Who will wax pot a pickup on the east coast? **Updated**

  • Thread starter Thread starter lespaul6
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lespaul6

lespaul6

Well-known member
I need to get these custombuckers wax potted so they're actually usable! anyone know a shop that will do this? thanks
 
Go out and buy some paraffin wax along with a natural bees wax toilet ring. Mix them together in a clean un-liked coffee mug using around 60-70% paraffin wax. Use a double boiler to melt the wax. Watching the wax until its fully melted, dip the pickup in it watching for the congealed wax that forms on the cold pickup to become opaque. Once that happens, pull it out of the wax and set it on some paper towel. Gently wipe the top bobbins off and let it sit to cool down. Boom, your done.
 
I read you have to get the temp to 140 but not 155 or you can melt the bobbins etc? Once I saw that I knew I would probably ruin them
 
Do they have covers? If so it's probably more due to that than the pickup itself. I scrape some shavings from a candle put them in place, attach cover and solder it on. That's usually enough heat to melt the wax but I usually put the heat gun on it to be sure.

You can tap on the cover with the plastic end of a small screwdriver, if it sounds dead and solid then the cover is good but if it sounds hollow and alive then it needs some sort of treatment. Some people use tape.
 
SpiderWars said:
Do they have covers? If so it's probably more due to that than the pickup itself. I scrape some shavings from a candle put them in place, attach cover and solder it on. That's usually enough heat to melt the wax but I usually put the heat gun on it to be sure.

You can tap on the cover with the plastic end of a small screwdriver, if it sounds dead and solid then the cover is good but if it sounds hollow and alive then it needs some sort of treatment. Some people use tape.
Click to expand...
they have the stock nickel covers. Do you think its the cover or the coils responsible for the horrendous feedback? or both?
 
lespaul6 said:
I read you have to get the temp to 140 but not 155 or you can melt the bobbins etc? Once I saw that I knew I would probably ruin them
Click to expand...
Yes, pretty sure those are butyrate. They will warp quickly. If they have covers, that's 90% of your microphonics right there. Make sure you send them to someone experienced with butyrate. I know many winders won't touch them.
 
lespaul6 said:
they have the stock nickel covers. Do you think its the cover or the coils responsible for the horrendous feedback? or both?
Click to expand...
I would suspect covers first. I thought @Bxlxaxkxe did some of his clips with Custombuckers so maybe he’ll chime in on how microphonic his were. It’s easy for one pickup to squeal and another seemingly identical pickup to not squeal just from how the cover fits or was installed on it.
 
SpiderWars said:
I would suspect covers first. I thought @Bxlxaxkxe did some of his clips with Custombuckers so maybe he’ll chime in on how microphonic his were. It’s easy for one pickup to squeal and another seemingly identical pickup to not squeal just from how the cover fits or was installed on it.
Click to expand...

Yea I have some covered custombuckers that I’ve been using for a long time. No microphonic issues. Had an SG with covered ones as well and no issues.

I bought an uncovered one just for the aesthetic and it is microphonic as hell. If anyone is up for potting it, I’d be down
 
I'm going to take off the cover tonight and use some adhesive silicone caulk, clamp it back together and re-solder... see what happens
 
Bxlxaxkxe said:
Yea I have some covered custombuckers that I’ve been using for a long time. No microphonic issues. Had an SG with covered ones as well and no issues.

I bought an uncovered one just for the aesthetic and it is microphonic as hell. If anyone is up for potting it, I’d be down
Click to expand...
how old are your covered custombuckers? I think they stopped potting them in 2019
 
Regarding covers, I take them off, then use a little tape on the outside to cover the screw holes. Then I use a mix of slightly more bees wax than paraffin and melt it into the cover. I make sure to keep the cover hot so the wax stays liquid. Then I press the pickup into the cover and press hard and solder it asap. I’ve don’t this a dozen times and have never had microphonic issues. I thump on the cover to make sure there are no hollow spots.
 
Ok here is the update.. I pulled the pickup along with the cover and removed the aged pole pieces so I could re install them in the pearly gates I'm replacing it with

pickup1.jpg
 
then I placed a piece of tape on the centerline of the pickup and dabbed some quick dry silicone adhesive on the tape

pickup3.jpg
 
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