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Sharpie Question

#63
My own thoughts,
Shrapies will come off paint if you don't let it sit to long, less than a couple weeks. I go around my work and find paint with sharpie "ghost" writing all over. If it get's on paint it will bleed into it over time and will not come off. Even if you paint over it it will come back through. I can't say much about wood but I would think the same would happen over time. I think its a chamical reaction. That being said. It's your's to do what you want. If you do it and like it you may never touch it again so nothing's wrong. Post pic's of the work, and if you try to remove it post the results, good or bad. Dont let lack of funds cause a lack of fun.
 
#64
KeithAlanK said:
Seriously, a can of Flat White Krylon spray paint is around $3 and it'll do a MUCH better job.
Will look way better and last way longer.

Put the low-tack version of Scotch clear tape over the inlays (so you can still see them) then gently trim the excess using an ExActo knife--10 minutes time well spent. This tape isn't as sticky and has a dull finish instead of the very sticky gloss tape. Easier to work with.

Go with 3 light coats of white letting each application dry for an hour, then set aside to cure for 24 hours.
Apply 2 coats of Krylon clear matte.
Use the ExActo knife to carefully pry up the edges of the tape masking your inlays.

This will look 57 times better than a Sharpie, and will last 23 times as long.
As the strings and your fingers create wear patterns, it might start to look even cooler than when the paint was new.

Whatever you do, DON'T use a Sharpie.
My solution totals out to $10 if you don't have any of the supplies mentioned already, and will look very good for a few months.
The Sharpie idea will look bad right away.

Good luck, and I also want to see pictures no matter which way you go.
This is how we learn.

For $25 I'll do it for you--just ship me the neck.
Click to expand...

Honestly, this is almost undoubtedly the route that I will go eventually, and thanks for the tape suggestion and the detailed painting instructions. However, I started the thread with the sharpie idea and I almost feel obligated to at least try it now (seeing as how there is little threat of permanent damage). If it looks disasterous (which wouldn't be a surprise to me at this point) then I'll just take some rubbing alcohol to it and put it back to stock before throwing on a few coates of krylon. I'll post pics of however it turns out and, if nothing else, my thread will serve as an example of how not to turn a maple fretboard white, haha. Thanks for the offer to do the painting too. Definitely a reasonable price, I just want to do all my own work on this bass. As you said, this is how we learn.
 
#65
powellmacaque said:
You know. You could take it over to the art department at your school and let them have their way with it.

Warning, it may come out like this:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/DAT12/Danelectro Related/d96ed7a9.jpg
Click to expand...

Is there something wrong with me for wanting that Danelectro? haha. The art department isn't a bad idea though. I still think I'm gonna have the drawings on the body done by this friend of mine in Portland, but I might see if I can bum some painting gear off some art-student friends (maybe a place to work too).

He just has an interesting style and I'd really like to see what he comes up with for the bass. One random sketch of his:
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=DATMOUTH.jpg
 
#66
Beast_Within said:
Come on man, don't take it that way. I came here asking the question mainly in an attempt to see if I was gonna be doing any permanent damage to the finish or the actual fretboard wood. It seems like I won't be, so I'm going ahead with the project. Also, as I stated before this is for a punk gig, so it's not like the thing has to be pretty, haha. I just want a black and white bass and I don't have the cash to do it properly so this is my alternative.
Click to expand...

Yes SX basses are cheap enough to be disposable, but a sharpie? PLEASE! SX basses are COOL and you'd really be sorry if you hosed it and it turned out it was one of those really good ones!

A white fingerboard, on the other hand is totally cool! The problem with a sharpie or any other thing that puts a coating on in thin lines is that it wont' cover evenly and will look bad even when new. Plus there is the problem of sticking to the fingerboard and wear. So like others I'd suggest using some sort of white paint that will stick to the finish, wear reasonably well, and go on nice in a nice even spray coat.

So if all I wanted was a beater black and white bass, my main investment would be two poof cans of spray Krylon. One in black and one in white. Take the neck off. Take the tuners off. Cut some decent masking tape into thin strips to cover the frets and start spraying. A couple of coats and you are good to go. Putting the neck outside to dry on a couple of hot days will harden the paint and make it wear better. That will look SO much better than scribbling with a sharpie and should be easier too as well as looking great (at a distance). You may need to polish the frets a bit with sandpaper to get the last paint off that wicked under the tape on the frets, but no biggie.

[oops. forgot about masking inlays too!]

That's what I'd do!

Note that this is NOT "doing it right". To really do it right, you'd strip the neck down to bare wood and use some kind of black (ebony) or White (?) Wood stain to get the color where the stain soaks into the wood and then you re-coat the neck with poly again. Note that with wood stain it won't soak into the metal of the frets so it makes a nice looking job.
 
#67
Dang I never thought so many people would just outright call the idea dumb :/. While I agree that sharpie isn't the best way to go about what he's trying to do the idea is fantastic, at least to me. I think to get the neck a fretboard white your only option would be to strip it completely (finish, tuning machines, string tree, everything besides the frets) and have it painted then sealed (finished) and replace the hardware. It's probably more than you're willing to pay but I think that's the best and probably the only way to go about doing this. Again, I think the idea is awesome but this is one of those things where you really can't take any short cuts.

