Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

I also think thin is the key.

On a slightly related note, I just started sanding my Epiphone strat. It has at least 5 distinguishable layers of "paint" that act like the plastic some of you are talking about. Also, it smells like fresh paint. I just wonder if the coating was so thick that the lower layers never had time to fully dry. The guitar is about 6 years old now. I'm going to try paint stripper now, but y'all are awefully discouraging.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

Those saying thickness is more important than material, you are 100% correct.

If you do a poly finish right, it is possible to make it very thin. Warmoth claims their poly finishes rarely exceed 12/1000 of an inch thick, and as a result they don't offer nitro finishes - it would be unnecessary, and cost way too much. Nitro is harder to come by, costs more, and is more labor-intensive. If you can do a nice thin poly finish, you might as well.

It's easier to get a thin finish with nitro, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to get a thin finish with poly.

One could also argue that it doesn't make much of a difference on a solid body electric, since the wood itself is so thick compared to the finish. Acoustics and hollow-body electrics are a different story, of course.

 

[saladin]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

I spray painted a '78 MM Stingray(Stupid) with Krylon "stone" which gives it that textured brick look. Looked cool but the "stones" ripped thru your flesh!!!!
Still it looked better then the s**tbrown color it came with and the guy I sold it to loved it! PS-It didn't make any difference in tone.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

The other problem with nitro is that is is dangerous stuff to work with......pure nitrocelluose is an explosive....one of the active ingredients that can be used to make smokeless gunpowder........ and not very good for your lungs....... and until recently, the EPA and OSHA regs made it almost impossible to use economically. Thats why that, for a longtime, you only saw it on high end custom cars ad guitars or used by individuals who either weren't covered by or ignored the law Same problem with building tubes in the USA. Compliance costs too much money.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

Nitro in spray cans I´ve never seen but I won´t say it doesn´t exist.

There's a brand named: Sraymat Clou who make 'nitro-lack fur Holz farblos glanzend' (ansatzfreier Auftrag).
I think it's German too.
Got 2 cans of the stuff ready to refinish my RG and future Warmoth projects.

I think for necks the difference between Nitro and Poly is the feel. Somehow I prefer nitro, just feels more 'solid'.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

Nitro in spray cans I´ve never seen but I won´t say it doesn´t exist.

ReRanch cans nitro. I've never seen nitro available in stores. Even the local woodcrafter's store doesn't carry it (and they aren't too thrilled about ever trying to special order it). It's not cheap, though... I spent $16 per can.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

Deft is clear nitro. It available canned or for paint gun spaying. It is the industry standard for wood cabinets and funiture...ect... You could always get it at your local hardware store.

Back in the 40's, 50's, and 60's, cars were painted with nitro. Fender's custom colors were actually car paints from the period. Lake Placid Blue being a Corvette color (Marina Blue Matalic I think). Sonic Blue, and Fiesta Red being T-Bird colors. Ice Blue Metalic (aka Blue Agate) being a Mustang color and so forth.

Later nitro car paints began to be replaced with poly-acrilic paints. Guitars started getting poly finishes at about the same time. Poly is more duarable than nitro, particulary to the effects of air pollution, and ultra voilet light.

Import cars began using more advanced urathane paints during the 80's, with the German cars like BMW and Mercedes using Sikkens urathanes. It looks brand new for years (with Lazer Red Metalic being the most awesome candy apple red ever), compared to the cheaper paints used on American cars, that look chalky after a few years.

I don't think using car paints, or Schwinn bike paint, in cans hurts a thing, as long as it's thin and appliied properly.

As already noted ReRanch nirto in cans works fine on guitars, and sounds great-as long as it's thin.

Guitar and Car painters used to follow the "Rule of Threes". In other words; three layers, (primer/sealer, color, and clear) of three thin passes, with wet sanding to boot. On metalic finishes several clear coats are used over the color coat, so it can be wet sanded and polished to a gloss without sanding through to the color coat. The clear coat ends up being thin by the time it's polished.

Poly goes on thicker, and it requires more wet sanding to get the orange peel out. Guitar makers started using the so called "Thick Skin" finishes in the late 70's, with dozens of poly coats.

