The Horror - HM Resoration

[heem6]

Here's the scoop on "The Blackstone HM:"

Turns out I broke the wiring on one of the pickups when I was taking off/putting on pickup covers. As it was overwound, it had a fatter windings. I sent it back to get rewound/overwound. I also need to replace the nut on that guitar. It's shot and it's really apparent the radius on that one is out where the buses don't run.

That said, it's a decent playing guitar and sounds pretty awesome with the Custom Custom in it.

Thanks for the kind words, Nick. I hope The Horror/The Doggie is playable when I'm done with it! haha.

[nickwellings]

Any project progress, Jim? I'm living vicariously through you!!

[heem6]

Haha. I took it to the shop and the guy was going to be finished Friday but called me and asked for another day. It had been crazy in his shop and people were waiting for their guitars. He wanted to sand down the neck just a little further because one or two inlays were a bit deeper than the others. The fretboard on this one is REALLY thick, so I said "Sure, just do it right." He says he got the chip filled in and the repair is not noticeable. Again, it will be a 16" radius instead of the usual 17" and he is filling in any grooves around the inlays to make it look perfect. I should be able to pick it up tomorrow night. I haven't gotten the body from Gary yet so I will probably proceed with the Raspberry in the meantime.

My friend at work brought in some Stew Mac fretwire he had leftover which should be perfect for this neck and the next one I have to restore. It's 0.100mm wide and 0.50mm tall. Which is a little tall, but I can shave some of that off when I do the fret leveling.

[halo71]

That body shipped this morning Jim.

[heem6]

Awesome news! I just finished tung-oiling the neck today and mounting the lock nut. After shaving down the fretboard, the nut only needed one spacer to be the right height.

If I have time Monday night, I'm going to take it in to the shop to get some pointers on how to install the frets. I'll just have to paint the headstock, but maybe I'll have the other shop do that when they apply the decal and the clear coats.

[Bodaggit23]

Any updates?

Can't wait to see this finished!

[heem6]

Sorry, no updates yet. Practicing my fret installation skills and waiting for the other body from halo.

[heem6]

First Update In A Long Time:

Got the waterslide decal of my dog reprinted today and took this new body down to the guitar shop that did the refinish on my parrot HM. I'm having the same guy repaint this body instead of the other one I was going to use.




Since it's already painted (off white of some sort) it will be much easier and he's only charging me $250. He'll fill in the two small screw holes in the back as well. Decal will go across the upper forearm contour. Pickups are two Lace Hot Golds and a Red Lace Dually.

I'm getting it painted Bright White and going with white Fender knobs, like the HM mockup in the picture below. I don't know if I posted it, but I found an almost mint condition chrome Kahler on eBay awhile back for $90. I was amazed when I got it, virtually no pitting and it looks like it just came out of the box. Not entirely sure about the chrome pickup ring, may go with white. We'll see.



I caught him at a great time when he's painting a batch of new guitars white right now. It's only going to take a couple weeks for him to finish it. Luckily I came into a little unexpected money during a temporary financial draught yesterday. Combined with $100 I had already put down a year ago I'm all set.

I still have to install the frets on the neck for this one, but also have a trip to Nashville coming up at the end of the month, so that will complicate matters a little.

Look very much forward to playing this one!

[Bodaggit23]

Very nice! Thanks for the update.

You don't happen to have a "spare" Salmon Pink HM body laying around, do you? ;D

[heem6]

Sorry, I just gave away the last Pink HM body in my collection! haha.

I have a question, though. I have a friend who's loaning me his StewMac fret press caul. It has one end which fits in a drill press and the other end holds the fret while you press it into place. I don't have a drill press and don't want to buy one. Can you think of any inexpensive clamp or press that might work? Below are pictures of the caul and the press they sell (the press alone is over $100).

[Bodaggit23]

To be honest, a drill press isn't made for that kind of force, although it may work, but an arbor press would be ideal, like the one pictured.

If you can't find a press, I almost wouldn't use that tool because there would be no way of getting the frets pressed in evenly.

You'd almost be better tapping them in with a brass hammer.?

[heem6]

Yeah, I think I'm back to the hammer method. It was a good detour though, because while I was checking out Harbor Freight's website for the arbor press ($50)



I found the brass headed hammer I was originally looking for at a fraction of the price ($5.99) of one from Stew Mac ($19.60)

[Bodaggit23]

That looks like a nice little unit for $50, but when would a guy ever use it again? lol

Let us know how the fret work goes. I'm very curious.

[heem6]

I went down to Harbor Freight and got the arbor press tonight. A friend of mine is going to drill a hole in the shaft of the "press bar" so that it will accept the fret press caul. That's the only difference between this one and the one at StewMac.Got the 1/2 ton version for $30 and borrowing the 16" radius caul.

[Bodaggit23]

Very nice!

I love ingenuity...