metal leaf stratele

[WezV]

front and sides

[Philly Q]

Funky!  :D   I think that absolutely demands a matching headstock.

[WezV]

i was thinking the same thing

it wont be this shiny though - just wiped it down with the salt  vinegar solution and i think its working as the cloth came off green.  i am off out for the day now, looking forward to seeing what happens by the time i return home

[Frank]

I just realised what the stratele guitar reminds me of - it's like a custom shop Squier 51

... and don't be offended by the analogy, I loved the design of the Squier 51, definitely had that funky retro vibe about it

[WezV]

i was thinking squire 51 when i first started it, it was originally going to have a 51 style plate

i still think they should be making a higher end version of the 51

[Frank]

The whole thing's given me a sudden attack of very intense GAS. You've taken my two favourite guitars and squelched them together with my two favourite pickups and made it look so utterly funky that I can practically hear the gut-wrenching sound of it just by looking at a photo. It's possibly my favourite piece of guitar design of the year so far and I'm not easy to please when it comes to F-style guitars.

[WezV]

cheers frank - hopefully i will have some finished pics in the next few days

the bass above also has a slight 51 fender connection.  i have the pickup wired to a series/parallel switch for pseudo 51 p-bass sounds


anyway - back to the ageing of copper.  not much happened yesterday whilst i was out.   i wiped it down with the salt & vinegar solution then later wiped it down with water which i think halted the processs.   it definately got more varigated during the day - but not too much green came along.  so today its the same thing without the water wipe down

[Andrew W]

I'm really loving the bass and I think the idea of a verdigris bass is pure genius.  I really can't wait to see what this looks like finished.  Really cool.  The Tele I kludged together last year is looking very nervous at the moment... :)

I also wondered if anyone else had added metal leaf to guitars and after a bit of Googling it seems that there are a couple who've done gold leaf (I seem to remember a Fender Custom Shop with white gold leaf too?) but I think you might be the first to go down the verdigris copper route.  Exciting times.

[Philly Q]

i still think they should be making a higher end version of the 51

+1

[Frank]

Wikipedia says:

Another method of obtaining verdigris pigment, used in the Middle Ages, was to attach copper strips to a wooden block with acetic acid, then bury the sealed block in dung.

food for thought there

[WezV]

i think its getting somewhere now, definately have patches of green showing - no dung or wee needed

[TheIronBeast]

The bass is looking good. Looking forward to seeing the end results of these guitars.

[WezV]

so this it what it looks like now:




the vinegar actually ate through completely in some areas.  there was more green but it wiped off :)   i think i will hang it somewhere for a week or two to see how the copper darkens but i think this is quite fun

[AndyR]

I'm really liking what's going on with these finishes Wez - I think you got something here :D

[WezV]

cheers andy - the bass has gone greener overnight

i purposely did the front and back differently to see if i could control the effect - which i think i can to a certain extent


if anyone wants me to mess up one of their bodies like this feel free to contact me ;)