body new finish over poly finish

[fernando]

Can I apply a new finish without sanding the old one?

Exaples would be
- a natural clear gloss finished body I have (from Warmoth) wich I'd like to transform to an aged "late '50s" white/creamy blonde.
- a solid colour body in tan colour that I'd like to finish in white or off white in the simplest and cheapest way.

I see StewMac have a brush laquer that can be shipped overseas.
Could I use that for the new blonde over the old clear poly? Plus pigments... what kind of pigments?

The white refinish I guess it's simpler because I could find cans locally, but then I need to know what kind of paint to look for

[mkhhunt]

Hi there,

Probably not. The new finish needs to bond to the old one. So you will likely need to sand it to some degree. If you knock down the shine with some light sanding, you would probably be OK to re-coat.

You should check that the old finish is compatible with the new finish you want to put on it as well. A test spot under the pick guard could be a good idea.

Cheers,

Murray

[Gary in Boston]

I took my MIM sunburst and fine sanded the gloss polly to a dull look and then sprayed Reranch tinted clear coat over that. I was looking to give a mellowing look and I got what I wanted
Short answer is yes you can but you really should take the gloss off first.

Gary

[Gary in Boston]

Hey there,

I own a MIM and even though the tuners work well I'd like to get ones that have a more vintage look. You know the MIM tuners have sort of hexagonal shape and I'd like that more round / oval look. Of course I'd like a direct switch out and perhaps wirh those little pins, not screws to install.

Too tall an order?

Any help would be great.

Gary

[fernando]

Thanks to all for your help!

I was just considering do nothing or strip it completely... I see that just some sanding is necessary (for the new coats to stick)

So the other question is, for a solid colour (artic white is what I'd use for a DuoSonic) what I have to look for? What kind of canned paint? I can't buy from USA because it's aerosol (unless someone send it to me ;)
Car paint? Furniture paint? What kind of it?

Same for the clear finish after the arctic white


many thanks again

[porkadon]

Originally Posted by Gary in Boston

Hey there,

I own a MIM and even though the tuners work well I'd like to get ones that have a more vintage look. You know the MIM tuners have sort of hexagonal shape and I'd like that more round / oval look. Of course I'd like a direct switch out and perhaps wirh those little pins, not screws to install.

Too tall an order?

Any help would be great.

Gary

Gary would THESE work for you?

[Lostheart]

What kind of finish is on the bodies?
Is it Poly? Probably...
If the bodies are finished with some sort of Poly you can use that as your sealer coat and (after some light sanding which helps the new paint to adhere better) spray nitro, acrylic or more poly right on top.
Many folks have done that and it's ok....I (and it's only how I would do it) would strip the bodies with a heatgun and do a proper refinish.
You don't have to order stuff from the US...I'm sure there are many paint/lacquer suppliers in Spain. Why not contact TDPRI's own Nacho Banos? He's from Spain, right? He would know where to get Nitro in Spain...
Cheers,
Sascha

[fernando]

gary, about the tuners, I think you should start a new thread, please! :)
Here or in Tele Tech

[fernando]

Thank you Sascha, do you have his e-mail?
edit: I already found it on the Blackguard book page

For the DuoSonic white and clear finish, I'm confident that I'll find it locally.
I just need advice on wich type of paint because I'm an absolute novice.

But there's also a Tele Body I have in vintage clear gloss (poly from Warmoth) that I'd like to mutate to vintage white blonde and finish in nitro.
Do you think I can find a blonde in europe? (well Ikea has one but it is more "mary kayisg white"... :)

[Lostheart]

Originally Posted by fernando

I just need advice on wich type of paint because I'm an absolute novice.

Ok, here's it in a nutshell:

For guitar finishing there's (among other stuff like Shellac) either Poly, Acryl or Nitro.

Poly is a bulletproof finish. Guitars with Poly usually stay brand-new looking for a loooong time. Fender's finish of choice since the late 60's onwards.

Acryl (Lucite) was used by Fender in the 60's for those metallic finishes like Lake Placid Blue, Shoreline Gold etc. It was usually clear coated with Nitro lacquer which darkened and yellowed over the decades.

Nitro was used by Fender from the early 50's up until the late 60's. It is a delicate finish that wear much faster and altogether different than Poly. All those beautiful 50's and 60's Fenders are Nitro and Nitro is still the way to go if you want to produce a realistic relic.

I don't believe folks who say that Poly finishes will rob a guitar of its sound. IMHO picking a finish simply boils down to personal preference.
If you want your guitar to wear like the old ones use Nitro...if you want it to look good and shiny use Poly.

[fernando]

thanks a lot.

I'll use Poly for the DuoSonic and nitro for the blonde Tele, so it can age nicely