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Topic: Mica to Natural Wood Conversion |
Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
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Posted 15 Aug 2020 11:19 am |
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Has anyone done a mica to natural wood refinish job? I'm pondering the idea for my Mullen and have some questions.
1) Is the procedure to remove the mica (and glue residue) then prep and directly stain/finish the wood underneath...or...do you remove the mica then glue a thin veneer of whatever wood you want into place and stain/finish that?
2) The main concern I have with removing the mica then staining the wood underneath is it would lower the height of the changer relative to the mechanics underneath by the thickness of the mica. Is that a problem or is the mica thin enough that it doesn't really matter? As the Mullen changer is very forgiving of tuning rods coming in at less than perfect angles, I'd bet it's not a problem.
3) I believe the Mullen has rock hard maple under the mica which I've heard is very difficult to stain. Has anyone taken a project like this on with rock hard maple? How did it turn out?
4) Would removing the mica layer change the sustain of the strings?
Thanks!
_________________
Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA |
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Bill Lowe
From:
Connecticut
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Posted 15 Aug 2020 12:24 pm
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I think you would have to glue wood veneer. There is a lot of info from Mike Scaggs. Do a search and he did a few step by step. Looks like a lot of work and know how.
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=360093&highlight=scaggs
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JCH D10, 71 D10 P/p fat back, Telonics TCA 500C--12-,Fender JBL Twin, Josh Swift signature. |
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 15 Aug 2020 10:10 pm
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Body would be loose in endplate. Best trade for a lacquer guitar.
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http://www.littleoprey.org/ |
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Rick McNamara
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 3:56 am Mica to Natural Wood
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Hey Dennis,
I don’t think it’s a big deal. You can make shims from the mica for the changer, neck and tuner to maintain the original relationship in height.
Almost every Sho~Bud I work on requires some kind of shim at the end plates to keep from breaking the glue joint between the front/rear aprons and top of the cabinet. So that shouldn’t be a problem either.
There are some beautiful veneers out there if you don’t like the grain of the original maple cabinet.
I have found if you sand the long joints in the corners the veneer blends into the radius and disappears. That would require some rework of end plates but give you more of a round front Sho~Bud look.
IMHO anyway,
Rick |
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Douglas Schuch
From:
Valencia, Philippines
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 4:06 am
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What Bill Lowe said - Mike Scaggs has done a number of these. I think he actually does two layers of wood veneer to equal the width of plastic laminate. IIRC, he said the original lacquer Emmons were all done with wood veneer. Rock Maple probably does not have very interesting grain - why not put whatever amazing wood grain you want there via veneers? I don't remember how Mike did it, but careful of using a glue on the veneers that the lacquer or other finish might loosen. Any good book on furniture veneering could assist with that, I'm sure.
_________________
Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental! |
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Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 5:40 am
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WHAT DOUGLAS SAID HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
I AGREE.
I should have read all the post to your QuestionS they all are good answers.Jerry knows!!
Straight grain maple stained would be ugly too say the least. ( commercial veneer is not my choice for a $6000 steel. :::: I like to make my on veneer at least 1/16 inch thick.
Commercial Veneer made of wood is much thinner than Formica.
So just putting veneer on would leave a space in end plates unless you made up the difference in a thick finish. Also to inlay nice accent stripes takes some practice an skill.
You could do this.::::: Remove Formica from front. Pick out your favorite wood mill the wood
too the thickness that pleases your eye an is proud of the end plates like in this picture
round over the four sides.::::: Glue on with horse hide glue so it can be removed if you ever desire you want to go back to original Formica finish.
Last edited by Johnie King on 16 Aug 2020 4:47 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 7:32 am
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Hi Dennis,
The plastic laminate (mica) is held onto the wood cabinet by contact cement. I imagine you'll completely disassemble the steel to refurbish the finish. Lacquer thinner will cause the contact cement to release the mica, and also can be used to clean the residual cc from the wood. Use a glue scraper. Let the wood dry and sand until the wood is clean and free of contact cement.
With that said, it would be easier to buy new lumber and build a new cabinet than cleaning off the mica.
