Bizzare Guitars: Custom Guitars, Guitar finishing, Custom Guitar Finishes : Links

FYI & DIY

For Your Information if you want to Do It Yourself.

Please let me preface this section by strongly saying that I will hold no liability for any injuries or falsehoods for any of my suggestions or experiments. They have worked for me as guides, remedies and quick fixes on each project guitar I've done, your results may be different.

The GALLERY section reflects what I have done with damaged guitar bodies bought on Ebay and local guitar stores, using my imagination to create the one-of-a-kind guitar designs in these pictures.

Every DYI'er is on a different "skill level" in reference to general tool knowledge and woodworking, electrical and painting tasks. Safety in the shop is of utmost importance!!!

I have personally done major wood and body repairs, wiring and repainting on Fender, Gibson, Kramer, Ibanez, BC Rich and Vandenberg guitars.

Please navigate the various sections (content to come) and e-mail me to let me know if a certain tip, tool or article has helped you. Also, let me know if you have ideas that have worked for you, and they will be posted if deemed relevant to my site.

SHOP SAFETY

Let me begin by stating that all tools are dangerous especially power tools!
Do not wear loose clothing, wear eye protection and dust mask. Tie your hair back (if u have any... and wear a short sleeve shirt.)
Buy a respirator if you intend to spray. I bought mine at Home Depot.

TOOLS & TIPS

A nice shop set up includes, stationary work bench with vice, portable workmate, table or radial saw, circular hand saw, hammer, drill press, small cordless hand drill, laminate router, orbital and belt sander, coping saw, sets of screw drivers (plain & phillips), wrenches (allen and standard), tape measurer, flat rulers, assorted files, exacto knife & cutting mat, shop vac.

ELECTRICAL

40 watt soldering iron from Radio Shack with a pack of flux and resin core solder. Also, get a soldering iron holder.
Beware... if you're careless and pick up the iron from the hot tip, you won't be playing guitar for a while! Think & take your time!

PAINTING

Treat guitars like furniture. To ready a guitar for painting, you will need pints of these solvents: naptha, acetone, lacquer thinner, denatured alcohol. Check out Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, local Ace Hardware stores, etc.
Don't forget to pick up rubber gloves, 0000 steel wool, lots of sandpapers (regular tan kind: 60, 100, 150, 220 grit. Wet / dry black paper: 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit at auto parts stores). Paint sticks are handy to have around with glass jars or plastic containers. Blue painter's masking tape in 2 inch, 3/4, 1/2, wax paper, zip lock bags. Lots of rags & paper towels, tack cloths.

MORE TO COME, INCLUDING...

Materials

Wood Prep

Sealing

Sanding

Incompatibilities
Top Coats
Gilding & Metallics
Fabric Finishes
My Favorites

Woods
Pickup Myths
Stuff That Doesn't Work

HOME, CUSTOM, VINTAGE, LINKS

For more information call 631-334-0901 or e-mail guitarist321@hotmail.com.

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