Customizing a pickguard

[PowerTube]

Maybe some of you have done something like this so I thought I would ask. I have a Strat pickguard that I replaced with a pearloid one. Now, let's say that I want to put an organization's logo on the old one. Painting is out of the question because it's a VERY busy and exacting logo.

Can I print on lamination sheets with my inkjet printer? Or is there a similar idea that might work? If this is feasible, my plan is to:

Print the logo on lamination, peel it off and place it on the old pickguard.

Have the pickup covers I'll use mounted flush with the pickguard while applying, thus making matching pickup caps in the process after I cut around them.

Cut the holes out (carefully) with an Exacto knife.

Am I on the right track here or can someone offer me a better suggestion? And please don't recommend a custom pickguard maker. It's not worth the money and I don't want to deal with the hassle.

[atdguitars]

Maybe some of you have done something like this so I thought I would ask. I have a Strat pickguard that I replaced with a pearloid one. Now, let's say that I want to put an organization's logo on the old one. Painting is out of the question because it's a VERY busy and exacting logo.

Can I print on lamination sheets with my inkjet printer? Or is there a similar idea that might work? If this is feasible, my plan is to:

Print the logo on lamination, peel it off and place it on the old pickguard.

Have the pickup covers I'll use mounted flush with the pickguard while applying, thus making matching pickup caps in the process after I cut around them.

Cut the holes out (carefully) with an Exacto knife.

Am I on the right track here or can someone offer me a better suggestion? And please don't recommend a custom pickguard maker. It's not worth the money and I don't want to deal with the hassle.

Use an inkjet printer to do your logo.. then shoot it in Testors Decal Set to keep the ink from smudging.. The rest will work like you are thinking.

[PowerTube]

Use an inkjet printer to do your logo.. then shoot it in Testors Decal Set to keep the ink from smudging.. The rest will work like you are thinking.

But do you know if an inkjet will print on those lamination sheets? Looking at the print options, I'm thinking that it'll fall under Transparency, Other....

[atdguitars]

It will but there are better options for making decals.
Some of the larger craft stores carry inkjet clear decal sheets in 8.5" x11"
Its about a dollar a sheet and come in 6 and 10 packs.
Use the same process with them sealing it with the decal set spray and you won't have any problems.
This is similar to what I use. Its just a different brand
http://www.hobbymamma.com/inkjet-cle...-pr-16497.html

[PowerTube]

It will but there are better options for making decals.
Some of the larger craft stores carry inkjet clear decal sheets in 8.5" x11"
Its about a dollar a sheet and come in 6 and 10 packs.
Use the same process with them sealing it with the decal set spray and you won't have any problems.
This is similar to what I use. Its just a different brand
http://www.hobbymamma.com/inkjet-cle...-pr-16497.html

Thanks again. My local shops will probably carry that.

[Newc]

www.beldecal.com has do-it-yourself paper for waterslides and rub-on transfers. I've used both and they work great.

A couple of things you'll need to consider:
-Inkjet Printers cannot print white, so printing to a transparency will only work with colors. You'll need a white pickguard and pickup covers, or at least lighter than whatever colors you're going to use.
-I've printed onto window decal paper as well as standard transparencies you find at WalMart and such, and tried to clear them with the Testors clearcoat as well as Krylon Krystal Klear. The vegetable-based inks used in Inkjet printers don't like moisture of any kind, including clearcoat, and they will smudge and run unless you use very light coats, and only after the printout has dried for at least 2 days. Then it's best to a dry-heat source (ambient like near an oven rather then a blowing unit like a heat gun) to store it for a few hours while it dries.


I once printed up some decals on waterslide paper to commit this atrocity:





These I took to work and sprayed them lightly with Krylon Klear, and pinned them to a large sheet of cardboard to prevent them from curling up as the Klear dried, and stored them next to a large brazing oven that gave off quite a bit of ambient heat. When I applied them to the guitar, the color didn't run, but the thin decal and the clear on top of it did crackle a bit.


And I used Rub-ons to do these inlays:




The rub-ons include their own laminating, so clearcoat wasn't needed.