Use your chosen veneer on both sides of the boards, inside and out, top and bottom. This balances things out so the board shouldn't bow as it would with the veneer on one side only.
You can choose from a vast number of veneers either natural or manmade. A lot the the guitars (like PRS) you see these days the top wood veneer is manmade. Some come already finished. Some of the natural veneers come w/ a paper back, thats much easier to apply than raw veneer.
Here are links to companies that has a good choice of quality veneers. There are many others.
Don't use contact cement unless specified by the veneer manufactor. Use Johnie's Horse Hide Glue or Titebond 2.
https://www.formwood.com/wood-veneer-sheets.html
https://veneers.com/wood-veneers/exotic-veneers/ |
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Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 12:32 pm
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 This is drum wrap I’m thinking. For reselling later down the road choice of cabinet colors can be a winner or loser!!
Here the hottest seller I ever had. |
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Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 1:12 pm
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Thanks everyone for the great info, you've given me a lot to think about!
Some comments:
To Jerry who suggested I just trade for a lacquer guitar...if things were only that simple! Fact is it literally took me about 6 months of trial and error with copedents and bellcrank/changer hole placements to get my Mullen G2 perfectly setup for me...no way I walk away from that. Also after my experiences of the past few years, I will never buy/trade for a used PSG again and a new replacement is a financial no-go. Looks like my Mullen and I will be a team till the end...honestly though, I really wish I had sprung the extra $1000 and additional 2 week wait for a lacquer finish. Unfortunately, patience is not a quality I possess much of and adding another 2 weeks to the 10 - 12 wait I was already on just wasn't going to happen...at least not without driving my wife completely over the edge and both of us landing in the local sanitarium 
To Johnie: Good idea! But I've looked at the drum wraps available from Precision Drum and there's nothing there that I like more than the current vinyl wrap I have.
I checked out Mike Skaggs step-by-step thread about restoring (I think it was) an old Emmons and redoing the cabinet. Very instructional...and gives a good idea just how monumental a task I'd be getting myself into.
Another option: I've done several pedal steel vinyl wraps. I found a few vinyl wraps from my normal supplier with a flamed maple blue or purple finish that I really like. Tough to say though how good it would look in person...and of course since he custom makes them to my dimensions it's a $90 one way ride with no return if it doesn't look great after delivery.
To Greg: I never thought of starting from ground zero and building my own cabinet. A major advantage is I don't have to alter my Mullen, or strip the parts off until I'm ready for final assembly on the new one. On the minus side, I'm not a pedal steel cabinet manufacturer and don't know all the necessary secrets and techniques. I do work with wood from time to time, but not at that kind of advanced level...not to mention I doubt I have the tools or workbench setup to pull it off.
...this actually gives me a good idea...
I should contact Mike at Mullen. I wonder if they can build me a lacquer cabinet with all the G2 model underside holes routed out and then it's up to me to swap my hardware across? Hmmm...
_________________
Hear my latest album, "Celestial" featuring a combination of Mullen SD12 and Synthesizers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhh6b_xXTx4&list=PLfXm8aXRTFz0x-Sxso0NWw493qAouK
Hear my album, "Armistice" featuring Fender 400 on every song:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2Pz_GXhvmjne7lPEtsplyW
Hear my Pedal Steel Only playlist featuring Mullen G2 SD12 on covers like Candyman, Wild Horses, Across the Universe & more...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfXm8aXRTFz2f0JOyiXpZyzNrvnJObliA |
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Johnie King
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 1:57 pm
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| I’m pretty sure the Williams steel company has no charge for there lacquer cabinets if they haven’t changed there policy. I guess Bill has a good handle on his wood finish cabinets I don’t know what they use maybe car clear coat. There’s some better choices for guitar finishes today. |
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Greg Forsyth
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Aug 2020 4:20 pm
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| If you would like to replace the existing mica with new mica you might be able to find something you like at one of the local cabinet shops. Some have surplus plastic laminates from previous jobs..Maybe metal laminates as well. |
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Dennis Montgomery
From:
Western Washington
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