Members Skyforger 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 I spotted Phil's (I think) Ibanez modding thread and it revealed that finishing a body is a lot more complex than I'd originally thought. So, before my RR build kit comes, educate me in the ways of finishing, so that I don't screw this one up! Thanks, -J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members thop 1 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 It involves a lot of sanding. Like a ridiculous amount. Start with like 100grain, move up to 600 until the body is smooth as glass, then a sealer like lacquer or primer. Then more {censored}ing sanding with fine grain. Then another coat or 2 or sealer and more sanding. Then paint, then clearcoat finish. That's the basics anyway, I'm sure someone with more experience can fill in the details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members bc1957 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Lotsa details here: http://www.reranch.com/basics.htm http://www.reranch.com/reranch/ BTW, the ReRanch products are fantastic - check out the gallery at http://www.reranch.com/. (not a shill, just repainted a guitar a few years ago with their stuff - it takes a lot of patience!) bc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Larry the Dog 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Currently doing a neck-thru refinish........what a pain in the friggin' ass. Sprayed sanding sealer and primed yesterday. Now I just have to wait for the humidity to drop quite a bit so I can spray...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Larry the Dog 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Oh....and use testors one-coat lacquers for your finish. Sprayed a swatch yesterday, and its very user friendly and looks great..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Elias Graves 653 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Duplicolor is another option. Good acrylic lacquer that looks nice and is easy to use. My best advice is to go get some scrap wood now and some cheap cans of wal mart paint and practice before you start on your guitar. You WILL make mistakes...better to do them on a piece of junk plywood than your guitar. Let {censored} DRY completely before moving on. There's a LOT of waiting to get a nice finish. If it's a rough grain wood, use grain filler. If you don't, the paint will sink into the the grain in a couple of years no matter how smooth it is today. Water base grain fillers will shrink. Put on one application, sand and wait for it to shrink, then do another. EG Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members HanSolo 3 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Oh....and use testors one-coat lacquers for your finish. Sprayed a swatch yesterday, and its very user friendly and looks great..... If that is Testor's as sold in hobby shops, the paint is very soft. They use a lot less reducer/hardener for model painting since models aren't made to be handled. You'll need to topcoat with a high solids lacquer for durability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Larry the Dog 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 If that is Testor's as sold in hobby shops, the paint is very soft. They use a lot less reducer/hardener for model painting since models aren't made to be handled. You'll need to topcoat with a high solids lacquer for durability. Sprayed a swatch yesterday and clearcoated it with one step clear.......passed the fingernail test in about 3 hours......... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Quarter 13 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Lotsa details here: http://www.reranch.com/basics.htmhttp://www.reranch.com/reranch/ BTW, the ReRanch products are fantastic - check out the gallery at http://www.reranch.com/. (not a shill, just repainted a guitar a few years ago with their stuff - it takes a lot of patience!) bc Definitely check out Reranch, their products, and also their forums, lots of good finishing info and a great group of formites willing to help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members DaleH 31 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 What type of wood is the kit body made of. You only have to sand the body to 300 grit is plenty fine. Use a block to keep things level and don't sand the corners. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Skyforger 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 What type of wood is the kit body made of. You only have to sand the body to 300 grit is plenty fine. Use a block to keep things level and don't sand the corners. It's poplar, apparently. I've no experience with this wood. My current guitars are alder, maple, mahogany, basswood or ply. Not bad for a total of $237 ( Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Skyforger 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Out of interest, has anyone had any experience with the pickups Guitar Fetish throw in with their build kits as standard? If they're good, I'll probably keep them. If not, I think some EMG HZs might be in order... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Skyforger 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 I've found these lacquers from a UK supplier. Will this fulfil my requirements? http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1931 http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_167_172&products_id=1961 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members schoolie1 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 I've found these lacquers from a UK supplier. Will this fulfil my requirements? http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1931http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_167_172&products_id=1961 I think you want this: http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_167_172&products_id=1935 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Skyforger 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 I think you want this: http://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_167_172&products_id=1935 Ah, thank you very much! That solves my lacquer problem, now I just have to sift through many shades of white to find the right whiteness that I'm after... My sister intends to use acrylic paint on top of the white coat. This should be fine to lacquer over so long as the artwork doesn't have any bumps or bubbles, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members schoolie1 0 Posted July 29, 2011 Members Share Posted July 29, 2011 Probably OK, but better to do a test on some scrap wood first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Members Hard Truth 15 Posted July 30, 2011 Members Share Posted July 30, 2011 You might want to get this book by Dan Erlewine : Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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