Need some advice on painting a guitar

[6down1togo]

Do not bother stripping the body. The finish on it is a good base to work from. Use automotive spot putty to fill any dings in the body. Sand the entire body lightly using a sanding block on the flat surfaces. Spray with light gray Duplicolor or other sandable primer. Apply as many coats as needed to make it smooth and cover all spot repairs. Follow the last primer coat by wet sanding with 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper. Wipe down with miner spirits and then apply a Duplicolor color coat.

 

Like freeman said, I like to lay the body flat and spray, let it dry, flip it and do the other side blending the color coat at the body contours around the sides. It helps to slip something into the pickup cavities to lift the body up off the spraying surface . I slip a spray can lid in the control cavity and one in the neck pocket to get the body up off the paper. On the back, a single spray can lid in the trem cavity works fine.

 

After laying on multiple coats, you can wet sand (color sand) with 800 to 1600 grit paper and then buff by hand with a polishing compound (white ... not the brown rubbing compound which is too coarse and will leave a dull finish).

 

You shouldn't have to clearcoat a solid color like white to get good results. If you feel compelled to clear coat, use the Duplicolor Clear Coat product. Make sure the body is perfectly clean (mineral spirits wipe down) and lay the body flat and spray multiple coats of clear. Don't bother sanding between coats, just build up a nice deep clear coats and then do the same wet sand and buff as above.

 

Forget the Plasti-kote products, they are not as heavily pigmented as the Duplicolor and do not cover well. Also, the Duplicolor clear coat nozzles on the cans are very fine and give a near flawless spray pattern. I have done clear coats and gone straight to buffing without wet sanding because the finish goes on so smoothly. Here are couple white refinishes I have done this way:

 

 

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

If you want to do it the easy way and just go over what's already there, I'd recommend roughing it up with 400 grit sandpaper, then priming it with Zinsser BIN primer. It's shellac based, and sticks to pretty much anything, and covers anything. Then after that, hit it with the ReRanch / Gracey's / Ohio Valley Nitrocellulose lacquer color of your choice, then top that off with clear nitrocellulose lacquer - you can get Deft clear nitro spray at Home Depot or Lowe's for less than the ReRanch / Gracey's / Ohio Valley products cost.

[Phil O'Keefe]

 

 

 

A friend who does trick paint jobs on motorcycles is painting a guitar for a friend - pearl white with blue ghost flames - it will cost him about 600 bucks. Here is an example of what can be done with quality materials and a good painter

 

 

Looks awesome! philthumb

[WRGKMC]

So long as you stick with the same kind of finish, (Poly, Acrylic, Oil or Alcohol based finishes) roughen it up with sandpaper and use naphia to remove and waxes of silicone you should be OK getting the new finish to bond with the old. You run into issues when you mix them because they don't chemically bond properly.

 

If you use lacquer over a poly coat for example it will peel off. Lacquer doesn't stick to plastic very well. Or if you try to poly over a lacquer finish it will peel off in big chunks like sunburned skin.

 

 

[Phil O'Keefe]

So long as you stick with the same kind of finish, (Poly, Acrylic, Oil or Alcohol based finishes) roughen it up with sandpaper and use naphia to remove and waxes of silicone you should be OK getting the new finish to bond with the old. You run into issues when you mix them because they don't chemically bond properly.

 

If you use lacquer over a poly coat for example it will peel off. Lacquer doesn't stick to plastic very well. Or if you try to poly over a lacquer finish it will peel off in big chunks like sunburned skin.

 

 

It's a good word of advice / caution - you do have to be careful about incompatible products... The great thing about shellac primer (BIN) is that it sticks to anything, and is compatible with pretty much anything. You can spray lacquer over it, no problem, even if there's polyurethane or polyester beneath. I have used it as a primer on three lacquer finished guitars that I did a few years back, and all three are doing fine.

 

[JC777]

I've had good luck with Zinssers Shellac under many types of finish. I've never had a problem. Also +1 to the Dulpicolor products. If you don't have spraying equipment, it's a good way to go. Just warm the cans up by soaking in water before you spray. Helps the flow.

I still check the labels on the Duplicolor. If you stay within a family of products, you're OK but some aren't acrylic lacquers.

I haven't had a compatibility issue but I know others that have.

[billybilly]

Miniwax oil modified water based poly. You can buy it in a spray can or rub on, works very well. I used to use acrylic lacquers but they are not as durable and very toxic.