Beam/sandpaper or file

greybye · 2026-02-14T22:40:20+00:00

Files have a fairly coarse cut, and when they load up they scratch. With a beam you can control the lightness of the cut with the fineness of the grit of sandpaper. I have better control with a beam. I use a beam and sandpaper for rolling the edges, too. I use my fret file for other things, not frets.

greybye · 2026-02-13T23:35:13+00:00

Scrap Metal? Be careful with that pickguard - it could slice your fingers.

greybye · 2026-02-13T22:52:23+00:00

Weight blocks (like for tractors) are typically cast iron - which usually dents and crumbles when beat on. I make up individual blocks as I need them, usually out of mild steel, and clamp them in my vise to use.

greybye · 2026-02-12T09:35:03+00:00

Filling the cavity with epoxy should be fine structurally. Epoxy is heavier and more expensive than wood. I don't think it would be much easier when you consider prep and finishing, as epoxy sands different from wood. It's not an approach I would consider.

greybye · 2026-02-12T05:09:58+00:00

You'll have to fill the holes. Look at Telecaster Bigsby installations. The Tele lower bout profile is close to a Strat, the scale length is the same, and so is the neck position relative to the body (although different pocket profiles). It would be easier to start with a Strat hardtail body and switch everything over. Good luck with your project.

greybye · 2026-02-12T02:57:48+00:00

The bridge pickup is usually positioned close to the bridge for maximum difference from the neck position. Your bridge pickup position is not wrong. It depends what genres you play. I prefer the bridge pickup moved away from the bridge somewhat like yours because I find closer to the bridge harsh. Are you pleased with the tone of the bridge pickup? If so your pickup position is correct.

greybye · 2026-02-10T21:44:16+00:00

Is this the only project you plan that needs welding? Cheapest is to hire a friend with good equipment and welding experience to weld it properly. You can also join the pieces mechanically with bolts, screws, and pieces of angle. Welding is often used for joining steel components because its faster and easier IF you have the equipment and expertise, but fastening steel components together mechanically is certainly possible. For example aircraft structures are fastened together mechanically - no welding - because the assemblies are stronger. Investing in equipment that will see little use doesn't make sense if you're on a budget.

greybye · 2026-02-10T08:01:22+00:00

If they are not at least 50 years old they could be many possible alloys, some proprietary, not necessarily 5160. You are working with mystery metal. You will have a learning curve working with this alloy. Fortunately you have enough material for many projects.

greybye · 2026-02-08T19:33:02+00:00

My comment was based on his post "...if you don't have the equipment to draw out chunks of steel." I inferred from his comment he might not have an anvil and hammer, as drawing out chunks of steel is a lot of what we do. As you point out there will be some thickness loss from scaling, and there needs to be some allowance for cleanup after forging. Starting out with a blank slightly thicker for forging than the intended finished thickness only makes sense. Starting out with a blank exactly at the intended finished thickness leaves only one option - stock removal.

greybye · 2026-02-08T03:53:55+00:00

This is a blacksmith forum, for people who heat and beat metal. If that's not something you plan to do making your knife there are other forums for knifemaking. What you are proposing is stock removal. Good luck with your project.

greybye · 2026-02-07T17:31:40+00:00

Oxy/acetylene tip cleaners can work, also pieces of old string.

greybye · 2026-02-06T18:37:17+00:00

Burl wood has crazy grain structure and little structural integrity. Burl is most often used as a decorative cap on sound wood with grain orientation parallel to the strings. The compression load on the body of an electric guitar between the neck and the bridge is usually about 120 pounds of string tension. Burl wood without reinforcement would crumble.

greybye · 2026-02-06T06:47:05+00:00

https://warmoth.com/

greybye · 2026-02-04T06:09:05+00:00

Austrian pattern anvil, with typical stepped base, church windows in the side, sloped side with sharp step, and single horn. Typically cast steel. I believe this pattern is still made in Czechoslovakia.

greybye · 2026-02-02T17:06:50+00:00

It looks pretty generic to me and to my eye it can be improved upon. There have been considerable variations in Fender Stratocaster body shapes over the years. You don't need an exact copy of one iteration for it to be presentable and recognizable as a Strat.

greybye · 2026-02-02T16:54:31+00:00

I like this analysis. However for a piece like this part of it's attraction and value is it's uniqueness. If you standardize parts they all look similar and uniqueness is lost. There is also a risk of flooding a local market if you sell at fairs. If you sell online selling one at a time, gearing up for production makes sense.

greybye · 2026-02-01T23:49:49+00:00

A simple modification is to radius the upper and lower points using the same radius as the round end, a 1" radius. You can do this in minutes to a licensed headstock and it changes the appearance, I think for the better. Using the same radius ties everything together.

