As a long time milliput user my advice is to do everything with wet fingers and use a wet brush for the surface. Wet as in water. IPA works but water gives you more control. This was superb. What a finish!!
I love the final look on the scratch plate. I think leave everything else as is, with the exception of applying this same effect to the truss rod cover. An understated way to unify the body and headstock visually.
That's really beautiful, Ben. Kind of a vintage leather/snakeskin that looks like it has belonged to someone for a long time. I love the adventure of knowing what you want and approximately the direction to get there, but having to redraw the map sometimes along the way to find the path through.
You should go down the wargaming/ttrpg rabbit hole for milliput or green stuff inspiration. There's a large knowledge base for materials and techniques including roller templates that don't stick and impress a pattern
That looks awesome Really has changed the look of the guitar and made it more unique than the other goldtops around. You really inspire me Ben to try out some new finish ideas Love your content m8
I love it! I've had a box of lace ribbons, etc. in the drawer for years but never really figured out how to put them to use on an instrument - this has rekindled the think-tank.
I have to admit, Ben, that I had some doubts, but the final result speaks for itself! Very cool! I don't know about the inlays, but I think balancing the pick guard by treating the toggle plate with the same technique could look really sharp.
I use miliputt a lot on my wood turnings. I use an electric pasta roller to mix it. Works like a treat and when you're using a lot of it, the roller saves your hand and fingers from fatigue. And it's pretty forgiving, you don't need a scale. I just lay the 2 sticks side by side and cut them with a knife, never had any issues. And if you want to take a mold imprint or to get it not to stick, just use a light sprinkling of baby powder, kind of like they do in metal casting.
this one turned out perfect so if you do it again, I do like the idea of continuing the lines of the fret markers down to the plate would look cool and give it all a flowing look.
Ben, very pretty design of lace. Left a first impression that looked fantastic. The word you are looking for is “kaizen”, Japanese for “good change” that now is known as “continual improvement.” It’s the process the Japanese use in all their production processes. Tiny little adjustments, changes to one item after another to eventually create a perfect item to create a perfect whole. Cars, martial arts, guitars anyone? Nice work, BTW, my man.
I dont know if anyone else has suggested, but why not use block printing ink, roll it onto the pick guard and then burnish as you did with the milliput version, admittedly the pick guard would need to be keyed and possibly a clearcoat over the top to protect. Or apply the ink to the lace and press onto the pick guard may also work.
Ben I make capes out of milliput for my minis, mix it wait for it to firm up a bit then I wet the plastic sheets first and then roll and it don't stick as much if at all you gotta judge the curing , my finger tips recognize the consistency now.
miliput will sand and polish. I've used it for inlay and for pressing metal spirals of wire (twisted power cable) into - which when sanded down give an amazing look. Also, you can use food colouring on the white one. This is fun!
I feel like a six year old playing in the dirt. Tell me about it! I just screwed four yes FOUR guitar wall hangers to my office wall and it feels sooooooooooo GOOD.
I've used Milliput for years on guitars. For things like filling in pot/switch holes under a refinish, reshaping chipped/sanded flat headstock "open book" designs etc. beware it does shrink after a few months, and water is your friend for smoothing/thinning Milliput.
Dear Cris... if you mix aluminum with yellow and a little bit of red, you will get the exact gold of the guitar, plus a bonus of having that mysterious almost iridescent gold shine, typical of guitar pickguards
You could paint it then gloss coat and make an enamel pin wash with an appropriate color it flows in to the recess detail, clean up with some enamel thinner and top coat it.
Very cool results. The pickguard makes the OEM plastic look plain. But the pickguard and pickup rings in that finish might be too much. Same for the switch tip. Perhaps a black/gold switch plate and a black switch tip.
I'd love to see you experiment with truck bed liner. It's an incredibly tough material with a lot of texture and I'm sure you'd find crazy ways of using it.
I use Miliput regularly and would be worried about it coming away from the scratch plate. I think it would be safer to make a sheet of Miliput with the lace effect then glue it in place and trim it. Great idea though and the finish looks awesome
I loved you showing the process WITH mistakes because thats how we ALL learn. The pick guard looks awesome, like it was made by a human. The only critque, that phillips screw just screams at me.
