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suggestions for quickest,easiest finish for guitar body


hjcooper

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I bought a guitar body that needs finishing but I don't want to spend much time on finishing it. I really don't even want to do the final sanding. So what might be the quickest and easiest finishes and methods to protect the wood and still allow for some resonance? I don't even care about the color as long as it's not brown

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I bought a guitar body that needs finishing but I don't want to spend much time on finishing it. I really don't even want to do the final sanding. So what might be the quickest and easiest finishes and methods to protect the wood and still allow for some resonance? I don't even care about the color as long as it's not brown

 

Sounds like you really don't want to get into this project!

:lol:

 

Have you considered asking a furniture maker, gun tech, automotive paint shop or someone else doing it for you?

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Wood is Alder. Cheap is also a requirement.

 

White latex with a sponge brush - I like! Will it stick well enough? 1 coat? 2 coats?

Flat black rattlecan - I like!

Tru-oil, tung oil - not brown, per se, but don't want natural color.

Pro finish - nope, costs too much.

Nitro - YOU'RE FIRED!

 

Good job so far guys!

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!

 

 

Couple of coats of latex paint will cover it, just don't try to sand it smooth. It's like sanding chalk and will come right off. It'll be a rough finish though.

 

Once you have it like you want, buy a couple of spray cans of transparent lacquer and go to town. Don't worry, you won't feel any change in resonance as long as you don't spray a quarter inch thick clear coat. Also, if somewhere down the line you feel like doing some sanding, you'll be able to bring it to a nice shine.

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Forgive me for saying this: but I do not believe that either tung or tru-oil actually protect the wood. If you want it protected, you'd be better off with a gloss or semi-gloss rattle-can finish...

 

 

You would be wrong. Both protect the wood, that's why they are used. Tru-Oil actually cures up into a hard finish as well. Just check out any nice gun stock.

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I find "wipe-on" finishes to be very quick, cheap and easy. As already mentioned... Tru-oil is one way to go; a wipe on poly is another (and even less expensive) option.

 

And don't confuse the poly you find at a paint store with the too-thick catalyzed resin/poly finishes that we see on many (especially import) guitars. The wipe-on (or spray if you choose) poly by companies like Minwax, et al... can give a very nice, durable, yet thin finish.

 

Just wipe on very thin (but also very wet) coats with a soft piece of cloth (I usually fold them up into a 'pad'), let dry for a couple of hours (depending on climate), then go over it with extra fine steel wool, and then buff with a soft rag (old t-shirt).

 

Repeat the steps listed above as many times as you need to achieve the desired finish. You can get good basic protection with just a few thin coats. Or you can build up several coats and buff out to a very nice finish.

 

Either way, it's very easy and unlike spray cans, you can do a wipe-on finish pretty much anywhere (you won't have to worry about overspray and/or ventilation).

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To the OP, if you honestly just want it cheap and fast, I'd rattle can it. And matte sure hides a lot of flaws.

 

 

Forgive me for saying this: but I do not believe that either tung or tru-oil actually protect the wood. If you want it protected, you'd be better off with a gloss or semi-gloss rattle-can finish...

 

 

I'll forgive you but yeah... you are wrong. At least in regards to the Tru-Oil. My father in law has a TC muzzle loader that he finished in Tru Oil about 30 years ago, has taken it hunting in the snow every year except two and it doesn't look perfect, but it looks damn good. I would add another coat or two every few years, but he hasn't.

 

I'll try to nab a pic next time I'm down at his cabin if the lighting is decent.

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