The Doctor
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Last of the Time Lords
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 3, 2007 10:48:50 GMT -5
I'm a student, waiting to do my Computing HNC in October, and to fill some time, I want to begin building my own Stratocaster.
I don't want to make the guitar, just buy a body, neck, wiring etc from eBay and put it together myself, so there'll be no need for any wood-shavings.
I just need some pointers and need to know what equipemnt I'll need.
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Post by ccso8462 on Jul 3, 2007 13:05:02 GMT -5
Hey Dyolf,
Sounds like a good project. Some basics you'll want are: soldering iron (nothing high wattage), electronics solder, small pliers, wire cutters, and a multimeter is really worth having on hand. A good inexpensive one will do. I paid $13 for a basic one at Radio Shack in 1978 and still use it.
One thing that I personally think is very important is good screwdrivers. Not too long a shaft so you have good control, but pay particular attention on how well the bit fits the screws. A screwdriver that doesn't stay in the slot becomes a gouge. It will also damage the screw head. That suggestion comes from 20 years in watch repair and doing my own gunsmithing and guitar adjustments. Trust me, a properly fitting screw driver is a must.
Grab some soft cloth, chamois leather, or something for padding your working surface (even if you have a great workbench like CMA built). I sometimes use old bath towels if my wife is not around. A neat trick adapted from protecting watch faces while removing the hands: Cut a small piece of hard plastic in a circle, cut a "v" out of it like a slice of pie, and glue some chamois to the back of it. When you are working on a finished guitar you can place the guard chamois side down on the axe and center the screw in the v-slot. Less chance of damaging the wood finish or the pickguard if you slip (better yet, don't slip!). This tool should be kept in a little plastic bag so the chamois stays clean, otherwise any hard contaminant it picks up can scratch your finish.
As far as finishing goes... A lot depends on what type of finish you intend to apply. I think that some of the other guys here have a lot more experience than I do in that area, so I'll let them give you some advice.
I hope some of this is helpful, and I expect the rest of the folks here will post some more great suggestions. Have fun with the project, and if you can, post some pics.
Carl
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The Doctor
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Last of the Time Lords
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 3, 2007 18:31:48 GMT -5
Thanks man!With regard to the finish, I'll be buying one which already has a nice shiney black finish ;D , probably from eBay or some such place. The project will begin in a month or two, as I have little money, I only work part-time at the moment.  I will post some pics, and I'll probably make a small website about the project (as I'm a web designer). Can't wait to get started!
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The Doctor
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Last of the Time Lords
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 4, 2007 19:22:09 GMT -5
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Post by crazymanandy on Jul 4, 2007 21:44:12 GMT -5
That set seems way too powerful to me. All you really need is a normal soldering iron between 15 and 45 watts.
The iron in that kit might work, but it doesn't list the specs on it, and you don't want to use a gun.
CMA
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Post by sumgai on Jul 5, 2007 2:43:05 GMT -5
Perfect.......... if your intent is to weld the side of your house to a passing truck or sumpin'.  Or you can use the gun in that kit to demagnetize cassettes and computer discs, or degauss CRT's, etc. In fact, said gun was designed for use by the average hobbyist before there even any transistors on the planet. After solid-state came about, the gun pretty much went the way of the dodo bird. IOW, for your purposes, it can do everything except what you want it to do. Well, it can solder, but I wouldn't use it anywhere except on a steel amp chassis - it's just too powerful, and will burn everything you touch that doesn't have at least 10 square inches of surface. Unless you're in the habit of replacing pots inside of amplifiers, give it a miss.  (Besides which, I recognize both the pencil and the gun - they're made in some backwater Pacific slave-labor haven, and they're junk from the word 'go'. You'd probably break one or both pieces in just a few hours of use. Better to spend a bit more, and get better quality tools.) Seeing as how you're not in Radio Shack-land, eBay isn't a bad way to go. (I think there's an RS-equivalent chain of electronics hobbyist stores in the UK, but I'm hanged if I can remember the exact name just now.  ) Take a look at this page: eBay (UK) search results. See those pencil-like items? That's what you want. The simpler the better, but a kit with a stand and some solder to start out with would be a good deal for you. Mains voltage is a bit less safe in terms of having a high-voltage cord running across your desk, but it's no hotter than a low-voltage iron. I like the low-voltage stuff because it can control the temperature a bit better, IMO. I've never used a butane jobbie before, but I know several guys who swear by them. Which brings up another point....... 20 watts is plenty of power, 30 watts is still a good number, but 40 watts is starting to stretch the safety margin pretty thin - the hotter the iron, the easier it is to make a mistake. A low wattage iron takes longer to make a connection, but it will get the job done, and probably without burning up other components at the same time. And last but not least, ignore the gun kits on those pages. ;D FWIW, the prices I'm seeing on that page are very good, we don't usually get that good of a deal here in the colonies.  Good luck, and HTH! sumgai |
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zamzara
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Post by zamzara on Jul 5, 2007 10:11:40 GMT -5
Perfect.......... if your intent is to weld the side of your house to a passing truck or sumpin'. Or you can use the gun in that kit to demagnetize cassettes and computer discs, or degauss CRT's, etc. In fact, said gun was designed for use by the average hobbyist before there even any transistors on the planet. After solid-state came about, the gun pretty much went the way of the dodo bird. IOW, for your purposes, it can do everything except what you want it to do. Well, it can solder, but I wouldn't use it anywhere except on a steel amp chassis - it's just too powerful, and will burn everything you touch that doesn't have at least 10 square inches of surface. Unless you're in the habit of replacing pots inside of amplifiers, give it a miss. But apart from that, it's perfect. ;D |
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The Doctor
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 5, 2007 10:17:40 GMT -5
Ok ok, take the piss.... But I was looking at the pen-like iron in that set, not the gun |
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The Doctor
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 5, 2007 20:28:51 GMT -5
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Post by ChrisK on Jul 5, 2007 21:20:36 GMT -5
That's 'cuz they be in them there English do££ars which weigh, uh, a pound, er sumpthin'. ;D (They're equal to two of our dollars currently.)  Even so, they're kind of low, which means that they are fairly cheap (all inferences intended). |
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The Doctor
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Last of the Time Lords
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 28, 2007 9:25:44 GMT -5
I'm back, sorry I've been away for so long. I've just added the bridge to my Strat, I've also bought other parts which havn't arrived yet, mostly because they're coming from America. More about it here. |
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Or you can use the gun in that kit to demagnetize cassettes and computer discs, or degauss CRT's, etc. In fact, said gun was designed for use by the average hobbyist before there even any transistors on the planet. After solid-state came about, the gun pretty much went the way of the dodo bird.
) Take a look at this page:
