Official Luthiers Forum!

30+ guitars and I've never used anything but clear pick guard material. I have a sheet of the less expensive SM tortoise shell.

Would be grateful for some cutting and shaping tips

Is it celluloid? If so scissors will get you close and then a sanding block to refine.

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www.leddingtonguitars.com

It wouldn't be celluloid. Likely plain old plastic. Can you sand it on a spindle sander without messing up the glue? It's the peel and stick stuff.

MDF template. Cut oversize. Rout. If material is thicker (like original ntirocellulose) rout bevel (and buff to finish).

To add to Mr. B’s suggestion, we remove any PSA, scrape the bevel, wet-sand to 800, then buff to fine (Menzerna). We reapply 3M 468 and put the guard on wet for lacquer, varnish, or poly.

I use scissors. First cut it about 1/8" oversize then cut to the line. Follow up with sandng block to get shape perfect. Last step is to use a razor blade scraper to finish the edge in a bevel. Last one I did a few weeks ago.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

How do you go about removing the PSA? I have some inexpensive pickguard sheets with PSA that I would like to be able to use on some projects. The problem is the adhesive layer is white. It is nice that it brightens up the light/translucent sections of the pattern but you see the white along the edge where it is adhered to the top. It seems to be stuck mightily to the plastic and is very difficult to remove without distorting the pickgaurd material.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Soak in naphtha...the adhesive may be double-sided with a polyester scrim...if so, it may take a bit of time for the solvent to work, but it will. Once the scrim can be peeled, return to the naphtha soak to get the final layer of glue.

Mr Smith. you are pretty handy with a pair of scissors sir!
That's neat.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Thank you sir.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I hate removing the adhesive from the back of pick guard material. The first thing I check when ordering pick guard blanks is to make sure it has no adhesive. I trace the outline from my template, using a razor knife or sewing needle, then cut very close to the line with scissors, and then clean up to the line with sand paper. Most of the material I cut, is much easier to cut, and less brittle, when it is warm. So, I hold it under a portable hair blower while I am cutting. Cuts like butter. Some materials won't soften with heat, but they are usually less brittle and cutting with scissors is no problem.