How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
- Vinkie
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:17 am
- Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Contact:
How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
Although I saw some comments about flattening I'm still not really clear about how to go around it. The plate on my Jaguar is curled up (at most about 2mm) on three different spots and I'd like to flatten it. Do you just clamp it inbetween some flat surfaces and maybe weigh it down, do you apply any heat? How do you prevent the plate from cracking?
Any help is much appreciated.
Any help is much appreciated.
- zhivago
- Mods
- Posts: 21947
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:18 am
- Location: London, UK
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
Doug will tell you exactly what he used, but the general idea was clamping it between two glass sheets and leaving it in the warn Florida sun
Resident Spartan.
- Vinkie
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:17 am
- Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Contact:
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
Man I wish I had some warm Florida sun over here right nowzhivago wrote: Doug will tell you exactly what he used, but the general idea was clamping it between two glass sheets and leaving it in the warn Florida sun
Sounds very doable to me, I wonder how long it takes for a plate to settle.
- fullerplast
- Mods
- Posts: 12710
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:53 am
- Location: In My Room
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
That's it basically. I sandwiched it between two thick plates of glass, secured it with three C-clamps, and left it in direct sun for about a week. I turned it every other day or so (but I never basted it with butter or added spices).
After it was flat, I filed all the openings with a jeweler's file to compensate for shrinkage, periodically setting it on the body for a fit check. After everything fit (mainly the pickups and brisge thimble holes, that was it.
This was a pretty bad one, I about shit when I took it out of the box. But it turned out well, as you can see in the photos of Misty...
P.S. Don't use an electric heat source, it may flame up. Really!
After it was flat, I filed all the openings with a jeweler's file to compensate for shrinkage, periodically setting it on the body for a fit check. After everything fit (mainly the pickups and brisge thimble holes, that was it.
This was a pretty bad one, I about shit when I took it out of the box. But it turned out well, as you can see in the photos of Misty...
P.S. Don't use an electric heat source, it may flame up. Really!
Q. Are we not men?
- Vinkie
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:17 am
- Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Contact:
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
Thanks for the lowdown Doug, much appreciated. I'll be gentle and skip electrical heat to prevent flame-out situations
- mezcalhead
- Admin
- Posts: 11566
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:18 am
- Location: Swampland
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
fullerplast wrote: as you can see in the photos of Misty...
Distance-crunching honcho with echo unit.
- zhivago
- Mods
- Posts: 21947
- Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 6:18 am
- Location: London, UK
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
fullerplast wrote: This was a pretty bad one, I about shit when I took it out of the box.
Resident Spartan.
- Vinkie
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 493
- Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:17 am
- Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
- Contact:
Re: How to flatten a '60s scratchplate
I was thinking of this post today as I shipped of a Fender Pastorius Jazz Bass to a customer in the NL. It had been in our store for a while and the extra tortie scratchplate that came with it looked like a badly decayed Pringle crispzhivago wrote:fullerplast wrote: This was a pretty bad one, I about shit when I took it out of the box.
I told my Boss: "I know what to do! All we need is two glass plates, a few clamps and at least a week of warm Florida sun!" We had a good laugh over it and substituted a new plate.