Hi everyone, I thought my Gretsch needs something else on its head instead of its black truss rod cover so I build some flames with a skull. As a little feature the mouth of the skull is slightly open. I left a little gap between the teeth in the size of a guitar pick so that I can put it there when it`s not needed... It`s printed in "frosted ultra detail" and I´ve painted it with acrylic gloss enamel but I think next time I will try something else because I don`t really like the surface, it`s not smooth enough... Maybe next time I`ll spray the colour to get it more constant and have a smoother look. Has anyone a nice way of getting something like this varnished? Any tips or tricks? Would love to hear them... Some pics are attached to show the printed model before and after mounting it on the guitar. Cheerz!!
...thanx alot for your nice comments, I appreciate that! Maybe I`ll try something else in stainless steel for my other Gretsch. I´m planning to make some more guitar parts to customize them, can`t wait to model... Kind regards !!
Yes, Very cool! I've often thought 3dp could produce some very cool custom guitar parts, knobs, maybe even tuning pegs? Hobby model shops sell paints well suited for plastics. "Pactra" and "Tamiya" brand produce a special line of colors for use on polycarbonate, it should work fine on the acrylic FUD. I mention these because they bond better and remain tougher and more durable than most other paint formulations. PLUS they come in a wild variety of colors; metallics, pearls transparents and opaques. To get a flawless finish with ANY paint you will need to do some elbow work with abrasive papers (wet/dry) to smooth out the raw print. The more attention devoted here the better the final finish. Primer coats will hide micro surface blemishes but not print lines! After smoothing and priming then go topcoats of your color. If you play guitar, you have all the hand skills you need to produce a great paint job. Just wear headphones when working. -G
Hey GlenG, thanks a lot for these great tips!! I`ll try those colours next time. And in fact I`m actually working on some guitar tuners, knobs, pick up frames and pick guards! I`ve got so many models under construction, seems like it takes ages to finish them all... But I hope to have the next thing ready soon... And the painting part was really fun. Didn`t paint anything for years! Tried pinstriping a while ago and airbrush and I think I`ll have to reanimate those skills again... And by the way, no need for headphones, "Rock`n`Roll is never too loud" as the Stray Cats once sang... Kind regards from Hamburg!
Dusting off the airbrush is a good idea. An airbrush allows much more control and finesse than a spray can. Hobby shop paint is always overpriced and spray cans are the most expensive way to buy paint. I only mentioned that particular formulation because this type of paint dries very hard yet retains flexibility for impact resistance. It's what they use on RC cars and heli's. -G P.S. My Sennheiser's can make your ears bleed!
Hi you all, I´ve just reworked the flames a bit because the first ones were quite narrow and as I wanted to use the existing holes in my Gretsch I had to drill the holes in my flames really near the edge. So now I`ve got two versions of the Truss Rod Covers in my shop. Two Truss Rod Covers with flames quite narrow and two with flames and skull a little more expanded. At the moment the Gretsch is "wearing" only the pure flames... Cheerz!!
It looks really cool! think it's a good idea to make the flames a bit bigger.. otherwise you might break it.. My boyfriend wants to customize his guitar too now xD Good luck with your other products!
...thanks a lot!! Hope your boyfriend will share pics of his customized guitar here too! Have a nice start into the new week..!