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  • Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

    Hey all,
    I recently acquired myself a Sonic Blue-coloured, Allparts-made Stratocaster body, which I planned to decorate. The body is "Finished in <colour> under hard polyurethane", as stated on the Allparts website. I've already read about painting a guitar body from other forums/posts, but one this wonders me: does the lacquer from the body have to be sanded, before starting the painting? In case it has to, what is the easiest way to prepare the body for that?
    All the needed info is welcome at this point, as detailed as possible

    My plan is to use either acrylics, nail polishes, Day-Glo or what's available on the art supply stores. What should be taken into account when purchasing either one of the following paints? If for one reason or another I'm not able to sand the lacquer, which paint would be the most ideal to use then?

    I doubt that George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page etc. went through preparing the body before painting.

    Thanks in advance for responds!

  • #2
    Re: Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

    Welcome to the forum!

    Back in the day, the finishes were different. Bodies weren't dipped in plastic like modern bodies. That being said...how durable do you want it? Just painting over the polyurethane is bound to rub off unless there is further finishing. I don't think you can really prepare the body unless you sand the poly off. Otherwise, just paint, and spray clear over it to help keep the artwork on there.
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    • #3
      Re: Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

      Rub the body with Scotchbrite pads until it is no longer shiny. Then do your painting. Then spray some sort of clear over it all, probably regular Rustoleum clear enamel.

      You could probably get away with just wiping it down with a degreaser and painting/decorating it, then maybe wax it all when finished but durability might not be so great depending what you use to decorate it.

      Alternative suggestions: decorate it with stickers, or leave the body alone and decorate the pickguard instead. A Sonic Blue body sounds nice.

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      • #4
        Re: Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

        Just as an FYI, none of the neon/day-glo type paints that I've seen are colourfast. They'll all fade and become less bright over time. Most of them will change the colour that they show over time as well (pink turns to orange, etc.).
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        • #5
          Re: Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

          Originally posted by Mincer View Post
          That being said...how durable do you want it?
          As durable as possible. I'm painting the body with my friends, who I'm not going to see for a long time. The guitar is a memory of them.

          Originally posted by Dave Locher View Post
          Rub the body with Scotchbrite pads until it is no longer shiny. Then do your painting.
          This sounds like it could work without any sanding. What should the strenght of the pad be if using those? Not too harsh so it doesn't bite to the wood.
          If using a degreaser, will any product work, or should I look for something from a woodwork-store?

          Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
          Just as an FYI, none of the neon/day-glo type paints that I've seen are colourfast. They'll all fade and become less bright over time. Most of them will change the colour that they show over time as well (pink turns to orange, etc.).
          The Day-Glo came to my mind when I read the story about George Harrison's "Rocky", but when buying the paints, I would just pass the Day-Glo in the first place to be honest... As an idea it may be cool, but on reality, not.

          And many thanks for the replies Mincer, Dave Locher and GuitarStv!

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          • #6
            Re: Decorating a guitar body with acrylics/nail polish/Day-Glo...

            You just need to knock off the shine so the paint can stick. Green should do it. (Not the pot scrubbers, the pads you buy at a paint store.) Just rub until the surface is smooth and dull. Should only take a few minutes.
            Just about any degreaser should work, even rubbing alcohol. Wipe it on nice and wet and quickly wipe it off with a clean soft rag.

            When you're done decorating a coat of clear will seal what you have painted and restore the shine to the rest of it. I assume clear polyurethane will work but you could spray a very small spot and let it dry to make sure it adheres and dries properly.

            Good luck!
            Last edited by Dave Locher; 01-17-2020, 01:27 AM.

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