Clear pickguard?

[Fender_Bender]

I have not tried this, but you could sandwich it between two layers of plywood, mdf etc and rough cut it out with a hand held electric jigsaw on a slowish speed and see how the plastic behaves. Keep the blade moving at all times to prevent melting of the material.

 

[covermego]

Can't wait for your NBD .......................

 

[Code Brown]

Adhesive vinyl sheets are cheap and come in many colors and patterns. Might be easier than painting. Never tried it myself.

 

[NedRyerson]

Adhesive vinyl sheets are cheap and come in many colors and patterns. Might be easier than painting. Never tried it myself.

Most definitely a good idea to try.

For readers stumbling onto this post, be sure to practice good adhesive-sheet application technique. You've all seen poor/amateur application methods -- the poor dudes driving around with DIY window tinting on the back windows of their cars where the entire thing is just a sea of bubbles.

Prep by filling a spray bottle with water and a drop or two of dish soap. Get a squeegee of some fashion, like an old credit/gift card or similar. Spray the main surface with the spray bottle, apply the adhesive material, edge first then rolling down, then press flat, working outward to squeeze out any air bubbles. The slightly soapy water will allow just enough surface tension to let you push the bubbles out to the edges before squeezing out the rest of the fluid so that the adhesive can do its job.

Any bubbles that refuse to move can be relieved by using a needle to pop the surface of the adhesive material to let the air escape, then press down with your squeegee again to make the rest of it stick. If it completely fails, peel it off and try again. But if the vinyl gets too stretched out and distorted, toss it and start over.

Don't be the air-bubble-window-tinting guy driving around your local suburbs

 

[Ostie]

I worked for a short time in a shop that did plex fabricating. We used scrapers to smooth the edges prior to flame polishing. Flame polishing is tricky, you have to keep the torch moving cuz when the plex scorches, it blisters and turns brown and your piece is ruined.

 

[JIO]

This is the clear TRC I made, It was Plexiglass:

Amazon.com

I put a water slide reverse image decal on the back and then back-painted it. I was able to drill and chamfer the screw holes, but I'm still careful not to over-tighten them. I think it would crack pretty easily in that case.

Well done

 

[JIO]

Great work. Those are beautiful!

Thanks! Working with clear plastic can be tricky but if you are patient and take your time you can end up with a good result. Also, be aware that there are a variety of finishes you can order; gloss on both sides, gloss on one side- satin/matte on the other, satin both sides and textured.

This one is satin on top - stenciled & sprayed on the under-side. The pg was missing when I bought this vintage German hollow-body. I found pics on-line and did my best to replicate it.

This is a vintage Musina pg -

I referred to the two original holes drilled in the side of the neck to determine the correct spacing connection. (in progress : pre-stencil/spraying/attaching)

An original -

-

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I worked for a short time in a shop that did plex fabricating. We used scrapers to smooth the edges prior to flame polishing. Flame polishing is tricky, you have to keep the torch moving cuz when the plex scorches, it blisters and turns brown and your piece is ruined.

Heh. I have some... direct experience.... ruining plexiglass by trying to flame polish the edges. It looked so easy on Youtube! That's a technique best practiced, repeatedly, on scrap. It's fragile stuff, really. I remember as an Architectural student, making a clear plexi box for an architectural model on a tight deadline. Drilling the last hole in the bottom edge to fasten one side of the box to a base and... D'oh! The drill bit caught in the plexi and I watched in horror as a huge triangular chunk of it snapped out and spun on the drill.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

There are two types of clear - Polycarbonate vs Acrylic - Learn about the Difference Between Acrylic & Polycarbonate Material | A&C Plastics.

Thanks for that. Seems all the examples on here are acrylic. I took a look at the pieces that I have and found a pretty clear label on one that it's polycarbonate. That comparison list will be helpful.

Examples :

Clear acylic over silver-leaf -

Clear acrylic with gold sparkle craft-paper underlay-
Clear acrylic with trans blue swirl plastic underlay - and chrome-mylar under the trans swirl plastic

Clear acrylic sprayed a specific white colour on the underside -
View attachment 7101537
Clear acrylic -

Those all look great, this is what I was hoping to achieve on this project.

This is the clear TRC I made, It was Plexiglass:

Amazon.com

I put a water slide reverse image decal on the back and then back-painted it. I was able to drill and chamfer the screw holes, but I'm still careful not to over-tighten them. I think it would crack pretty easily in that case.

That is very cool, really stands out.

There's some very cool ideas and good discussion here, thanks to all for that. I'm considering all options at this point. I'm also the kind of person who's willing to give something new a shot so I can say "I did that" if it works.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Can't wait for your NBD .......................

Me too. But it's our secret for now on just what it is.

I'll have plenty of photos.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Adhesive vinyl sheets are cheap and come in many colors and patterns. Might be easier than painting. Never tried it myself.

They are a good option for some applications, like @rudy4444 has on his acoustic. But I have some routed channels that need to be covered so they wouldn't work as well for me.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

A coping saw will work great. Also, since you have family members with a Cricut, trace your existing pick guard onto removable vinyl and apply it to the clear plastic with transfer tape.

For the edges - files are decent but time consuming. A burr remover tool would work great, wish I had used one when I did this! It would have been faster/more even (or great as a final step after filing).

Yes, I do have 2 daughters with cricuts so that is a good option. And they both have dremels so I have options if I just find the right bits too.

 

[Pep]

I didn't read through all of the replies but you obviously realize this has been done numerous times. When I was much younger I built a J-Bass, had it painted dark grey with Emron. I wanted an off-white (cream) colored pickguard so I did what you're thinking about and it worked great.

Now, one important point and if someone else has addressed this please accept my apology. DON'T USE PLEXIGLASS! It will crack. Use polycarbonate. It's somewhat flexible and durable. Not as brittle.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I didn't read through all of the replies but you obviously realize this has been done numerous times. When I was much younger I built a J-Bass, had it painted dark grey with Emron. I wanted an off-white (cream) colored pickguard so I did what you're thinking about and it worked great.

Now, one important point and if someone else has addressed this please accept my apology. DON'T USE PLEXIGLASS! It will crack. Use polycarbonate. It's somewhat flexible and durable. Not as brittle.

Thanks, I did verify that the stuff I have on hand is polycarbonate and not plexiglass. Like everything else I'm learning techniques and ideas as I go. So I mispoke.

 

[CavinTan]

Examples :

Clear acylic over silver-leaf -
View attachment 7101520
Clear acrylic with gold sparkle craft-paper underlay-
View attachment 7101522
Clear acrylic with trans blue swirl plastic underlay - and chrome-mylar under the trans swirl plastic
View attachment 7101525
Clear acrylic sprayed a specific white colour on the underside -
View attachment 7101537
Clear acrylic -
View attachment 7101543

How did u get the bevels done on the first one?