While I like this technique and think it'll be amazing once perfected - what it has done for me is show a new possibility for a project I'm working on now. While many have seen/ done wallpaper or material on a guitar body - I have a large, black/white/black, tri-layer pickguard on an Ibanez that I have been struggling to make interesting. (The guitar body is to be swirled) I had thought of a decal or carving a pattern into it - but I may now epoxy some wallpaper or material onto it that contrasts with the swirl. Thanks for the (constant, numerous and over several years) inspiration Ben.
I think you could do with a etching machine so you can design and etch out scratch plates or even a infill on the front of a guitar like sound holes on acoustic to change up the way thay look I'm sure you with your mindset could come up with some amazing stuff
Be interesting on any of the fender designs scratchplates. Only downside is milliput gets brittle with age. Greenstuff is a little more elastic so it doesn't get as brittle as it ages
I can't help feel that the surface of that pick guard is going to look a lot worse once it has done what it is designed to do - protecting the top of the body from being scratched by the pick. Maybe that's just me. Would it be feasible to protect the surface with a clear covering/coating?
Very cool idea. I thought/hoped you would follow the gold by using a rubber ink roller (or some such item/method to apply a cream color to the upper surface leaving the gold in relief. Still cool though.
having the fret markers the same way as the scratch plate would maybe take it from a really cool looking highlight into a more integrated style decision
Didn’t Fender do something similar with their Paisley guitars a long time ago?? I know snakeskin was done in the 80s by Matsumoku… Hiwever, this is an interesting project, shown warts and all; kudos, Ben!
My thoughts were exactly what you said about delamination but not ever working with the stuff or knowing whether it shrinks , cracks etc. 80 grit key plus a degrease wipe before applying ( is there a bonding primer for the putty?) a release agent)/ oil on the rolling pin may help 🤷. I did like the final look a lot better than the straight up black. Could you achieve a similar result bonding carved/laser etched leather onto a pick guard?
Custom car and motorcyle builders have been spraying paint over lace since forever to create some stunning finishes. Never seen in done on a guitar yet.
This has enspired me to scan some lace patterns and 3D print a textured plate to stick on a pickguard, I might also print a stamp using semi flexible TPU filament so that it can be used to make the impression in Milliput, I think brushing some IPA on to the Milliput before stamping the texture will help to stop any sticking issues. Some protective self adhesive film might be a good thing on the back of the pickguard while working with the Milliput. I think the 3D printed version will be better as I can make all the other plastic parts with the same texture, or even print them smooth with the same lace pattern. I think a clear coat, whether gloss or matte would be a good thing on top of the Milliput.
I like the look of the gold filler that you used but it would be fun to see what some Antique Gold Rub 'N Buff or maybe the European Gold Rub 'N Buff would do. Rub 'N Buff is a wax and if you hit the high spots with it, I think that would be a pretty cool look
Next week on Crimson - Ben makes gold lacy inlays, pick-up surrounds, and a switch tip and poker chip. Then he debates whether to do the truss rod cover and headstock to match the following week…
The scratchplate looks great, and fretboard inlays would look good, but I think pickup surrounds etc would be a step too far. I'd want the screws to be gold as well, but that could lead to even further changes!
How about constructing parts, scratchplate, P.U. rings etc. from clear acrylic and spraying from behind, then you end up with a smooth top finish which cannot be damaged.
super awesome, it went better than you give yourself credit for. How about a snakeskin pattern...dragon scales...entire body and headstock, knobs are taxidermy eyes modified with more miliput...
Was that a North of the Border shoutout? Awesome! By the way: people who sculpt green stuff or milliput wet their tools in solvent to prevent them sticking
this is me watching and stopping at 16:34, jumping to the keyboard and stating that I m thinking of the gold-flake wax finish that he can apply - let;s see where he goes with this...
"Tone this down by making it gold" is the most Ben thing that's ever been said.
Ha! It's one of the reasons we love him and keep coming back!
