Making Things Perfectly Clearcoat

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 11:40 am

Seems to me like those stick-ons will unstick themselves fairly soon. Maybe I could put a clear coating over them?.... some sort of clear nail polish?

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:06 pm

Kent..

Did you try a Sharpie? It's almost impossible to get the stuff off of anything... trust me, I have a 2-year old...

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:06 pm

OK, you want permanent?

Carefully drill a 3/16" diameter hole centered in the old marker. This is twice the diameter of the old marker, and will show just fine unless the light is really dim. Drill the hole about 1/4" deep. This can be done slowly and carefully with a variable speed cordless drill, without scratching the guitar, but the drill bit must be sharp.

Go to your nearest plastics store (listed in the Yellow Pages under "Plastics--Raw Materials--Sheets, Rod and Tubing") and buy a foot of 3/16" black ABS rod. If they don't have ABS, you can use nylon or bakelite or acrylic, although these last two are kind of hard.

Using a pair of fret nippers or side-cutters, snip off a short piece of the rod for each marker you want to replace. Insert the rod into the pre-drilled holes, using a dab of Devcon 5-minute epoxy to hold the rod in place. When this is fully hardened, carefully trim the rod as flush with the neck surface as you can, and then sand with #320 grit paper until flush. Careful! You don't want flat spots...

Then wetsand the upper surface of the neck with #1000 wet or dry paper, and buff out by hand using a CSCC (Clean Soft Cotton Cloth) and some 3M Perfect-It III rubbing/polishing compound until the gloss is back. Now wax with a good quality wax.

That's how I would do it for permanence...

If you want to do a clear coating over paper or vinyl stick-ons, use old-style shiny Scotch tape, which should last at least a couple of months. I'd use a 1/2" wide strip down the entire top edge of the neck, to minimize seams which want to peel up.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:11 pm

Bob has something there, but my solutions tend to be elegant, some would say tedious... (NAH!)

Sharpie uses a dye that is actualy purple in color, but very intense. The problem is that it does rub off and it's hard to keep it from looking like a...Sharpie. I just believe that Rickenbackers deserve better. So, either easily-reversible temporary, or nicely-done permanent, in my book.

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:27 pm

Paul=expert

Bob=Hack

Just so you guys know... there's NO Sharpie on my Rick! I've seen worse... I once saw a bassist DUCT TAPE a set list to an early-70's Jazz... and was there when he was mortified at the residue it left!

winston · Post by **winston** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:09 pm

Kent,

I suggest that you do what I did. I got so frustrated playing in venues with poor lighting and postage stamp stages that I taught myself to play in the dark. All these years later I very rarely look at the neck of my guitar whenever I play. It will take you 2-3 months to master the technique, but it's worth it. Plus it would save messing up a great guitar IMO

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:38 pm

Would it surprise you if I told you that duct tape won't harm most factory finishes?

And, the residue comes off with lighter fluid (naphtha).

shinynewtoy · Post by **shinynewtoy** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:49 pm

Very much so!

I just went by his unfortunate reaction... and as such never went within a mile of my basses with it. Maybe that's why Hendrix was always lighting his guitars up!

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:57 pm

Paul, interesting observation you gave Brian about playing in the dark. I have found if I try not to look at the neck when I'm playing I perform much better. The opposite is true when I am looking at it. But, it's the tendency to sneak a peek which requires discipline to break you have the habit.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:21 pm

Brian... its more "the" look than "having" to look, although learning to play in the dark is not a bad idea... after all, Jose Feliciano did it!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 5:58 pm

And he was a hell of a race driver, too!

dswp · Post by **dswp** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 4:41 am

I must confess.

I purchased a MB 4003, VP, Left Handed, stringed Right handed.

I really had a hard time playing it right handed, without the fret markers.

So enter the Sharpie.

I laid the bass on my desk, and using a block of wood as a level guide, I dotted the neck.

From two feet away, it looks great.

Just don’t get any closer.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 5:08 am

For absolution, wax your 4003 this weekend.

We've all created two footers at one time or another out of necessity.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:59 pm

Wel.... I went ahead with the nail polish method. I tried it out on a piece of natural finish furnature first and it seemed ok.

I used masking tape to outline thin rectangles around the existing dots on the fretboard (about 1/4" long and slightly thicker than the dot... not very big, but a lot more noticeable than just the dot). I applied 2 coats (black) letting each dry fully.

I think the result is good. When the tape is peeled off I noticed that there was slight bleeding at the corners and that the nail polish had built up a noticeable thickness. I used the non-sharpened back edge of an exacto knife to rub down the sharp edges of the nail polish.

The nail polish seems to be staying on ... at least through last nights gig anyways. It can, however, be removed by carefully scraping it off.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:46 pm

Good for you. Unfortunately, I too often think like Mr. Perfectionist Control Freak when it comes to guitar stuff.

Excuse me now, I have to go tighten my thumbscrews...