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Topic: Restoring a 1940s Rickenbacker |
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 8:10 am |
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I could have passed on this, but then I would have been quoting that old commercial - "I could've had a B8!"
Terrible puns aside, I just received this today. I knew it had some very minor issues - missing panel, changed pots & cap, unusable original case, but otherwise minor wear and perfect working order. I already have a replacement case and a set of panels on order from GeorgeBoards. I got the whole set of panels, so I have some spares to experiment on with artificial aging techniques.
The one thing I'm not sure about is the dot markers. The loose ones I can glue back in place, but what should I use to replace the lost ones? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 8:15 am
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| For the white dots, just use some "white out" correction fluid, works great! |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 8:22 am
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| Sounds easy enough. Will white out build up flush to the fretboard or just leave a thin film on the sides of the holes? |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 11:16 am
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couldnt you use silicone caulk like they use in bathrooms or painters use to cover nail holes? i would think that would be better than white out. i've used white out A LOT and it will crack if applied too thick (and may chalk up if exposed to sun/uv) - it was meant to cover up mistakes on paper, not built up 1/8"...but no damage to try.
at least the tuners look ok on this - i'd be FAR more worried about that than the rest of the missing parts. put some repro Koa panels on there and your set.
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 11:24 am
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Jerry Byrd splooged white out in two pukas on my B8 and there's no need to worry about building it up flush with the fretboard, it's clearly seen (even in low light) if only coating the sides and has lasted fine, plus any overgloop wipes clean easily.
I'd leave those original 'panels' just as they are, the plastic replacements I've seen are far from exact molded repros these steels deserve but merely flat cutouts and replacing just the one will make it look equally odd. You'll find an original soon enuf, save your money. |
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Erik Alderink
From:
Ann Arbor Michigan, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 11:41 am
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Noah,
I had similar issues with one of my Ricks, and I tried the whiteout. It worked OK, but I also tried a little model paint (enamel) and that seems to be a little more permanent. It was also easy to blend in a little yellow to match the original dots. Plus it cures a little glossy, which also matches the originals.
Either way you go, these are great great little guitars.
Enjoy it! |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:01 pm
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| Ron Whitfield wrote: |
| I'd leave those original 'panels' just as they are, the plastic replacements I've seen are far from exact molded repros these steels deserve but merely flat cutouts and replacing just the one will make it look equally odd. You'll find an original soon enuf, save your money. |
I'm only replacing the missing one; the others I'm going to leave alone. The replacements I ordered come rounded like the originals. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:40 pm
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| The replacements I ordered come rounded like the originals. |
I believe just the edges are rounded, and rather crudely from what I've seen. Overall they look flat and cheap instead of formed to mimic the cool look of the original and quite noticeable in their appearance, both in style and color contrast. Originals in nicely aged creaminess as your others are not too difficult to get. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 12:54 pm
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| Where are you seeing all these spare ones come up for sale? I have never seen them either on Ebay or for sale through this forum. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 29 Apr 2014 1:31 pm
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| I've seen them occasionally on ebay and here, or the steel community in general, not by the droves for sure, but they are out there. Put the word out and you'll probably snag a nice one soon. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 30 Apr 2014 6:19 am
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| Noah Miller wrote: |
| Where are you seeing all these spare ones come up for sale? I have never seen them either on Ebay or for sale through this forum. |
George Piburn sells them.
http://www.georgeboards.com/parts.html#ric_parts
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 30 Apr 2014 6:51 am
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Those are the ones we've been discussing. Looks like I'm going to have to steal one from another old B.
On the upside, I managed to fill the dot markers with white-out. It took a few coats, but they're now roughly flush. You can tell them apart from the originals at close range, but from a few feet away they don't stand out. I might top them with a little off-white enamel paint to get a better match, but they're pretty good right now. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 2 May 2014 8:27 pm
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| You can always replace them with new ones from Stewart-McDonald. I replaced the whole set on my 7-string bakelite with the pearl/white dots, which seem better than flat white. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 3 May 2014 2:14 am
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I'd rather keep the originals and have the new ones match; Stew-Mac doesn't have the right material at the right size. I stole a panel from a B6 and painted it to match:
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 3 May 2014 3:30 am
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| Looks real nice, Noah. |
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George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
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Posted 3 May 2014 8:07 am Subtitiutes
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I've made it perfectly clear in my descriptions and in previous forum discussions that --
We offer SUBSTITUE Panels that are not -- Replacements - replicas - vacuformed - die cast or in any way an attempt to Violate Rickenbackers Patent's or intellectual property in any manner what so ever.
These Substitute Panels will help some one in this exact situation save their originals - or make an already compromised original be able to live again.
Yes They are Flat White Acrylic, the same material used in the Originals , can I say the colors formula is exactly the same after 50 some odd years -- No.
I hand round these for folks who do not want to do it them selves, I prefer to sell the only Laser cut to the best we could get with the few broken and distorted panels offered as samples when this idea was first brought into discussion by Denny Turner a few years back.
The Rickey community really needed to support their own selves, as not one person offered to send a panda here so that I could do any level of engineering to get a more close product to help repairmen out. We do this simply to help you folks -- not to make some big time money scheme.
I suggest some one in the Rickey panda community take the initiative to start a salvage yard , it seems to be a good opportunity to supply parts to folks who want to restore in original parts.
Hopefully this response will clarify some of the misconceived expectations and in-descriptions of a simple product I produce to help some folks. |
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Jack Aldrich
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 3 May 2014 9:21 am
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I took mine to my luthier friend, Dave Krause, who has a supply of inlay dots of various sizes. He found some that fit, and the steel looks nice.
_________________
Jack Aldrich
Carter & ShoBud D10's
D8 & T8 Stringmaster
Rickenbacher B6
3 Resonator guitars
Asher Alan Akaka Special SN 6
Canopus D8 |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 3 May 2014 11:13 am
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| Now that looks like one happy B6, Noah, you did good. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 5 May 2014 7:38 pm
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| I made a couple of the white panels for a friend, the one with the control knobs, and the little square on in the center, from aluminum. Made a concave form to tap them to shape. A bit labor intensive though. |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 6 May 2014 6:06 am
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I bought a small English Wheel for my new "Tuckelite" Hawaiian steel's plates ...
Here they are just sitting on the "Foamelite" polystyrene pattern ... Going to "full mold" sand cast this prototype this weekend ... Fair warning to my neighbors and livestock 
The English Wheel is cool ... But I've far from mastered it ... These took me a real long time to do ...
I might just sand cast the plates in the future ...  ... Won't my wife be pleased |
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Steven Cummings
From:
Texas
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Posted 6 May 2014 11:47 am
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Now that's cool.....
Admirable indeed!
 
_________________
Lookin' on the sunny side.... |
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Paul Arntson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 7 May 2014 4:15 pm
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Rick you are indeed talented!! That's incredible. English wheel is one of the scariest looking power tools I have ever seen.
_________________
Excel D10 8&4, Supro 8, Regal resonator, Peavey Powerslide, homemade lap 12(a work in progress) |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 7 May 2014 6:30 pm
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| Nice guitar, Noah! I would love to have one of those. |
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