As a long time milliput user my advice is to do everything with wet fingers and use a wet brush for the surface. Wet as in water. IPA works but water gives you more control.
This was superb. What a finish!!
I was coming here to say just that. Basically I treat it like clay, and it seems to work just fine...
On kustom cars they lay the lace over the base coat of paint an dust paint over the top remove lace an apply top coat
Lovely to hear the "Snakey Dealy" NotB reference, was not expecting it. One of my favourite creative channels and doesn't get enough love!
I love the final look on the scratch plate. I think leave everything else as is, with the exception of applying this same effect to the truss rod cover. An understated way to unify the body and headstock visually.
As much as I love that process, that guitar is now perfect. No need to do Pup surrounds or inlays. Class
Massive improvement in appearance from this process. It's got me thinking outside the box...
Love these experimental tech videos! I need more!
That was fun to watch. Thanks 👍
This looks so good with the color of the guitar. Great in fact.
That's really beautiful, Ben. Kind of a vintage leather/snakeskin that looks like it has belonged to someone for a long time. I love the adventure of knowing what you want and approximately the direction to get there, but having to redraw the map sometimes along the way to find the path through.
You should go down the wargaming/ttrpg rabbit hole for milliput or green stuff inspiration. There's a large knowledge base for materials and techniques including roller templates that don't stick and impress a pattern
classic ... I was so questioning this process .... end result ... Beautiful!!
That looks awesome
Really has changed the look of the guitar and made it more unique than the other goldtops around. You really inspire me Ben to try out some new finish ideas
Love your content m8
I love it! I've had a box of lace ribbons, etc. in the drawer for years but never really figured out how to put them to use on an instrument - this has rekindled the think-tank.
I have to admit, Ben, that I had some doubts, but the final result speaks for itself! Very cool! I don't know about the inlays, but I think balancing the pick guard by treating the toggle plate with the same technique could look really sharp.
Should make a veneer for the headstock to match the scratch plate
Definitely go for the inlays as well! That is awesome!!!👍✌️💯💪🎼🎵🎵☕️😎
I use miliputt a lot on my wood turnings. I use an electric pasta roller to mix it. Works like a treat and when you're using a lot of it, the roller saves your hand and fingers from fatigue. And it's pretty forgiving, you don't need a scale. I just lay the 2 sticks side by side and cut them with a knife, never had any issues. And if you want to take a mold imprint or to get it not to stick, just use a light sprinkling of baby powder, kind of like they do in metal casting.
So much win here 🎉
this one turned out perfect so if you do it again, I do like the idea of continuing the lines of the fret markers down to the plate would look cool and give it all a flowing look.
That looks so cool! 🤘
Ben, very pretty design of lace. Left a first impression that looked fantastic.
The word you are looking for is “kaizen”, Japanese for “good change” that now is known as “continual improvement.” It’s the process the Japanese use in all their production processes. Tiny little adjustments, changes to one item after another to eventually create a perfect item to create a perfect whole. Cars, martial arts, guitars anyone?
Nice work, BTW, my man.
I dont know if anyone else has suggested, but why not use block printing ink, roll it onto the pick guard and then burnish as you did with the milliput version, admittedly the pick guard would need to be keyed and possibly a clearcoat over the top to protect.
Or apply the ink to the lace and press onto the pick guard may also work.
Ben I make capes out of milliput for my minis, mix it wait for it to firm up a bit then I wet the plastic sheets first and then roll and it don't stick as much if at all you gotta judge the curing , my finger tips recognize the consistency now.
Im thinking you should do the whole top ( lace gold / black ) in a similar fashion, probably easier to just pain though
Yes go for the inlays too. Very impressed
OMG the Inlay idea!
Awesome idea!
Looks great.
That is a cool effect
Looks great !
Please continue to experiment on camera, it's fun :)
miliput will sand and polish. I've used it for inlay and for pressing metal spirals of wire (twisted power cable) into - which when sanded down give an amazing look. Also, you can use food colouring on the white one.
This is fun!
Food colouring!? Awesome, I hadn't thought of that!
I feel like a six year old playing in the dirt. Tell me about it! I just screwed four yes FOUR guitar wall hangers to my office wall and it feels sooooooooooo GOOD.
