TWANG Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Haven't got a pic for you yet, the glue is drying now. Got this piece of aluminum doorsill at ace hardware.. long strip about two inches wide and three feet long. snipped off an inch of the end. grabbed a pliers. should have used something to pad it... but it worked out in the end. put it on the grinder.. after having cut another short piece off.. started with about a nickels width. rounded the edges.. 'bout half a nickel size.. little smaller.. messed around with a metal file, fine.. and got the big scratches out.. switched to 320 grit emery paper.. laid flat on a table and scooched the alum. back and forth a bunch of times. took the smaller scratches out. then went to 600 grit. hey starting to look good. got the #4 Meguiers swirl remover and the dremel on it.. used a lot.. well. a lot for something so small. buffed right up. shiny as the bigsbys aluminum. Now instead of that thick pickguard material, I have metal, with a thin and shiny edge, instead of a thick ugly plastic edge.. and it really does look exactly like it's part of the bigsby. Anybody wants one I'll either make you one, or cut some pieces out.. you can have the pieces free if you want to do the work. takes about half an hour.. will take me less since I got it down now, I know how to not make so many scratches. I'll post a GOOD pic when the glue drys.. it really does look great. Gonna go make another for the tiny dowel showing on the high string side, too.. that's about the size of a pencil tip. dropped it about eight million times.. you have to expect that, it's hard to hold onto and anything but your fingers will scratch the aluminum. You could build two of these, in a circle, for those bigsbys that leave the entire hole showing and just elmers those suckers on.. or some other glue. I went with titebond even though it's metal to wood.. it's just gotta stick.. It's not in a place where you're going to bang into it. but you could use superglue or airplane cement. just don't get any of that on your finish. I wasn't sure I could get a nice shiny finish on it. never worked with aluminum before. but it was a snap. esp. with the swirl remover/dremel. I think this is the ticket folks.. looks like part of the bigs.. cheap as all get out. fairly easy to do with just a little patience and some cheap paper.. I do think you need to polish it.. and the dremel had little effect dry.. This is really the way to go, I think. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Proof, is in the pictures...looking forward to seeing your efforts, Twang! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 10, 2008 Author Share Posted November 10, 2008 be about an hour! TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 10, 2008 Author Share Posted November 10, 2008 here we go.. looks like I got a little antsy about putting it on.. I can see a little scratch I didn't get out. and I can fit it better too.. though you really have to squint when it's not a blown up pic. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Interesting...almost looks like part of the Bigsby, itself. Sounds like a lot of work, for a "plug," but...doesn't look bad, really. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 10, 2008 Author Share Posted November 10, 2008 not too much.. no more than it was to make the guard piece.. I need to pop it back off and get the top edge next to the bigs a little closer.. well, I don't need to, but I probably will. bad. hell I think it looks really good. better in person! tiny scratch right in the middle.. don't know how I missed it except via enthusiasm. I could have made it a bit smaller.. so I'll probably do that after a while.. when I go to make it's brother. I'll bevel it.. so the top edge next to the bigs is all that touches. that will make it fit tighter. hardest part was taking out the scratches I put in in the first place. I think I'll take a crack at a brushed aluminum truss rod cover next. I'll probably wind up with that whole doorsill on there somehow.*G* And if you look.. the new bridge bushings show the dowel beneath them.. betcha I can make a piece to cover that, too.. really thin circle.. I'll make a round piece.. then drill a hole in it.. then I'll take a bigger drill bit and counter sink it so that the bushing top just barely goes over metal on the inside.. buff it out nice.. and voila.. perfecto chango.. I bet I can get it to just barely cover the hole edge, too. this stuff works pretty easy. I like working this aluminum. it's fun. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Yeah, just don't breath the dust, and wear gloves! Not good stuff, for your body! Oh, I know..."Thanks MOM!" LOL! But, 'tis true! Enjoy, though... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 too late for gloves but I washed up immediately. I stopped breathing a long time ago. seriously I didn't wear a mask for it.. will next time. thanks TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSDx Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I think I'll take a crack at a brushed aluminum truss rod cover next. I'll probably wind up with that whole doorsill on there somehow.