[How To] Guitar Painting Tips

[Miracle_man]

Ok seeing all these guitars here that people have built and refinished, and me being unhappy with the look and tone of my old begginner Ibanez, ive decided to pull an EVH on it. Im replacing the hardware on it and im going to refinish it.
First of all im a total begginner at this. The things i want to know are, 1. what do you reccamend i treat the wood with after i sand the old paint off to prep it for painting? 2. What kind of paint should i use?

I have an airbrush that i have used for models and stuff like that but i really dont like the concept of putting 80-100 coats of paint on the guitar since the paint put out is so thin.What should i use?

[ademelo]

Originally Posted by D.i.n.o

Ahhh, yes ... I'm familiar with nitrocellulose.
I don't have any personal experience with it, reason being ... nitrocellulose has a reputation for yellowing and cracking and those are things I try to avoid if at all possible. Still,there are many people who prefer nitrocellulose and swear by it.

The acrylic urethane I use needs to be mixed with a catalyst (not spirits).
What I use is actually automotive paint made by Dupont.
If you don't have access to a compressor or sprayguns needed to shoot 2-pac urethanes or the nitrocellulose, you may want to consider something like this .... Preval Spray Unit at Stewart-MacDonald

Again, I've never personally used these, but I've heard good things.

That spray unit looks just like a can with a bottle - me thinks it works by shaking and creating pressure? if thats the case cant I just use a Mr. Muscle spray bottle? (cleaned without any traces of cleaning agent left behind) It just needs to be "Misted" onto the guitar right?

A De Melo

[ademelo]

Originally Posted by Miracle_man

Ok seeing all these guitars here that people have built and refinished, and me being unhappy with the look and tone of my old begginner Ibanez, ive decided to pull an EVH on it. Im replacing the hardware on it and im going to refinish it.
First of all im a total begginner at this. The things i want to know are, 1. what do you reccamend i treat the wood with after i sand the old paint off to prep it for painting? 2. What kind of paint should i use?

I have an airbrush that i have used for models and stuff like that but i really dont like the concept of putting 80-100 coats of paint on the guitar since the paint put out is so thin.What should i use?

You might want to oil the wood after you sand it and then apply the paint stops the wood cracking etc. Not sure about the painting thing yet...Im new to it also :P got a project im working on atm and going to be painting tomorrow sometime.

[alex18327]

i have posted a few threads on another site and didn' get a response to the following:

i went down the kroylon road about three weeks ago and it is still VERY soft. i would start over but i did some faux blood effects over a white base color and i really like the way it came out. if i strip off the krylon, i'm pretty sure i'll ruin the work under it. anyone have any suggestions for salvaging my pre-krylon work and applying a new/different clear coat?

[D.i.n.o]

Originally Posted by alex18327

i have posted a few threads on another site and didn' get a response to the following:

i went down the kroylon road about three weeks ago and it is still VERY soft. i would start over but i did some faux blood effects over a white base color and i really like the way it came out. if i strip off the krylon, i'm pretty sure i'll ruin the work under it. anyone have any suggestions for salvaging my pre-krylon work and applying a new/different clear coat?

Before you consider using a different type of clearcoat, you will have to wait for the paint to FULLY cure. With Krylon, this could take up to a year. The problem with this is that as it cures, it also has a tendency to "wrinkle" and crack.

If the paintjob means that much to you then I would wait it out (a year), then try sanding off as much clearcoat you can (and at the same time, sand out whatever wrinkles or cracks occur) without sanding through to the paint. Then try shooting it with a poly or an acrylic urethane clearcoat.

[ctwannaB]

hey everyone just wanted to post this if you cant get a spray setup call your local autobody supplier. mine here in ct actually makes the mix themselves from dupont paints and mixes all required compnents to it then puts it into a rattle can. someone like napa wont do this just the ones that deal only with autobody shop paints

[audiosyncracy]

So would these be the steps I need to take to paint the guitar?

Apply wood sealer or wood filler to get a nice flat surface, and then the basecoat, and then layers of paint to get desired color/design, and then the clearcoat?

Also, what brands do people use for each step?

[goodfriend]

Thanks a lot .

[LeStrat]

I did a decent job of black and yellow frankenstrat on my Dean but can't seem to get that deep shine of a new guitar. What's best to use for clear coat, eh?

[fatty56]

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[fatty56]

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