The Phoenix... the restoration of a rare custom-made "Thunderbird"

[Highlander]

Just bringing things up-to-date...

No works as yet, but just completed ordering some goodies...
As per a recommendation from a UK ReRancher I went to Tonetech and ordered some amber, cherry and clear nitro aerosols, ivory (with black dot rod) binding for the neck and a bunch of finishing gear...

Going to spray amber over the burl on the body and head, and edge with cherry - rear and neck will be cherry... may run a stripe down the neck, too...

Also, a little T'birdie in Seattle (little...? - she's taller than me...! ) had a spare '76 T'bird pup cover which she's sending over (which will be used to cover the stripped RD Artist pup) ... the plan is to gold-plate the cover for this and the mudbucker cover...

That's all for now... sorry it's slow going but the weather and work has been against me...

Dave... I don't know if you can but can the poll be removed from the thread now...? I probably should have not narrowed it down - just looks odd now... pm'd

Oh yeah, last but not least, courtesy of our very own Sniper Doggie Bill, I have acquired a Mallory 4 position rotary switch for the controls...

[drbassman]

I tried to remove the poll for you Kenny, but my moderator rights don't give that power!  And I thought I was king of this sub-forum.     Oh well, Dave will have to spring into action for us!

[Dave W]

Uwe, you do have the power, and so does Ken. It's just not working. I'll have to see if there's a fix, but right now I have more than enough on my plate.

[Highlander]

I've altered it to show it's closed off which'll do for now... thanks for the advice and checking too...

[Highlander]

Mark's '76 pup cover arrived this morning (ta again) so I think I pretty well have everything I need but I'll be certain once I work out the wiring I intend to use...

First decent day and the fin begins...

[Highlander]

First update for a while...

Don't recommend this without taking great care... the potting compound used on RD pups is S... O... L... I... D... cutting the edges and peeling was not an option... out came the chisel... I careful (read nervously) cut away a section at a time, and this is what was underneath...



and fitted neatly within Mark's spare '76 T'bird cover...

[exiledarchangel]

Seems like the pickup is covered in copper foil?

[drbassman]

Wow, interesting build on those pups.  Nice job stripping them!

[clankenstein]

well done.dont forget to put some wax under the cover so it doesnt become microphonic.

[Highlander]

I do a lot of work with security at courier companies and one prides itself with being on-time... might be possible to let me put it through the x-ray machines to see the internal structure...

I routed the body late a little earlier to allow for the T'bird cover... the centre section is "slimmer" than on Gibbies as the surround overhangs the edges... I "rounded" these but not finished yet... will post a pic at a later point...

... and got the "wax" tip in hand, Tony... 

[drbassman]

What kinda wax?

[Dave W]

The usual formula given for potting pickups is 80% paraffin and 20% beeswax. I've never done it though.

[drbassman]

The usual formula given for potting pickups is 80% paraffin and 20% beeswax. I've never done it though.

Thanks Dave.  I usually use peat and loam for potting.  

[Highlander]

And now for something completely different...?

George and Mark... brace yourselves... 

Hmm... I was planning to have the covers gold-plated, once the cash-flow permitted, but I remembered something in my wife's crafting stores...

This is experimental, very much so, and not complete as I have to do some careful polishing and lacquering...


This material is gold leaf, and other metal materials in "leaf" form... a sticky compound is painted on first, allowed to dry, and then cover or dip...


Once dry, you remove excess product and "buff" the finish... not fully polished up yet...


Laid out on the body to show how it all looks... The chrome T'bird pup ring ( sorry Ma'am) has been sprayed black to match the MB's ring...

I intend to spray them with the amber tint nitro (which should give them a closer fin to the existing hardware), so any opinions would be welcomed, one way or the other...

[saltymonkey]

That looks amazing! The veneer is beautiful and the covers blend right in.