I've used Milliput for years on guitars.
For things like filling in pot/switch holes under a refinish, reshaping chipped/sanded flat headstock "open book" designs etc.
beware it does shrink after a few months, and water is your friend for smoothing/thinning Milliput.
Me! 🖐️ I knew.
A strop is excellent for the final finish on high-end guitar picks.
I might try this on some Furnature. Cool
Dear Cris... if you mix aluminum with yellow and a little bit of red, you will get the exact gold of the guitar, plus a bonus of having that mysterious almost iridescent gold shine, typical of guitar pickguards
You could paint it then gloss coat and make an enamel pin wash with an appropriate color it flows in to the recess detail, clean up with some enamel thinner and top coat it.
This is amazing. You should do block inlays matching this pickguard. That would look incredible 👍
that looks great Ben
Imagine instead of a burl or flame maple top you did this as a top and then cleared over it!
Very cool results. The pickguard makes the OEM plastic look plain. But the pickguard and pickup rings in that finish might be too much. Same for the switch tip. Perhaps a black/gold switch plate and a black switch tip.
You should definitely do the jack plate to match the scratch guard along with the pick up surrounds and switch cover
The inlays would be a lot of work, but the poker chip and truss rod cover would be cool!
Definitely do the pickup surrounds and switch surround in the same fashion
How about replacing the chromed screws with brass screws?
That could work!
I'd love to see you experiment with truck bed liner. It's an incredibly tough material with a lot of texture and I'm sure you'd find crazy ways of using it.
I use Miliput regularly and would be worried about it coming away from the scratch plate. I think it would be safer to make a sheet of Miliput with the lace effect then glue it in place and trim it. Great idea though and the finish looks awesome
I loved you showing the process WITH mistakes because thats how we ALL learn. The pick guard looks awesome, like it was made by a human. The only critque, that phillips screw just screams at me.
@15:00 amen 🙏
While I like this technique and think it'll be amazing once perfected - what it has done for me is show a new possibility for a project I'm working on now.
While many have seen/ done wallpaper or material on a guitar body - I have a large, black/white/black, tri-layer pickguard on an Ibanez that I have been struggling to make interesting. (The guitar body is to be swirled) I had thought of a decal or carving a pattern into it - but I may now epoxy some wallpaper or material onto it that contrasts with the swirl.
Thanks for the (constant, numerous and over several years) inspiration Ben.
I think you could do with a etching machine so you can design and etch out scratch plates or even a infill on the front of a guitar like sound holes on acoustic to change up the way thay look I'm sure you with your mindset could come up with some amazing stuff
Be interesting on any of the fender designs scratchplates. Only downside is milliput gets brittle with age. Greenstuff is a little more elastic so it doesn't get as brittle as it ages
Do the rest definitely!! ❤
I thin sheet of silicone, like the mats used in some crafts, sprayed with a little mould release, would do the job for rolling out the Milliput.
I like subtle, truss rod cover with the same effect would be just the right amount i think.
I know what I'd rather see the missus wearing. Definitely a gold top.
I can't help feel that the surface of that pick guard is going to look a lot worse once it has done what it is designed to do - protecting the top of the body from being scratched by the pick. Maybe that's just me. Would it be feasible to protect the surface with a clear covering/coating?
Very cool idea. I thought/hoped you would follow the gold by using a rubber ink roller (or some such item/method to apply a cream color to the upper surface leaving the gold in relief. Still cool though.
Says I need to tone this down.....then paints it gold!
Well now I want to do this on my two guitars
having the fret markers the same way as the scratch plate would maybe take it from a really cool looking highlight into a more integrated style decision
The pickup surrounds, switch tip and ring would be cool. What about the truss rod cover as well? Oh hell... would the tuning pegs be too much?
Didn’t Fender do something similar with their Paisley guitars a long time ago?? I know snakeskin was done in the 80s by Matsumoku…
Hiwever, this is an interesting project, shown warts and all; kudos, Ben!
