Warped tortoise pickguard

[fatstring]

Received a new tortoise celluloid guard from Warmoth and the whole thing is warped like a cup, so the area around the pickup would bulge outward if you attempted to mount it. Warmoth support says "that's how the celluloid materials work". Anyone have a tip to safely flatten the guard? I'm a little afraid to put flammable material in the oven like I have seen suggested on the web. Other Warmoth builders must have run into this. Thanks.

(edited to make the quote from Warmoth support accurate)

 

[Glimmer]

Here's a thread on the Offset Guitar forum showing how one member straightened out a vintage celluloid pickguard.

 

[BigSteve22]

The article that Glimmer posted is very informative.

Can you please post a picture showing how warped your pickguard is. When my strat pickguard arrived, it was dead flat.  ???

 

[fatstring]

Hecka warped. Trying attachment, newb to forum so I will see if this works.

 

[fatstring]

Glimmer thanks for the thread. I only own two c-clamps, that one guy had quite a collection! I do have one pair of vice grips.

I live in Denver so I have hot Colorado sun to set it in. The oven makes me a little nervous on the flammability. If it bursts into flame I want it to be out in the yard. I'll find something heavy and stack it up for a few days. Thing is, its new so I could still return it. No point if they re-ship me another pringles-shaped guard.

 

[pabloman]

It'll take over 200° for that to catch fire. It should probably be labeled combustible and not flammable.  I'd have to research that to be sure. Anyhow, I once left a Strat pickguard in the backseat of my truck in the warm Colorado sun and it curls up worse than yours. All I did was lay it on a granite cheese board, hit it with a heat gun and then put another marble cutting board on top of it. When it cooled it was fine.

 

[DangerousR6]

I'm having a hard time believing Warmoth would purposefully sell a warped pickguard...I've been around here a long time and have never seen or heard of that before.. :icon_scratch:

 

[dmraco]

I'm having a hard time believing Warmoth would purposefully sell a warped pickguard...I've been around here a long time and have never seen or heard of that before.. :icon_scratch:

with the high heat it could have happened during shipping.

 

[Cagey]

I'm having a hard time believing Warmoth would purposefully sell a warped pickguard...I've been around here a long time and have never seen or heard of that before.. :icon_scratch:

That was my first thought, too. Then, I wondered about the "celluloid" description. Very few pickguards are made of that material any more - the vast majority are vinyl, and I always assumed Warmoth's were as well. So, a little looking around and whaddaya know? Some of their tortoise parts are celluloid. According to the sources that led me there (pen makers, oddly enough), it produces a superior appearance when doing the tortoise thing. It's not used for other 'guards due to cost and stability issues.

Learn a new thing every day. Sometimes, two things.

 

[fatstring]

Thanks pabloman I did not think of cutting boards. I have a Corian one and I could oven heat the guard and then stick it under that with big pot of water on top after taking it out to let it cool.

I was a little surprised at the Warmoth response too, but I bet it did get some heat courtesy of the UPS truck. Would probably be accurate to say they are prone to warping in the heat. Maybe not so much that they all come warped.

 

[DangerousR6]

I'm having a hard time believing Warmoth would purposefully sell a warped pickguard...I've been around here a long time and have never seen or heard of that before.. :icon_scratch:

with the high heat it could have happened during shipping.

Good point, if it sat in a hot truck or warehouse for a while could cause it to warp.. :dontknow:

 

[fatstring]

Well, 10 min in 200 deg oven then overnight pressed flat under slab of Corian and 2 gallon pot of water. This morning, looks roughly the same. If it was old and I owned it I would play further games but for a new purchase, it's going back. Got to decide if I try a do-over or just stick with the black, or no-guard.

This guard shipped in with a pack of Schaller strap-locks so it was in a box sort of loose. My previous black guard (non-celluloid) shipped in a flat Manila padded envelope. Maybe I'll try the do-over, it's a sweet looking tort even with the protective film still on.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

The ones I ordered shipped together with the bodies they were intended for so they were held down nice and flat and arrived just that way. Having room to sag while sitting in a hot truck is likely what caused it. And frankly, I'd say whatever happens to your purchase until it's in your hands is ultimately the shipper's responsibility, not yours.

 

[swarfrat]

Heat gun sounds like it should work. When I was a poor college student I tried using a match to fire polish worn picks - instead of melting, it burst into flame and burned quite aggressively. Seriously, like a pile of loose gun powder aggressively.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

I'd be reluctant to use too much heat without some way of maintaining the shape. Celluloid has the nasty habit of shrinking over time. I wouldn't be surprised if heating it beyond a certain point (probably the one where it starts to become pliable) would cause it to instashrink.

 

[fatstring]

FOr future readers, I ended up re-trying the oven, set at 210, for about 35 min(preheated) on top of this pizza-stone thing covered with a sheet of foil. Peeked in the oven window until I saw the warp arc sag down nearly flat. Then removed it from the oven leaving it on the stone which holds some heat too and put my smooth Corian slab over top. Left until cool and now it's flat. For now anyway.

Warmoth support holds that some warping is the nature of the celluloid tort material they use. They should probably annotate that on their site for the unsuspecting buyer. I did not expect DIY tasks associated with flattening a brand-new pickguard, but it's done. Now back to spraying clear coats on my bass body for today.

 

[BigSteve22]

Glad it worked out for, looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labors.

They should probably annotate that on their site.....

I agree. Not everyone is familiar with this, and a little information can prevent a lot of angst.  :doh:

 

[ghotiphry]

Fatstring, thanks for this.  I just ordered and received a tortoise guard from Warmoth, with a similar problem, although not nearly as extreme as it was packed with a new body.  I'm going to try your hint.  If it doesn't work, I just might have to wait until it cools down (say October?) to order another.

 

[musicispeace]

Watched a documentary on hazards of Victorian England and items made of celluloid were one of them. Be careful working with heat on that material. We need all the forum members!

 

[ghotiphry]

I ended up just adding an extra pg screw in the center of the guard, just to hold the warp down.  Of course mine wasn't nearly as bad as the one pictured here.