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Topic: How do you make a fretboard silkscreen?? |
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 5:02 pm |
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| What would be involved in making a silkscreen to do fretboards. Any easy way to do it? |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 5:18 pm
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Not really. Best bet would be to take some full-size artwork to a screen printer, and have them make the screens. You'll need to have a screen made for each detail color you're doing, so a 3-color fretboard would need at least 2 screens for the details, and the background (usually spray-painted) would be the third color. Then you need good epoxy ink, some squeegees, a bunch of reducer (thinner to clean the screens), a bushel of rags (yes, it's messy), and some type of frame or lay-up device to keep everything in proper register (position).
Unless you're making and selling many dozens of fretboards, it would hardly be worth the time, trouble, and expense to do it yourself. |
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Jack Francis
From:
Queen Creek, Arizona, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 5:45 pm
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Having been in this industry for a long time I can tell you that it would be FAR cheaper and a lot easier on your nerves to go to a "SCREENPRINTER", show him what you want and let him tell you if your artwork will work and then let him make the screens and do the printing. (If your looking for a quality job.)
IMHO! |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 6:21 pm
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Silkscreening is the old fashioned way of making fretboards. And because of the screen streching when it's wiped with the paint, it is very inaccurate.
We have laser freatboards that are absolutly perfect, Sho-Bud and Emmons.
The best ever for even lower prices than you could ever make silkscreen boards. They look perfectly original, exactly like the origials, but "in tune".
Wholesale prices available.
615 822 5555
Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 22 August 2006 at 07:22 PM.] |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 7:43 pm
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Thanks for the replies.
I should have phrased this another way. What would be involved in silkscreening a fretboard right onto the raw wood neck like older lap guitars and the Lacquer MSA instruments were done. Any difference? |
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2006 10:55 pm
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| I have done that Bill and actually had a screenprinter do it for me. They were very reasonable and even had the artwork (the roses that are on Gerry Walkers' neck are from that screen) and did the application for me after I gave them the neck and the fretboard to copy. It was a kick and not a real big deal. I also do laser engraved custom fretboards for folks. |
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Curt Langston
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Posted 25 Aug 2006 3:41 pm
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| I'd go with Bobbe's way............. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 26 Aug 2006 6:02 pm
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You could make the entire instrument out of aluminium and laser-etch the fretboard into the top.
We have a laser center at work and I'm looking to see if I can find a cheap CAD program that I could use to design instruments. We use AutoCAD and Solidworks at work, but I'm not trained on them and they seem very complicated. |
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