Painting and Finishing Experts...

Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

post toastie said:
i think i should take your advice to not rush it. shame as it's such a perfect day outside - possibly the last 75 degree day this year. rain and 50's for the rest of the week.

i think i should go ahead and try to hook up an indoor paint booth. not too much trouble, but more than i had anticipated. and considering that i need more supplies and some more thought on preparation, it is probably best to take my time with it.

i have already taped off the neck and i think i did a pretty good job. how long can painters tape be left on the [stock already painted and finished body] and [unfinished neck] before it starts to effect the color of the body paint and neck ?

i have found that when painting walls, painters tape should be removed 45min-2 hrs after painting, but this a different situation. should i remove the painters tape from both body and neck until i'm ready to have at it again ?
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Today, you should get the first couple of light coats of clear on the headstock face and then sand smooth. If everything looks good, you can add the color coats too... the rest of it should go slow, but this part can be done in one day, just make sure that the humidity is below 50%.

Blue tape can be left on a guitar for a while... definitely a few weeks without any problems. With housepaint, the tape could yank off some of the edge line if it isn't removed at just the right time, but lacquer can be completely dry before removing the tape without any problems.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

zenmindbeginner said:
Blue tape can be left on a guitar for a while... definitely a few weeks without any problems. With housepaint, the tape could yank off some of the edge line if it isn't removed at just the right time, but lacquer can be completely dry before removing the tape without any problems.
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Blue tape will dry out rosewood fretboards where it's used within a day or two. Not a major issue, but something to keep in mind.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

zenmindbeginner -

believe it or not i'm just getting started again after shutting down at the end of last fall. it's been a long year.

i did get to shape the headstock in the way that i wanted to before winter, but the blue tape has been on since last fall. it was applied so perfectly (i hope) that i did not want to have to do it again. we'll see how the neck held up later, i guess.

warming up the cans now for the first clear coat.

i'll let you know how it goes.

thanks all.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

I personally would have wiped that minwax on with a rag lol. If you know how to do a hand rubbed finish the results will be tenfold better imo.

I ac5tually did this with minwax,

 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

sweet.

i just did the first clear coat. it looked really good on the logo side. the tuner side was kinda rough, i guess, because i wanted to be sure i got around the bullet truss rod and over-sprayed the tuner side in doing so. i sanded the whole headstock face with 3000 which feels smooth to touch, but i can still see orange peeling on the tuner side. it's not too bad, but it's a shame because the right (logo) side looked really professional.

pics to come.Photo-0036.jpgPhoto-0038.jpg
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

^^ sand it lightly again and do another coat. repeat

Or as i do with lacquer cut it back with compound clean it off then re apply the clear.

Or or You could wet sand it lightly with some kerosene after a few coats and re apply.

And honestly folks how can anyone expect a finish to be good in one or two coats? Those rough areas they will come out with the sanding and a re apply. same with the orange peel.
 
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Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

i did sand again and it looks better. another clear coat and hopefully black coat tomorrow.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

You'll need to let the base coats dry for maybe a month before you apply the decal and top coats. If you don't, there is a very real risk that the base coats will continue to dry under the decal and the decal can split or get fractured, as can the top coats. It's not a good look.

Don't ask me how i know this. The advantage for you is that if you allow the base coats to cure for several weeks before applying the decal, you won't have to discover this for yourself.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

thanks Crusty.

second clear coat (not yet sanded)Photo-0020.jpgPhoto-0019.jpg.

next a sanding and a coupla coats of black (with sanding in between) and then curing for a month ?
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

Don't worry about the orange peel while you are spraying... that will all come off during the fine grit or wet sanding.

But... you don't want to sand color coats and must make sure that the orange peel is taken care of before you spray the black. You want the color coats to be applied to a smooth surface.

You then clear over the black and get that sanded down good and tight to a mirror finish before you apply the decals. The decals must be applied to a clear coat and not the color coat.

You're gonna want to do more than a couple of coats of black... the headstock can take quite a lot of damage during the guitar's lifetime. If you only do two coats of black and ding your headstock... the wood might very well show through since there is only a little black paint on there. I'd much rather see a ding that has paint in it than a ding that reveals the wood or primer underneath. Just make sure that the color coats go on evenly with no excessive build-up, runs or trapped dust or particles and you'll be good to go.

Crusty's advice to let the color coats completely dry before you clear over it and then wait for the clear to completely dry before adding the decal is good advice. Painting takes a loooong time and this is why pro painters use UV accelerated finishes or catalyzed lacquers. What we do with nitro takes a lot longer and is much more a homemade process.

PLEASE WEAR A FACE MASK designed for painting and fume protection and don't ever spray without it. Get a big multi pack of nitrile gloves and wear them when you spray too... the skin can absorb the same solvents that can cause cancer or other health problems... a baseball hat wouldn't be a bad idea either.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

zenmindbeginner said:
Don't worry about the orange peel while you are spraying... that will all come off during the fine grit or wet sanding.

But... you don't want to sand color coats and must make sure that the orange peel is taken care of before you spray the black. You want the color coats to be applied to a smooth surface.

You then clear over the black and get that sanded down good and tight to a mirror finish before you apply the decals. The decals must be applied to a clear coat and not the color coat.

You're gonna want to do more than a couple of coats of black... the headstock can take quite a lot of damage during the guitar's lifetime. If you only do two coats of black and ding your headstock... the wood might very well show through since there is only a little black paint on there. I'd much rather see a ding that has paint in it than a ding that reveals the wood or primer underneath. Just make sure that the color coats go on evenly with no excessive build-up, runs or trapped dust or particles and you'll be good to go.

Crusty's advice to let the color coats completely dry before you clear over it and then wait for the clear to completely dry before adding the decal is good advice. Painting takes a loooong time and this is why pro painters use UV accelerated finishes or catalyzed lacquers. What we do with nitro takes a lot longer and is much more a homemade process.

PLEASE WEAR A FACE MASK designed for painting and fume protection and don't ever spray without it. Get a big multi pack of nitrile gloves and wear them when you spray too... the skin can absorb the same solvents that can cause cancer or other health problems... a baseball hat wouldn't be a bad idea either.
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hmmm. how many coats do you think ?

here's the first black coat: Photo-0015_cr.jpgPhoto-0016_cr.jpg

and after sanding...i almost wish i hadn't sanded it: Photo-0019.jpgPhoto-0022.jpg
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

paint it again man. the surface isn't flat yet. Repeat and only lightly sand it between coats. Also when you sanded it back did youjust dry sand it or did you use some kero or soapy water?

I personally would have sealed the grain first before doing anything.
 
Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

i dry sanded with 1000 and Naphtha'd in preperation for the next coat on the morrow.

the photos were before the Naphtha.

i have been sanding with the grain (north and south)...perhaps i should sand against the grain (east and west) in order to get it really flat ?
 
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Re: Painting and Finishing Experts...

You'll just have to get several coats on with careful attention to keep the edge areas even... you have bare edges but one area where the paint is still on the edge (and where paint will want to accumulate).

Get the edges even and then hit it again. Sand smooth if you have to but make sure to get the black looking nice and flat before you move to the next step.

Make sure you get adequate coverage on the edges... especially the areas which you will repeatedly ding. Just don't put on too much at once and cause a run.
 
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