Custom Tele Pickguard

[Hammerhead]

Edited June 25, 2010 by Hammerhead

[abn]

That's some of the best figure carving I've seen on this site. It's incredible how much detail you were able to achieve. Really nice.

[Buttons]

Really nice job!

[woodandsteel]

Very nice! Really impressive carving! Making Tele pickguards is one of the ideas that got me interested in leather work. I have one I cut out of an existing pice of tooled leather, but I want to learn to tool my own.

Did you glue it down to tool it? It sort of looks that way from the picture. Are you going to coat it with anything to stiffen it or harden it to prevent pick wear?

What weight/thickness of leather did you use?

I'd love to see it on a guitar and see how the thickness affects string height/playability.

[King's X]

It is a really nice job you have there! I do have a question that peaked my interest. Do you glue your work to your granite block? Also, what size (ounce) of leather are you using? I've got a friend that wants me to make one, but I have no experience with these "pick guards."

Thanks.

[Hammerhead]

Very nice! Really impressive carving! Making Tele pickguards is one of the ideas that got me interested in leather work. I have one I cut out of an existing pice of tooled leather, but I want to learn to tool my own.

Did you glue it down to tool it? It sort of looks that way from the picture. Are you going to coat it with anything to stiffen it or harden it to prevent pick wear?

What weight/thickness of leather did you use?

I'd love to see it on a guitar and see how the thickness affects string height/playability.

It is a really nice job you have there! I do have a question that peaked my interest. Do you glue your work to your granite block? Also, what size (ounce) of leather are you using? I've got a friend that wants me to make one, but I have no experience with these "pick guards."

Thanks.

yeah i glue it down with some 3M super 77 adhesive, leather not to thick not to thin, i use whatever i have on hand, after it gets wet and dry a few times and hammered on it seems to get stiff enough, sealed with satin sheen and stick a piece of paper on the back to keep any glue left on the back from sticking to the guitar

[King's X]

Thanks.

[dragonspit]

the carving is awesome. as a total noob, I have a question, it looks like you did all our trimming outlined of the whole piece after you were done with tooling. how in the world did you get your lines so clean. it looks so clean like it was almost stamped out as one big piece but I can see in the previous pics that aint so. I have only tried a few methods so far, (box cutter, round knife) but your lines even before you finished them are just amazing to me. How did you do that?

[TomSwede]

Very clean and sweet carving!

That is a babe

Tom

[Hammerhead]

the carving is awesome. as a total noob, I have a question, it looks like you did all our trimming outlined of the whole piece after you were done with tooling. how in the world did you get your lines so clean. it looks so clean like it was almost stamped out as one big piece but I can see in the previous pics that aint so. I have only tried a few methods so far, (box cutter, round knife) but your lines even before you finished them are just amazing to me. How did you do that?

x-acto knife

[ericluther]

great work man!! youre on the TDPRI forum! small world

[chancey77]

great work man!! youre on the TDPRI forum! small world

I am there too:)