for anyone doing their own finishing

[blakejcan]

I always hate wetsanding guitars. I spent months carving it all out, grainfill, paint, wait for it to cure and then you're all excited and get to the end and you go to wetsand it and without fail I manage to almost always burn through the color somewhere. And if I don't do that then I almost always have some microscratches left behind when you look up close. It's just a sucky process.

I've tried using wetsanding pads on a buffer, layering up the clearcoat like crazy, slowly slowly working through every grade of micromesh. It all sucks.

I just used these new dry sanding finishing sheets and so far, holy turds I love them. Cuts fast, easy to control and because it's dry you can actually see what you are doing and where you are cutting away finish. Levels quickly and evenly. When the sheets get a little clogged you just blow them out, vacuum them quickly or even just wipe the crud on a towel and you're back in business. No water everywhere. No water seeping under the edges of the nitro and making things crack. If any of you dorks hate sanding like I do I suggest you at least try it out.


https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...buffing-and-polishing/eagle-abrasives-sheets/

 

[ICTGoober]

Yes, finishing sucks. It's the most problematic part of guitar making and repair.

 

[jeremy]

for sure my least favorite part of guitar building, and the part im least good at. always turns out fine, but takes way longer and is much more work than i would like.

 

[ICTGoober]

Gibson has admitted it takes longer than any other operation to produce an instrument.
You may ask why? Because it's more than one coat, and it takes time to dry and cure.

 

[Mincer]

Although when the Gibson Memphis plant was open, I went on a tour. The guy spraying the initial color (not the clear coats) took less than 45 seconds to spray each guitar. I was also surprised at how little human hands touched the instrument. At that time, they explained the most time-consuming process was scraping the binding, as it had to be done all by hand and each guitar took quite awhile.

 

[ICTGoober]

Since clear is the bulk of the finish it takes WAY longer than 45 seconds.

 

[jeremy]

45 seconds to spray, then the waiting

 

[Mincer]

45 seconds to spray, then the waiting

Yes, lots of time where they fly around on conveyer belts overhead while drying.

 

[ICTGoober]

When I was a Gibson authorized repair center they recommended at least 15 thin coats of nitrocellulose lacquer when touching up a finish. 10 is usually sufficient, unless you are going for a mile deep look.

 

[jeremy]

i do like that mile deep look. but man, i dont have the patience for that any more

 

[Securb]

I worked in a body shop so spraying the guitar is my favorite part of the process. My Iceman has probably been painted 10 times since the 80s.

 

[blakejcan]

spraying is super fun

sanding is not

 

[jeremy]

nope.

 

[Securb]

Wet sanding a guitar is nothing after you have wet sanded multiple cars and trucks per day. Especially in the winter going outside for a cigarette during break or lunch with damp and wet clothes.