The tinted lacquer has cured – and it’s hard enough to flat sand, without any risk of dragging the finish. The surface is already quite flat and smooth, and it won’t need much polishing. Since I’ll be adding waterslides to the headstock – front and back – and since the waterslides will need to be fully buried under even more layers of topcoat – I really only need to concentrate, for now, on the areas where the waterslides will sit – and I just need to make sure that the decals will properly adhere. Some 800 grit paper, (or finer), over a flat backing block, is enough to lightly polish the flat surfaces of the headstock – until the decal areas are completely smooth and flat. A few “low” spots are shown up a little further afield, (mainly a few highlights at the top end of the rounded scroll), as retaining their shine amidst the dulled expanses of level, flat-sanded finish – but they’re well away from where the decals will sit – so there’s no point overdoing things and risking rubbing-through the protective topcoat layers and, (far worse), down through the coloured finish. To be fair – 800 grit doesn’t remove that much material, (it polishes the surface, much more than it abrades) – but it’s still wise to play things safe, at this stage…
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A 2004 “Standard” Jazz Bass would normally have a Sixties style logo on the headstock – which is fine by me. I much prefer the older, 60’s and 70’s style logos. Some of the modern Fender designs are, in my opinion, way too perfunctory – and the old designs always seem to sit better with the classic lines and styling of the bodywork. I’ve got hold of a replica waterslide transfer, (this particular one is a reproduction of a 1964 pattern, with a gold foil fill to the scroll script “Fender” logo), and it should be positioned towards the left of the “hook” on the lower portion of the headstock – with enough room left at the right hand side, to mount an “offset contour body” roundel, next to it. (I did originally intend to put a serial number decal on the reverse of the headstock – matching the authentic number I’d discovered on the heel of the neck – but the “custom” manufacturer didn’t manage to reproduce the correct serial number, as requested. I don’t see the point of confusing things by adding a random number, just for the sake of it. I don’t think they used serial decals on 2004 Mexican necks anyway – so it’s really not a problem).
Since the decals will be buried under nitro lacquer, and since nitro is well known to burn though the type of plastic most waterslides are printed on – I’ve learned to spray a few light mist coats of nitro over the face of the decals, before I apply them. Decals which incorporate a metal foil are particularly prone to damage, (where the nitro actually reacts with the alloy, and causes it to split or bubble) – so building up a few layers of my chosen lacquer over the top of the decal, will help protect them when the oversprayed lacquer coats begin to build up. I tape the decals to a board, and then apply light mist coats of clear nitro, (50:50 clear lacquer and anti-bloom thinners), using a Badger airbrush. This applies an easily controllable, super-light mist coat. It’s then important to leave the mist coat for a full 24 hours to dry. Only when the nitro is properly dry, should you apply a second, light, mist coat – and then leave for another 24 hours. Repeat until there’s enough of a protective layer of nitro, over the face of the decals. All in all – I think these got about six or seven mist coats, applied over the length of a week. It’s a lengthy process – but far more preferable than getting a bubbled-up decal trapped under your headstock lacquer.
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Knowing that the large, disc string tree and bushings will encroach on the area where the face decal will sit – I temporarily fit the hardware, so I can plan the positioning of the main waterslide before it goes into the water bath. The string tree hole has already been drilled and tapped – so it’s just a matter of driving in a new screw, (although the outside of the existing screw hole needs to be trimmed back with a counter-sink first, to prevent the lacquer splitting, as the new screw is driven in for the first time). The bushings are from a brand new set – and they’ll clearly need to be shimmed a little when they’re finally fixed into position, to provide a proper, snug fit. (I think the old bushings have been “backed out”. This usually compresses the wood around the edges of the pegholes slightly, and the new bushings don’t seem to fit as snugly). However – their current, loose fit is ideal right now – and I don’t have to worry about them damaging the lacquer as they’re temporarily dropped into place.
Before applying the decals – they’re trimmed to within approximately 2-3mm of the printed graphic, with a pair of scissors. If there are any sharp corners to the cuts, these can create weak points on the circumference, and may be more prone to tearing. It’s always adviseable to trim the decals leaving a gently curved, smooth line circumference. Tight to the graphic – as appropriate – and with no sharp angles.
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The main waterslide decal is then applied in the usual manner. First – the surface of the headstock is scrupulously cleaned with naphtha, and allowed to dry naturally. Next – a little bit of water is dropped onto the surface of the wood – in the approximate area where the graphic will be applied. This will help “float” the waterslide onto the surface of the headstock. The transfer is then soaked in warm water for 30 to 60 seconds. The decal tends to curl when it hits the water – so you might have to hold it out flat with your fingers. Once the gelatine-like adhesive starts to soften – the transparent decal will begin to slide on it’s opaque paper backing. (It takes this particular decal about 60 seconds before it begins to move easily. Don’t try and force them – but, equally – don’t leave them too long in the water bath, or they’ll detatch on their own, and will be just as useless).
Once the decal is moving – it’s easy to then float it from the backing paper, onto the wetted surface. At this stage – you can still move the decal about, carefully – to finalise the positioning. Take care not to tear the transfer, and don’t move it unevenly – so that it wrinkles up, or creases. Instead – just nudge it slightly, and keep the decal flat and intact. You can add a few drops of water around the edges, if needed, to help it slide. Once the decal is in the correct position – carefully mop up excess water, by dabbing over the surface with a paper towel. (Don’t wipe, or you’ll risk tearing the decal). As the water is absorbed – the decal is pulled down onto the surface of the headstock. Work into a light – so you can check that there are no bubbles trapped underneath the waterslide. (If there are any small bubbles of air or water – carefully press them out to the sides of the transfer – working from the centre, outwards). As the decal dries – keep gently pressing the decal down, and working out all of the trapped bubbles. As things dry out – the adhesive holds the decal ever more firmly in position. You can now begin to press it down more firmly – so that the surface becomes visibly smooth, all over.
Many of the vintage 60’s Fender logo examples I’ve seen, as reference, appear to have the roundel applied in-line with the main logo. (Later guitars usually have the roundel further away, and in the centre of the rounded scroll end). My roundel decal is applied in exactly the same way as before. Once both of the face decals have been applied, and once they are well on their way to drying, flat and smooth – the work is set aside to let the transfers fully air dry. The manufacturer recommends at least three hours – but I’ll set the neck aside for at least a day. In practice – this may well turn out to be much longer – so I aim to store the neck where the unprotected decals can’t be accidentally damaged.
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Once thoroughly dry – the decals will need carefully fixing with some more light mist coats of lacquer. These mist coats will begin to bond with the lacquer that is already on the headstock. It’s roughly the same approach as with the decals on the board – and will be done, again, with the Badger airbrush – spraying over the decals with a light mist coat each time, and allowing each application to fully dry for 24 hours. Once a few coats have been built up – the decal should then be protected enough to allow for a few thicker, more liquid, applications of clear coat. As I get to that stage, I’ll gradually extend the preparatory mist coats over the entire headstock, and also down the back of the neck. This to prepare the whole lacquer surface for a few, final finishing “body” coats of clearcoat. These will provide the full thickness of the protective coat, and they need to be enough to allow me to gently flat-back once more, and polish. On the face of the headstock – the final coats will also need to be thick enough to allow the area over the decal to be flat-sanded. This will allow the decal to become fully “buried” in the clear lacquer coat, as part of the final polishing process.