Flattening an old pickguard?

[Randall Curtis Bowman]

I have an original tortoise pickguard from a '59 or '60 Les Paul Jr. that I'd like to flatten a bit before I reassemble the guitar. Is this possible or advisable? I had considered a very warm water bath, then a bit of a rest between two weighted platens. Advisable, or should I just live with the slight warp? Thanks for any and all advice.

[William F.Eden]

Give it a try ...Bill.""""""""""""

[Stuart Morrow]

Interesting that you should post this. I have the same problem with a 50-year-old Hofner scratchplate (and also the back vibrato cover). I'm keen to hear what would work. I was thinking of sandwiching it between two panes of reinforced glass and somehow adding heat, but I'd be concerned about the plastic ending up with foggy-looking patches in places.

EDIT: Never mind. I just noticed this recent thread: http://fretsnet.ning.com/forum/topics/warped-pickguard-on-a-60s

[Randall Curtis Bowman]

Yeah, found that thread too, and tried it. It would appear the memory in that old plastic is very strong. Mine flattened out nicely, I let it cool overnight, and then next morning rewarped to exactly the same old shape. I guess we'll call it character and let it go. Thanks.

[Ry Charters]

I did this repair on a '51 Epiphone archtop around a month ago. On top of a granite stone, (any flat surface will do) I put down a puddle of water, then the pickguard, then a .050" veneer of maple on top of that, to distribute the heat from my iron. (a simple clothes iron will do fine) I got it pretty hot and checked it after every "steaming". The water is essential to avoid combustion.
In my experience, the thicker the PG, the more likely you are to "reform" it. I left mine clamped up for two days. A month later, when the guitar came out of paint, the PG had bowed slightly back again. So, the technique did work, to an extent.
-Ry