My thoughts were exactly what you said about delamination but not ever working with the stuff or knowing whether it shrinks , cracks etc. 80 grit key plus a degrease wipe before applying ( is there a bonding primer for the putty?) a release agent)/ oil on the rolling pin may help 🤷.
I did like the final look a lot better than the straight up black.
Could you achieve a similar result bonding carved/laser etched leather onto a pick guard?
Would the texture not feel weird on the hands if it was used for fretboard inlays??
My guess would be he'd epoxy over the top so it's flush to the touch
Custom car and motorcyle builders have been spraying paint over lace since forever to create some stunning finishes. Never seen in done on a guitar yet.
I will have to change that then :)
This has enspired me to scan some lace patterns and 3D print a textured plate to stick on a pickguard, I might also print a stamp using semi flexible TPU filament so that it can be used to make the impression in Milliput, I think brushing some IPA on to the Milliput before stamping the texture will help to stop any sticking issues.
Some protective self adhesive film might be a good thing on the back of the pickguard while working with the Milliput.
I think the 3D printed version will be better as I can make all the other plastic parts with the same texture, or even print them smooth with the same lace pattern.
I think a clear coat, whether gloss or matte would be a good thing on top of the Milliput.
I like the look of the gold filler that you used but it would be fun to see what some Antique Gold Rub 'N Buff or maybe the European Gold Rub 'N Buff would do. Rub 'N Buff is a wax and if you hit the high spots with it, I think that would be a pretty cool look
What about applying the texture to the pickup covers?
Next week on Crimson - Ben makes gold lacy inlays, pick-up surrounds, and a switch tip and poker chip. Then he debates whether to do the truss rod cover and headstock to match the following week…
The scratchplate looks great, and fretboard inlays would look good, but I think pickup surrounds etc would be a step too far. I'd want the screws to be gold as well, but that could lead to even further changes!
How about constructing parts, scratchplate, P.U. rings etc. from clear acrylic and spraying from behind, then you end up with a smooth top finish which cannot be damaged.
Can you make more full guitar building videos
A little bit of water will help smooth out milliput, and let a roller glide over it 😉
This video makes me wonder what'll happen when Ben gets his paws on some fabric hardener.
I wonder if some thin epoxy could be used as a primer
“Is this a good idea or am I insane?” …Two things can be true 😂
Have you tried one of those Cricut craft printers with a foil printing head? Another though would be whether you can etch with your laser cutter.
super awesome, it went better than you give yourself credit for. How about a snakeskin pattern...dragon scales...entire body and headstock, knobs are taxidermy eyes modified with more miliput...
Don't forget the tuner buttons.
You could do a cool snake skin pattern. That would be sick.
I really thought you were going to use gold rub and buff but you went with the inverse. Good result anyway.
Good call for the next time though!
Personally I would have dyed the lace black and laminated it onto gold. Maybe dry brush some more gold on top.
Being Belgian, I can relate to your love of lace (but please not blue lace...)
It looks gorgeous (Brass screws?)
22:30 It definitively would
Was that a North of the Border shoutout? Awesome! By the way: people who sculpt green stuff or milliput wet their tools in solvent to prevent them sticking
I love his stuff :)
I really do think you are going through a midlife crisis😂😂😂.....keep up the good work! Love it !
Was hoping you’d slap that pick guard on the pewter guitar instead at the end
Could possibly get a similar thing going with pattern rollers…
I'd go for some roller guides to ensure an even thickness.
good call! I also need to find out what the roller needs to be made from :)
Wow
He of course has a hammer for every occasion 😂. We need a video tour of all your hammers.
go wild and build the entire guitar body out of that putty!
That technique would be awesome to make a snakeskin effect on the scratch plate
oh hell yes!!!
Be careful when you burnish the snakes though - they're bound to get upset.
Yah make a headstock veneer to match it
Yes to the switch surround, for balance, but stop there. Less is more.
this is me watching and stopping at 16:34, jumping to the keyboard and stating that I m thinking of the gold-flake wax finish that he can apply - let;s see where he goes with this...
That is looking sweet....
Some automotive painters use lace to get that effect in a paint job.
Looks like grandma’s guitar now :)
The right age demographic for Gibson owners