NOTE: Pictures are usually taken in real time of certain work steps meaningful to take a picture of. When there is a break in shop work, I upload the pics to my computer, crop and edit the pics, arrange the story line of pics, make webpages for them, and publish them to the webpages, usually during wee hours of the night / morning. So publishing the pictures to their webiste obviously lags behind the actual work by several days at least. As time allows, helpful information text is further posted to tell important aspects the pictures represent.
Actual work on the guitar takes precidence over editing and posting the pics and info; So the pics and webpages work is done after a day's shop work is done and as time / schedule allows, usually a few days behind the work being done on the guitar.
The end intent and result is to archive the work online so the Customer can see what's being done on his / her guitar and get a good insight into their guitar without having to take it apart to do so. I also enjoy providing work pics and info that helps other guitarists learn specific things about technical guitar work and some tricks in doing so:
"Hey Doug, how do I get this pickup out of my old-vintage Dano Convertible? I got the screws out but something else like glue is holding the pickup in ....and I don't want to force it and break it????" Hey there, Larry. It's a pair of thick soft rubber suspension washers, one on each adjustment screw like a height adjustment tension spring. They deteriorate into a sticky gum over time and sure 'nuff glue themselves to the pickup flange and the underside of the body-top, then dry out glued between the pickup flange and bottom of the guitar 's top. Go check Denny Turner's DennysGuitars.com website; I remember seeing his documentation of getting a pickup unstuck from a Convertible, and of doing a great job of cleaning up all the corroded metal parts and the body componants. Shootz, look at it all and get some good info about your own Convertible."
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Closeup example of surface corrosion on metal parts before cleaning.
Same parts after cleaning.
Tailpiece in it's removal storage / organizing can, before cleaning.
Common brown paper is used as the abrasive for rubbing out metal parts with WD40.
NOTICE: WD40 (and any other acidic penetrating oil) is used to penetrate surface corrosion so it will rub-out much easier if at all. Acidic penetrating oils should only be used on a guitar's metal parts removed from the guitar, and should NEVER be allowed onto a guitar's wood nor plastics; After using it on metal parts it should be thoroughly wiped from parts and an innocuous light oil such as Ace Hardware Lub-E spray-misted onto a soft rag, the parts wiped down with the rag, and then wiped dry with another soft, dry, clean rag, leaving a slight film of protective oil. The cleaned / oiled parts should then be allowed to dry overnight (the oil's carrier / vehicle allowed to evaporate out) before wiping dry again prior to installing the part onto the guitar.
Voila; Surface corrosion is rubbed off leaving original patina with a film of oil to guard against body sweat, oils, salts and acids which all are the cause of corrosion. The arced swirl is not cleaning scratches; it's infitisimal swirl that has built up over 50 years of wiping off; but shows in the camera's flash here due to the 30 degree light reflection thang that causes rainbows to only be seen as a 30 degree arc between the eyes and sun rays even though rainbow colored light is reflecting in all directions from the water droplets.
Another view; Another different 30 degree light reflection in the swirl.
I liked this view of the WD40 can reflecting in the nice sheen of the cleaned-up tailpiece placed back in it's storage / organizing can. Short food cans are great for keeping parts assemblies organized together and not mixed up with other assemblies, and to catch drippings while parts are getting an oil soaking bath, and keep them orgainized when they're cleaned up. By the time parts are cleaned up the drippings vehicles will have evaporated and will wipe right off of parts when they're ready to be installed.
Parts laid out for the oil films vehicle evaporation as they are cleaned up.
Bridge before cleanup. It's the string-slotted version that prevents the strings from slipping laterally along the fretwire saddle with firm picking styles. The other versions of Convertible bridges do not have the slots and the strings slip latterally on the fretwire saddle when picked firmly.
Bridge after cleanup. It will later be treated with lemon oil as will the fretboard.