*G* And if you look.. the new bridge bushings show the dowel beneath them.. .............................................................. I like working this aluminum. it's fun. TWANG Hmmmmmm, something tells me TWANG has developed a serious affliction and perhaps we'll be seeing soon an aluminium laminated LP ????Heh.....j/k, TWANG - looks like a job well done, and there's always that great feeling you get when you McGuyver something up on yer own......especially when it comes out lookin' good An alu trc sounds as though it'd be easy enough .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Ya, it looks like part of the Bigs. Good job!! Stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 I took it off and made it a bit smaller last night.. and got the seam a bit tighter, too. and buffed it out some more. thanks you guys. I probably will try the tr cover. *L* I was thinking.. switch plate.. tr cover.. and bridge post washers.. tWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Gosh, maybe you could buy some of that, put a pickup on it, a bridge, paint some fret lines, add a brass nut, and some good tuners and have a "Lap Steel?" Or, would that be a "Lap Aluminum?" ;>) CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captmidnight Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Hey Twang, been waiting for you to get her finished...looking good my friend! now you almost got me wanting to do that to my studio, but the Wildkat takes care of my Bigsby fix. hows that roller bridge working out? I am not having troubles with my bridge on the WildKat but have noticed they did turn it around...guessing to help get the intonation right on it...which it is dead on, but the strings are so close to the setting screws this way...if they aren't touching they're damn close. Doesn't bother the playing or working of the bigsby tho. The substain almost last forever on it. I'm just wondering how the roller bridge is doing? Hear alot of things, some say they suck the tone out and kills the substain. while others say they love them. how are you liking it? Capt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 I think I'm going to try an aluminum nut. I've heard they do good things.. and lap steel guys like 'em, and some dobros, too. I'm gonna build a lap steel..*S* I've got some extra pups and tuners so why not? I want to do a wierd one.. maybe a double neck with two tunings? or maybe double courses, like many guitars used to be when strings were gut and not so loud.. that's two of each, not an octave apart like a 12 string. I dunno. something weird/different anyway. tWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Looks good Twang. Did you just glue the aluminum to the top of the guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 Hey Twang' date='been waiting for you to get her finished...looking good my friend! now you almost got me wanting to do that to my studio, but the Wildkat takes care of my Bigsby fix. hows that roller bridge working out? I am not having troubles with my bridge on the WildKat but have noticed they did turn it around...guessing to help get the intonation right on it...which it is dead on, but the strings are so close to the setting screws this way...if they aren't touching they're damn close. Doesn't bother the playing or working of the bigsby tho. The substain almost last forever on it. I'm just wondering how the roller bridge is doing? Hear alot of things, some say they suck the tone out and kills the substain. while others say they love them. how are you liking it? Capt[/quote'] I got more playing time in and if this changeover did anything it increased the sustain. the bridge works really nice.. the strings are close to the edge of the bridge.. nearly touching. that's the bigsby roller.. hey I'll try to take a better pic of that close up, maybe you can judge how it would work on your wildkat. I love the bridge though. and if they touch at all it's nearly zero.. no effect. the tone is great.. seems more open and airy.. sustain is either the same or increased! I also talked to a tech at WD today. Rons a great guy.. and he says he finally gave the graph tech saddles a shot on his Stromberg semi and swears there's no tonal change at all. He didn't want any change so he's happy with that. Also, I'd take his work on it.. he's always spot on and honest about everything with me over the years. TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 Looks good Twang. Did you just glue the aluminum to the top of the guitar? I tried titebond first.. and it fell off about an hour after it dried. Went to airplane glue now.. and it's much better.. but you know, that stuff will eventually wear out.. most likely. probably be a couple of years though.. it's meant for metal as well as plastic and wood.. I could even be wrong about it getting weaker. very much more solid though, for sure. If that doesn't hold, I'm going to superglue.. and then to epoxy.. epoxy in a very small dot on the top of the dowel should be easy to remove. Not that that's really much of an issue.. who'd want to switch back and leave all those bigsby holes? Probably should just epoxy it now! I just wanted to avoid any finish issues with chemical reaction.. but there's enough dowel top that a person can use anything they want I think. thanks.. I think it looks pretty spiffy! TWANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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