I don't slow down here. Since I live in warm and dry sunny southern California, I am blessed with a faster drying time than you have in Iowa. I wish I could have found a color in lacquer that better matched the sparkles as any mistakes are visible with red as the undercoat. I just have to be very careful. BTW: the "Stripper Dust" is all over the driveway and in front of 3 garages now for my apartment building and it looks so cool in the sunlight. A lot better than all the orange airsoft BBs I shot back there last year. I've been able to contain the sparkles and the apartment is clean...so far.... I think I'm looking at what?....40 coats of clear Deft before I can sand and polish the glittery headstock?