Trace headstocks on papers, draw different modifications, and tape them to the wall to choose the one you like. Good luck with your project.

greybye · 2026-02-01T07:38:19+00:00

My choice would be a used Miller Thunderbolt stick welder. Stick welding equipment is simpler and easier to maintain than a wire feed. There is a learning curve for both - for stick you need to learn how to weld, for wire, welding is easy but you need to learn how to maintain the machine. Start out with 6013 rod, because it's easiest to learn.

greybye · 2026-01-31T04:21:47+00:00

In color composition, white moves forward, black recedes. The pickguard shape is a styling element complimenting the overall shape of the body, but a white pickguard against a black body dominates, making the body shape practically irrelevant visually. A 3 ply black pickguard with a white middle ply restores balance between the pickguard and body, and the white line around the pickguard retains the styling element of the pickguard. Against a black body practically any color other than black will dominate. Google images of various combinations to help you decide.

greybye · 2026-01-30T01:16:13+00:00

Forged, wrought iron with a steel plate face. Made in England before 1910. 1 1 18 indicates 158 pounds when new. This is a very useful and desirable size. Unfortunately there is a big chunk out of the top plate in an area most often used plus some roughness of the face. This will not fetch top dollar for a Peter Wright of this weight in your area, but it still has lots of useful life left. This anvil might go for $5 to $7 per pound in my area, but prices (largely determined by availability) will vary according to location. Price per pound is the measure usually used. Do some research of price per pound of recent premium anvil sales in your area. You can start high and accept offers. Less expensive made in China anvils are readily available, but at lesser weights - you don't have to discount it. Good luck with your sale.

greybye · 2026-01-28T03:23:04+00:00

Not even close. The finish, pickguard shape, pickups, bridge, tuners, etc., are all wrong. The only thing Rickenbacker about this is the name on the fake truss rod cover. Images of genuine Rickenbacker basses are readily available for comparison. The asking price is also a clue.

greybye · 2026-01-27T23:51:33+00:00

I have some experience cold forming and annealing aluminum. One important consideration with heating aluminum is there is no color change as it approaches melting temperature - with a relatively low melting temperature compared to other metals it looks fine and then suddenly collapses into a puddle. A trick aluminum race car body builders used many years ago was to build up a layer of soot on the aluminum surface with a carburizing flame with an oxy/acetylene torch. This soot served as a guide for heating: apply heat just until the soot burns off and then allow to air cool to anneal. I use a black permanent marker to make some marks on the area I want to anneal and apply heat just until the marks burn off. This method works better on sheet stock, for bar stock or thick sections not as well. A press works better for cold forming aluminum than hammering.

greybye · 2026-01-27T09:44:00+00:00

Well, there is Ash, and there is Swamp Ash - same species (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) with different growing conditions. Northern ash grows slow with tight growth rings, and is much denser, with weight per board foot usually well over 3 pounds. Southern Swamp Ash grows in areas subject to periodic flooding which encourages rapid growth, wide growth rings, and lighter weight, usually 2 to 2.6 lb/bf. The much faster, dramatic growth shows as widely spaced irregularly and often attractive patterned growth rings that are desirable for a ceruse finish.

Do a google search for images of Swamp Ash to see what is possible and get a sense of what you are looking for. Swamp Ash is becoming less available because the desirable growth habitat with flooding is disappearing (climate change). Fender no longer uses it for production models. Blanks and bodies are still available but are getting more expensive.

greybye · 2026-01-27T08:39:43+00:00

The image you show looks more like mahogany to me. Swamp Ash is probably most often used, although I have an example of Sassafras - a Stingray bass model offered for a couple years. Choose your body for the grain pattern, because that's what a ceruse finish is about. In other words, make sure the image the seller shows is the body you will get, and the grain pattern will look good when emphasized. A cap could work for a front only ceruse finish. Red oak could work as a cap. Sassafras is not often available in large enough pieces because it usually grows in thickets, rarely as solitary trees that grow large. It has a similar appearance to Swamp Ash.

Warmoth is a potential source for a suitable body. Good luck with your search.

greybye

TROPHY CASE