PRS uses modern dupont fiinishes basically the same as custom Hot Rod car paints, but it's only .0013-inches thick in the end.

 

[PRG]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

I've used the 99 cent cans of flat black from Walmart for a few guitars, they work great. The paint is so thin, it's basically just light powder. It definitely improved the tone, made it a lot more lively and less compressed.
As long as you use really thin paint, normally non-gloss paint, then it's the closest you'll get to bare wood as far as resonating and tone.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

back to one of my original comments......if you are using an oily wood such as mahoghany or korina or most of the other tropical hardwoods, what is wrong with an oil finish?

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

ReRanch cans nitro. I've never seen nitro available in stores. Even the local woodcrafter's store doesn't carry it (and they aren't too thrilled about ever trying to special order it). It's not cheap, though... I spent $16 per can.

Behlen Top Coat & Jet Spray are Nitro and available in my local woodworking Store. Both are readily available on the Internet and Stew Mac sells Behlen nitro in rattle cans. Due to Hazmat regulations it can only be shipped on ground within the Continental U.S. But honestly, The Reranch stuff Blows all other rattle can away. I don't know how they do it? There must be some Mojo in how they pressurize their cans? Cuz' their stuff goes on about as smooth as a HVLP gun as you can get with a rattle can! I've tried their nozzle on Behlen cans... It's not the same.
BTW, Zerb's... Next time I have relatives visit from Germany...I will sneak a can of Reranch in their luggage when they are not looking.:naughty: If they make it though customs?? I will then Instruct them to send it to you. well maybe? If they get busted? They may never talk to me agian... But then again I can hardly understand a word they say? Other then
Vee go Bier hav'in yah.:friday:

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

My Tele is done in Krylon "Almond."

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

back to one of my original comments......if you are using an oily wood such as mahoghany or korina or most of the other tropical hardwoods, what is wrong with an oil finish?

I don't think there would be anything wrong at all. It might even be BETTER, in some ways. I'd definitely try it with Korina.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

oil with a final coat of wax if you want the shine

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

back to one of my original comments......if you are using an oily wood such as mahoghany or korina or most of the other tropical hardwoods, what is wrong with an oil finish?

Absolutely nothing wrong.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

now with that said, i think i would rather have nitro on maple parts. i don't think linseed oil is going to mess with the "drying" of otherwise oily woods, but maple and spruce seem best when bone dry, so i probably would not go the oil route with them, even though i do soak my curly maple knife handles in linseed oil til they acan't absorb any more. But there i am going for beauty and durability, not tone and beauty.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

For bare maple necks, just wipe on some satin finish with a lint free cloth (old cotton t-shirts work great). Recently redid my Warmoth that had nothing but 2 coats of watco oil on it for 10 years. Smoothed it out with fine steel wool, damp rag to get all the steel wool and dust off, let dry, and then wiped on about 3 thin coats of minwax poly satin. It's as smooth as a baby's bottom and fast as lightning. Use the same method for putting oils on bodies.

 

[sstanfield]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

If you do a poly finish right, it is possible to make it very thin. Warmoth claims their poly finishes rarely exceed 12/1000 of an inch thick,

I'm building a Warmoth Thinline Tele right now and the finish Warmoth sprayed seems VERY thick. The neck wouldn't fit in the pocket without a lot of sanding and every hole has at least 1/16" of whatever finish is on it that must be drilled or sanded off so that pots, jack, ferrules, etc will fit. It's a little bit of a PITA!

 

[MikeS]

Re: Does spray paint sound better than polyurethane?

I'm building a Warmoth Thinline Tele right now and the finish Warmoth sprayed seems VERY thick. The neck wouldn't fit int he pocket without a lot of sanding and every hole has at least 1/16" of whatever finish is on it that must be drilled or sanded off so that pots, jack, ferrules, etc will fit. It's a little bit of a PITA!

I haven't seen a body finished by Warmoth, but I have had to repair a neck they finished for me, and I found the same thing... the nitro is very thick on the neck. AFAIK, Warmoth sprays nitro on necks and poly on bodies. At least that is what I was told when I talked with them on the phone.