Candy Red Strat - COMPLETE!

[rgand]

Nice decal, Frank. Looks good. I like the birdseye in the headstock, too. What a nice piece of wood.

 

[fdesalvo]

Thank you. Will hopefully bury easily. Can’t even feel the edge of the decal with my finger. Will just take a litttle time. 

 

[BigSteve22]

Thank you. Will hopefully bury easily. Can’t even feel the edge of the decal with my finger. Will just take a litttle time.

That looks great, Frank! I didn't think you could bury a decal with Tru Oil. Is that what you usually use? I always use lacquer, anxious to see how it turns out.

 

[rgand]

Thank you. Will hopefully bury easily. Can’t even feel the edge of the decal with my finger. Will just take a litttle time.

That looks great, Frank! I didn't think you could bury a decal with Tru Oil. Is that what you usually use? I always use lacquer, anxious to see how it turns out.

This is interesting. Do you just rub it on with a finger and let that slowly level the surface with a bunch of coats?

 

[fdesalvo]

Oh, I’ll tell you how it turned out. As soon as the TO hit the decal, the color ran and the decal crumbled.  Apparently this decal wasn’t top coated with anything or wasn’t reverse printed. It is no more.

Many people have successfully used TO to bury decals - it’s just par for the course and the icing on the cake that was my week. 

At least I still have all that pretty Birdseye to look at. 

 

[rgand]

Well, heck. Maybe next time, a coat of shellac to seal it in first?

 

[fdesalvo]

Well, heck. Maybe next time, a coat of shellac to seal it in first?

Yah. Sounds like that’s the plan. It was literally like that scene from Indiana Jones, when the Nazis opened the ark. I could only laugh. 

 

[rgand]

Well, heck. Maybe next time, a coat of shellac to seal it in first?

Yah. Sounds like that’s the plan. It was literally like that scene from Indiana Jones, when the Nazis opened the ark. I could only laugh.

Sometimes that's the best thing to do. :icon_biggrin:

 

[BigSteve22]

Hey, that sucks Bro! Hope you have a spare decal. When I put the decal on my current build, I was going to wipe it down with naptha before top coating, just to make sure there was no dust or oil to screw up the lacquer. Fortunately I had some spare to try it out on first, because apparently naptha also wipes the ink off Rothco & Frost decals too! Things get better, they always do.

 

[fdesalvo]

Indeed, Robert!

Hey, that sucks Bro! Hope you have a spare decal. When I put the decal on my current build, I was going to wipe it down with naptha before top coating, just to make sure there was no dust or oil to screw up the lacquer. Fortunately I had some spare to try it out on first, because apparently naptha also wipes the ink off Rothco & Frost decals too! Things get better, they always do.

This was a Rothco & Frost piece, too. They probably mentioned compatability in the documentation, but the decal ended up in a general decal envelop lol.  I do have some CBS style Fender decals I could use, but I’m tempted to just get her up and running at this point.  I don’t have the time I once did or access to all of my equipment and finishing gear due to a recent move and storeage situation. Still tempted to explore an alternate possibility. 

Cheers!

 

[rgand]

I called a trophy & engraving shop today to see if they could laser a logo on a headstock and they say they can do so for about $30. I may have that done on one soon. Maybe that's a possible option for you.

 

[fdesalvo]

I called a trophy & engraving shop today to see if they could laser a logo on a headstock and they say they can do so for about $30. I may have that done on one soon. Maybe that's a possible option for you.

That’s something I was considering. Would be very cool to see it done. 

 

[rgand]

I called a trophy & engraving shop today to see if they could laser a logo on a headstock and they say they can do so for about $30. I may have that done on one soon. Maybe that's a possible option for you.

That’s something I was considering. Would be very cool to see it done.

I have an itch to do that myself. It's mighty tempting. Mighty.

 

[bagman67]

I have a handful of die-cut Warmoth logos in chrome and gold, if you think you might want to go that route, Frank.  Let me know.

 

[Cagey]

Yah. Sounds like that’s the plan. It was literally like that scene from Indiana Jones, when the Nazis opened the ark. I could only laugh. 

Years ago, I shot some straight acetone on a lacquer finish, thinking it would level it out. Same thing. Bizarre to watch. I didn't laugh, though. I invented new cuss words <grin>

 

[fdesalvo]

Yah. Sounds like that’s the plan. It was literally like that scene from Indiana Jones, when the Nazis opened the ark. I could only laugh. 

Years ago, I shot some straight acetone on a lacquer finish, thinking it would level it out. Same thing. Bizarre to watch. I didn't laugh, though. I invented new cuss words <grin>

I’d have torn my own hair out!

I have a handful of die-cut Warmoth logos in chrome and gold, if you think you might want to go that route, Frank.  Let me know.

Hey, now. I’d probably have gone that route, but I found this and went il classico. That was very generous of you.  I hear those are rarer then hen’s teeth!

Now, since this is the classic island decal, I could technically leave it be on top of the finish, but I’ve got to sink it. The spare test decal loves tru oil, so that’s a pathway. I’ve also got a can of Spraymax 2k Glamour Clear (not fingernail paint!) that I’ve been sitting on.  Since I’m not looking to bury the decal under a pane of glass, I’m going to continue with the TO.  I’m looking for a slightly aged/matte finish and maybe even a little bit of visible edge to the decal.  Have seen some really cool examples of these late 60’s style headstocks that have ‘em both ways. 

PS:

I’ll also add that I made the mistake of summoning Fat Pete for some whiz bang headstock ideas.  That dude is a creative kraken and should be doing in-house design work for handsome pay. In 10 minutes time, he had some amazing options. If I had the time to spend, there would be some additional madness going on at the north end of this guitar.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I had the same thing happen with a Rothko and Frost decal a while back. Shot it with Bullseye shellac and it crinkled up as soon as the stuff touched it. Was weird and unfortunate. But I’ve also had decals from them that took the same finish without issue...  :icon_scratch:

Regardless, the F decal looks great. I’m interested to see how things go with the True Oil, as I’m always looking for an alternative to spraying over decals...

 

[stratamania]

Rothko and Frost do state the decals they sell are only compatible with certain finishes. A while ago someone on Youtube was saying there is no reason Tru-oil cannot go over a decal. Well, we just now know the reason the results may or may not work depending on the decal.

By the time Fender was doing large headstock logos, they were definitely under lacquer.

 

[fdesalvo]

Under first coat of TO. Dried without issue. Holy picture size!

Coat 6 unpolished.

 

[fdesalvo]

Edges of the decal are almost gone.  Everything seems to cure fast here in CA.  WHat's apparent is the decal itself will be visible from steep angles regardless of how far under I bury it.  The translucency of the sticker itself is less than that of the TO - but that's alright!  It looks great for what I want and it's dead clear from dead on.

Also, made it to storage and found my abrasive cords and nut files.  If this neck is anything like the one on the blue guitar, it won't require any fretwork to get it down to ludicrous action. 

Cheers - upload pics soon.