how can i flatten a warped pickguard?

i bought an old 1940's gibson l-7. the original pickguard was in the case
pocket. however, it is somewhat warped, in a convex way. i'm told not to
heat it up, as it could explode, being made of nitrocellulose. any tips as to
how i might straighten this ol' thing out??

This sometimes works on old records so maybe it will work on the pickguard.
Place the pickguard inbetween two panes of glass and set it in the sun for
awhile to let it heat up. When the weight of the glass flattens the
pickguard take it out of the sun. Hope that it doesn't warp back when it
cools.
"BREZ9091" <brez9091@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030817115704.28312.00000137@mb-m18.aol.com...
> i bought an old 1940's gibson l-7. the original pickguard was in the
case
> pocket. however, it is somewhat warped, in a convex way. i'm told not
to
> heat it up, as it could explode, being made of nitrocellulose. any tips
as to
> how i might straighten this ol' thing out??

"BREZ9091" <brez9091@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030817115704.28312.00000137@mb-m18.aol.com...
> i bought an old 1940's gibson l-7. the original pickguard was in the
case
> pocket. however, it is somewhat warped, in a convex way. i'm told not
to
> heat it up, as it could explode, being made of nitrocellulose. any tips
as to
> how i might straighten this ol' thing out??

Your warning notwithstanding, If you still want to flatten it, it will still
require some heat.

What I've done is wrap it in a couple of folds of a damp towel, and use a
clothes iron heated just to the steam setting. Lay the iron on top of the
towel and turn it off - when it cools, the weight and heat should do the
trick. It may take a couple of passes to get it right but the end result
will be a flatter pickguard.

As I understand it, nitrocellulose is flammable (and gives off cyanide gas)
but will only do so if raised to its kindling temperature - far above the
heat of an old clothes iron...

Good luck!

On 17 Aug 2003 15:57:04 GMT, brez9091@aol.com (BREZ9091) wrote:

>i bought an old 1940's gibson l-7. the original pickguard was in the case
>pocket. however, it is somewhat warped, in a convex way. i'm told not to
>heat it up, as it could explode, being made of nitrocellulose. any tips as to
>how i might straighten this ol' thing out??

Clamp it between two plastic cutting boards. You can get the cutting
boards at the Dollar Store for a buck each. Or use something similar.

Place the assembly in the sink, close the drain, pour a huge pan of
boiling water into the sink, let it sit until it colls all the way
down.

Better yet, try to find a way to give it a reverse warp, curved the
other way from what it is now. Maybe take four straws, fill them with
sand, close the ends by melting them shut with a lighter, and then
apply them to the pickguard in locations that will provide a slight
curve when the boards are applied and clamped.

Try it straight first, but it probably won't take all the warp out, it
will just reduce it. Same for almost any other heat method

After straight heating and clamping fails to remove all the warp, use
the straws or something else that is thin and compressable that can
stand the heat to try to give it a reverse warp. You will find that
although you try to give it a reverse warp, you won't, it will come
out perfectly flat. It will look warped in the clamped position, but
it will flatten out when you release the clamps.

They sell cheap but strong all-plastic clamps at your local building
center and larger hardware stores (better price at Home Depot or a
large building center). They have many uses...

I hope you aren't considering putting the pickguard in the
microwave...

now you are really screwed
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