EDIT: I see people have already given you some great suggestions as to how to accomplish what you're trying to do. Best of luck to ya!
 
#68
Beast_Within said:
Is there something wrong with me for wanting that Danelectro? haha. The art department isn't a bad idea though. I still think I'm gonna have the drawings on the body done by this friend of mine in Portland, but I might see if I can bum some painting gear off some art-student friends (maybe a place to work too).

He just has an interesting style and I'd really like to see what he comes up with for the bass. One random sketch of his:
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=DATMOUTH.jpg
Click to expand...

Good stuff man. And no there's nothing wrong with wanting one. The only reason I knew about it is because I'm a Dano freak and I really want one of those.
 
#70
So the current plan is this: I'll free up some time this week, ride downtown and find a place that actually has a white sharpie, and do the initial black and white sharpie attempt sometime this coming weekend and post pics. After that I'll probably let the thing sit for a day to dry. Then I'll play the hell out of it through all of next week and at the end of that week I'll post pics showing how it held up. In the event that it looks terrible at the end of that week (very possible), I'll clean it off to the best of my ability and post pics of the damage/staining (if any). Then I'll go out and pick up the krylon and try the painting method on the next free weekend I have. Sound good to all interested parties? Any suggestions for other methods beyond this? I still may try the contact paper/sticker method after the sharpie and before the painting if enough people are interested in seeing how that looks.

Seeing as how I am sitting her at 2:40am waiting for laundry and without anything better to do, I figured I'd snap a couple poorly lit "before" shots of the neck so that everyone has a good idea of what it looks like now.

http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=004-3.jpg
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=003-2.jpg
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=002-1.jpg

The yellowing in several spots on the fretboard is under the finish and can't be cleaned off. It's part of the reason that I don't have a lot of fear regarding this project. The bass is definitely not flawless to begin with, haha
 
#73
SamTheButcher said:
NOOOOOOOOOO!

Sonfab****! It's bad enough you rightys get the pick of a gazillion basses, colors, styles, etc....I walk into any music store and there it is.....1 friggen' low end lefty Ibanez. But now you gotta add insult to injury by doing this to a lefty neck?

:scowl:
Click to expand...

Hahahaha, my bad man. I had no intention of robbing any of my more sinister bassist brethren. I got the SX on the TB classifieds and it came to me with the non-stock lefty neck already in place.

I get what you're saying about the ****** lefty selection (though I am not at all claiming to have a full understanding as I haven't ever had to deal with that particular frustration). I guess if push came to shove you could go the Jeff Schmidt () route. Probably a very difficult switch to make after you'd already become accustomed to lefty basses though.
 
#74
You've already heard all of the naysayers, chiding and sarcasm you need, you are obviously going for it. So I will offer a small piece of info - and sorry if you know already - Sharpie paint markers come in either water-based paint or oil-based paint. While the water-based may be safe on the fretboard, it probably won't last long. The oil-based will definitely hang around - but I don't know how it will affect the fretboard... or how easily it would come off in the event that you wanted it off. Just my $0.02. I'd love to see a photo.

Another off the wall thought - and I am sure it will meet with the same resistance as sharpie on a fretboard - but what about vinyl? I see a lot of faux fret markers on ebay made of vinyl. A buddy of mine used some and they weren't half bad. I purchased a set and applied it, when I didn't like the look and removed them, they did no damage. You can buy sheets of white vinyl that you can cut to size easily. Just a thought...

http://www.amazon.com/Inkpress-Specialty-Media-Adhesive-Vinyl/dp/B000HB4IWI

A box of 20 sheets for $17.29? More than enough, with room for error. You'll probably need several of the sharpies at $3 to $4 a pop will be easily as much as the vinyl.

I know, vinyl... crazy thought... but so is a Sharpie all over a fretboard. Oh and the vinyl will certainly come up easier.

Good luck!!

And remember folks, it's his bass to do damage to - damage he's already conceded to and accepted may happen. If it's advice he wants, give it to him. It's either a really cool experiment or a great disaster. Either way, I am sure we all want to see it!
 
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#75
PIC UPDATE (4/8)

Here's the current appearance of the neck, after one coat with the paint pen. No touchup work done yet. There's a few spots where it got on the frets and I'll have to clean that off, but I just wanted to get some initial pics up. It's definitely turned out as more of a trans-white (which I actually kind of like) and doesn't look that clean from an inch away, but it's not bad at all from about a foot and this may be improved slightly with a second coat.

As a reminder, here' a few "before" pics:
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=002-1.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=003-2.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=004-3.jpg&newest=1

How the neck looks now:
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=001.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=002-2.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=003-3.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=004-4.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=005-1.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=006-5.jpg&newest=1
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t141/Plan_NINE/?action=view&current=007-1.jpg&newest=1

Sorry for the ****** pics by the way. I'll try to get some clearer ones outside when I have some natural light.

Any questions and comments are more than welcome. Peace
 
#77
king_biscuit said:
I'm anxious to see it, but I can't really tell much from the pics :)
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying man. I just tried to get a few more that may be clearer and I'll upload them in a sec. I'll definitely get some outside the dorms tomorrow and hopefully the detail will be clearer. In the meantime (if you weren't before) clicking on the photobucket image to bring it up to 100% size should help a little.
 

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