Warped pickguard

[wraub]

Any way to straighten out a pickguard?
This one is a mother of shower curtain type with approx. 1/8 deflection from flat. Guitar is a Squier Tom Delonge Strat.
Contemplating turning the guard upside down and lightly applying heat and pressure.
Think this might work?

wraub

[SurferJoe46]

Not really in my experience. Once they change shape, they've liberated some of either the plasticizers or lost some of the aromatics that are necessary for shape/size stability.

Heat will usually muck it up pretty bad. I've had brand new PGs that while they were awaiting installation and while they were in the original packaging they still shrunk or warped.

Some plastics are more stable than others too. Tort - made from REAL celluloid is very unstable. BT - DT.

[dtripoli]

No, pickguards can be flattened. There are many past thread on TB explaining various techniques for this with excellent results.

[TheEmptyCell]

Put it between two sheets of glass and set it out in the sun. Just don't leave it out too long, and handle everything carefully.

[Mickey Mao]

Originally Posted by TheEmptyCell

Put it between two sheets of glass and set it out in the sun. Just don't leave it out too long, and handle everything carefully.

+1

This has worked for me. Make sure it cools before removing from the glass.

[JoeWPgh]

Is it the original PG or a replacement? I've been battling one from WD that bubbles because it's a bad fit. I've gotten it almost flat by filing any edge that touches something and, slightly enlarging the screw holes and backing the screws off a 1/4 turn

[wraub]

Yeah, it's the original guard, a pretty thin w/b/w 3 ply with the top layer having that accordion thing going on (visually, I mean.)

Will try something like that glass thing asap, although it'd be a lot faster in Summer around here.
If that's not successful, I'll try the file and screw hole tricks.

Thanks to all.

wraub