10.5 Things I've Learned About Guitar Finishing

[RodeoTex]

...the hard way of course.

1. Never think, 'the paint will cover that little blemish.' It won't, it amplifies imperfections.

2. Short cuts always take longer (true of most all phases of guitar building)

3. A proper cleaning and setup of painting workspace is well worth the time.

4. Don't hold the body in one hand, spray with the other only thinking about where to hang it once I'm done spraying.

5. Don't listen to anyone's tips that start with 'my brother-in-law paints cars and he says fill in the blank.'

6. Lacquer can react violent with previous lacquer if I've sanded the first coat through.

7. Spraying the color coat is the easy part. It is everything I've done previously that make a finish successful (or not).

8. If after I've used and cleaned the spray gun and can still tell what color I've painted it ain't clean.

9. Keep one special gun for spraying only clears because no gun is ever totally clean.

10. Do a trial fit with all pieces of the guitar while it is still in raw wood. Saves heartaches later.

10.5 No error is a mistake if I learn from it. Making the same error twice is a big mistake.

Of course this thread is based on the recent likes/dislikes threads but I've been painting today and was thinking back on some of my lessons learned.
Please feel free to add on. Maybe we can help each other learn something without doing it the hard way.

[Nick JD]

"Finished" is a state of mind.

[martyb1]

11-I can get away with routing this direction this time(into the grain)NOT
12-Ferrule holes can not be drilled straight with a hand drill
13-If you get a foreign object in your coat,just stop,let it dry and sand it out.Don't try to "pluck" it out
14-If your router bit is getting dull,just get a new one.Sanding burn marks suck
15-No matter how careful you are,you can not do a nice job scraping binding with just a utility knife blade.Take the time and make a scraper as described by the binding masters Buckocaster and Mr Kirn

I will stop there for now

[RodeoTex]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

"Finished" is a state of mind.

Well yes its true that no guitar I've ever made is finished, I was mostly talking about painting. Made me laugh though.

[getbent]

you can learn to love a small run.

[Old Cane]

At my age, weight and physical condition the only running I do is when I paint.

[shoretyus]

#12. Filters are cheap ... buy lots

[jkingma]

If it's good enough for ME, then others will just have to live with it.

[Vizcaster]

17. Even if the body is a rare piece of curly spalted unobtainium, find a way to make a test board for the finishing schedule.

[castpolymer]

I only frustrate myself into a Donald Duck fit with a quest for that perfectly finished body.

[shoretyus]

Originally Posted by Vizcaster

17. Even if the body is a rare piece of curly spalted unobtainium, find a way to make a test board for the finishing schedule.

Ha... if it's splaty.... cover with epoxy before you start to sand.

[Nick JD]

18. Carnuba wax is a great substitute for grits above 1200. Fills them scratches up good.

[gumbo]

19. Someone else will ALWAYS have a better idea

20. Work out how much color you think you'll need, then buy three times as much in the first place.....that's really the cheap part of the exercise....

[Zmatko]

haha this is great topic, what a laugh.

21. When releasing the button on your belt-sander, still, it CAN tug your shirt.

[boris bubbanov]

Never "free sand" the wood; always block sand. Whatever kind of rustic finish you are doing, you still want it more flat as opposed to less flat. Sand ash pores lines and seam lines of all species about 15 degrees off of in-line with the pore line or seam.

When the paper stops cutting, replace it for Mercy's sake! ( That's a reminder to a guy called Bubbanov ).

[tdowns]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

...

9. Keep one special gun for spraying only clears because no gun is ever totally clean.

Great post RodeoTex. Yee haw!!!

So, if you keep a spray gun only for clears, how often do you clean it out? After each spraping session? As long as there is pressure from the line???

[Vizcaster]

Originally Posted by tdowns

Great post RodeoTex. Yee haw!!!

So, if you keep a spray gun only for clears, how often do you clean it out? After each spraping session? As long as there is pressure from the line???

Depends on the material, and sometimes it depends on the phase of the moon. Nitro I can leave in the gun all day until I'm done and then clean it out afterwards. Waterborne coatings (which I prefer) usually are okay in the gun all day but if the can of material isn't fresh then the tip can clog sitting for two hours and I wind up cleaning it quickly before shooting the next coat. I'd never leave a waterborne or pre-catalyzed coating in the gun overnight, but I know some people get away with it with nitrocellulose since it really doesn't cure, it just re-dissolves in itself.

But believe me once you clean out a gun with warm soapy water you'll want to stay with waterborne coatings. Oh, just to stay on topic:

22. Set up more lights than you thought you need so you can see the spray coming out of the gun and the gloss being laid down on the workpiece - then once you think you have enough light go and get two more lamps.

[Roozter]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

...the hard way of course.

1. Never think, 'the paint will cover that little blemish.' It won't, it amplifies imperfections.

2. Short cuts always take longer (true of most all phases of guitar building)

3. A proper cleaning and setup of painting workspace is well worth the time.

4. Don't hold the body in one hand, spray with the other only thinking about where to hang it once I'm done spraying.

5. Don't listen to anyone's tips that start with 'my brother-in-law paints cars and he says fill in the blank.'

6. Lacquer can react violent with previous lacquer if I've sanded the first coat through.

7. Spraying the color coat is the easy part. It is everything I've done previously that make a finish successful (or not).

8. If after I've used and cleaned the spray gun and can still tell what color I've painted it ain't clean.

9. Keep one special gun for spraying only clears because no gun is ever totally clean.

10. Do a trial fit with all pieces of the guitar while it is still in raw wood. Saves heartaches later.

10.5 No error is a mistake if I learn from it. Making the same error twice is a big mistake.

Of course this thread is based on the recent likes/dislikes threads but I've been painting today and was thinking back on some of my lessons learned.
Please feel free to add on. Maybe we can help each other learn something without doing it the hard way.

Good advice, Years ago I was spraying a white strat. I was having problems because, like you said, "no gun is totally clean." After much effort, I finally got it finished, and hung it up to dry. I decided to take a cigarette break. After finishing the smoke I flicked it..............right on the white strat. Man was I mad at myself. So, you might want to add something like this: Don't flick your cigarette in the direction of a wet guitar.

[Lerb21]

+ 100 on the stuff said above.

FINISHING SUCKS

[Durtdog]

Originally Posted by Roozter

Good advice, Years ago I was spraying a white strat. I was having problems because, like you said, "no gun is totally clean." After much effort, I finally got it finished, and hung it up to dry. I decided to take a cigarette break. After finishing the smoke I flicked it..............right on the white strat. Man was I mad at myself. So, you might want to add something like this: Don't flick your cigarette in the direction of a wet guitar.

I'm with ya bro.

There's a larger lesson here, folks.