Cabronita refinish

[KelvinS1965]

I thought it looked good before but I can see this is more vibrant.

Yes it really is more vibrant in person too.

I was hoping the can would arrive today, but it hasn't been dispatched yet. Probably won't be until Tuesday now I guess, frustrating because the first can came in 3 days from the order, plus I really want to get on with it. The clear will be able to go on as soon as the Orange is touch dry, so I could have it finished by the middle of next week, just leave it to harden while we're away, then buff when I get back. Got a couple of gigs in September, so it would be cool to use it for those.

 

[KelvinS1965]

Aerosol arrived this afternoon. I'd already wet sanded the front in readiness and also put some fresh filters on my face mask. Not that it really looks much different in these photos this evening, but in person the dark patches no longer show. I will leave it overnight to dry before I flip it over and start spraying the back and sides with clear.

The dark patches were roughly in line with the pickup selector switch hole, below the bridge. Not showing now though thankfully and I still have half a can left:

More above:

My favourite angle:

I just hope I get the clear coats on nice and evenly, smooth enough that I won't have to wet sand and can go straight to buffing, but will see how that goes tomorrow.

 

[KelvinS1965]

Decided to flip it over and do the back and sides this evening. Itching to see how it's going to look once it's shiny...I like it.

Closer up and the metallic pops a bit more now:

A little more orange peel (appropriate though!) now it's dried a bit, but the metallic still pops:

Now it can dry overnight before I flip it over and put the screws back in so I can spray the front clear coats.

 

[KelvinS1965]

On with the clear coats this morning. I forgot to mention that on top of the Orange I sprayed a very light coat of Silver from further back while the Orange was still wet. Just to add a bit more sparkle. I've done this before when I had to spray a car using black aerosol, but the car was metallic black.

Harder to tell from the before clear photos:

More obvious once I got some clear on it though:

Happy with the finish so far, just about to do one last coat of clear (posting on here helps me to slow down a bit ).

I think that's a nice bright orange colour now.

 

[KelvinS1965]

The last clear coats on. Now the hardest part of leaving it well alone before I can buff it. I think I might get away without wet sanding it looking at the gloss from the gun, but it might sink back a little once fully dried.

Seems pretty flat from this angle:

Can't wait to put it together, but luckily we are going on holiday soon, so that will prevent me from getting too carried away with it.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Really impressed. Excellent work.

 

[KelvinS1965]

Really impressed. Excellent work.

Thank you. It's take a few attempts to get it just how I wanted it, but I'm really pleased. Especially now I've brought it out in the sunshine to see it properly.

It's hard to get it photographed to show the sparkle as it really glitters as I move around it.

Hopefully you can get the idea though:

Debating if I dare risk flipping it over later and give the back a few more coats as I stopped as soon as I saw some splatters on it yesterday. They have wet sanded out and I even gave those areas a quick buff to see what they'd look like and to be honest they look fine. Just wary that I might buff through the single coat of gloss on the back, though in reality it doesn't matter as it'll get scuffed soon enough once I start playing it. My perfectionist attitude might kick in though...

 

[KelvinS1965]

Putting it in the sun wasn't a great idea: Two blisters appeared, one smaller on the upper bout and a larger one, maybe 1/8" diameter on the lower bout. I put it back indoors and rubbed gently with a microfibre cloth and some panel wipe to lubricate and managed to push them both down. The smaller one has disappeared and the larger one left a slight 'donut' type defect.

I figured that I have enough clear to try building up over it and see if it 'melts' the finish and then I'll be able to wet sand it smooth later.

This was after one coat, looking promising. There is a slight 'fish eye' just in front of the main blemish:

Shot a few more coats over the area and the whole front. I think I might get away with wet sanding the blemish and then buffing, fingers crossed. I really don't want to have to sand back the front and then try to blend in that corner.

Not a great photo, but in person there is only a slight dip around where the blister was before. I can live with that if it comes to it as it's hard to spot now, just annoying that I caused it by putting it in the sunshine.

 

[KelvinS1965]

While I managed to save the front, I've had a bigger problem with the back. Yesterday it blistered a bit on the belly cut after I put a coat of clear on the back. This morning I wet sanded it back, so that there were 5-6 grey circles where the blisters had been. I then dusted on the orange until the grey was covered, then a sprinkling of the silver to blend it in.

I then clear coated it and it was looking good. However, I checked a while later and the clear had run a bit, which could have wet sanded out later, but a whole slew of new bigger blisters had appeared:

Nothing for it but I'll have to leave it a few days to harden a bit, then I'll have to sand back to bare wood and start again.

I might be able to just do the back and keep the front as it is, but will see how it goes.

Loving the colour and sparkle in the sunshine, but it's testing my patience: I want to have another go at my White blonde Tele before the weather gets too cold/damp, so I hope we have a decent September.

 

[KelvinS1965]

Such a weird colour; looks amazing in the sunshine with the sparkles, but hung up in my music room it looks a bit dull/brownish.

I've just put the neck back on so it can hang up while we are away, so I put the pickups and bridge back on too, for a sort of 'mock up'.

Thought it might be of interest to any of the followers of this thread, but I think I'll be stripping it all back off and starting again when I get back from holiday. Not sure what colour I might do it now, though ironically might be tempted with Lake Placid Blue, which is at least a bit brighter than it was originally and non of the silly 'aged/crazed' look. The Strat next to it might sell soon so I wouldn't have two guitars the same colour.

Only problem is that the original CS model was available in LPB, but with binding and a wood coloured side/back finish, so it would tend to look like a cheaper copy of it I think.

Closer up, with the window blind down, looking a bit more 'brown' again:

Another colour option is a lighter shade of metallic blue (a bit like the Chrissie Hynde Tele), perhaps with some Cherry clear over it to make it more like the competition burgundy Mustangs, but minus the stripes as I don't particularly like those anyway. Might be another rabbit hole in terms of difficulty getting a fade to the edge as I'd like a sort of 'purple burst' if I went that route.

Anyway, thanks to those who have followed this thread. I will probably start a fresh one once I get working on it in September, maybe just link to this one for reference.

 

[brookdalebill]

When do you want me to send you mine?

 

[El Tele Lobo]

What about burgundy mist metallic or Sherwood Green?

Honestly, I don’t think it looks bad… But I’ve never done a spray finish… Wipe on finishes with tru-oil. Pretty cheap by comparison.

 

[KelvinS1965]

What about burgundy mist metallic or Sherwood Green?

Honestly, I don’t think it looks bad… But I’ve never done a spray finish… Wipe on finishes with tru-oil. Pretty cheap by comparison.

Still pondering the colour choice. As I use small 250mL tins (and buy the thinners in bulk 5 litre tins) it works out less than £20 for a nitro finish usually. It's more the pain of all the prep work and (literally) waiting for paint to dry in between coats/layers.

I've got a selection of paints from various projects (and even some car repairs), so these are already paid for: I've got most of a 1 litre tin of ready mixed 'Ford Scuba Blue metallic' from a job I did on a small Ford Ka. It's a similar shade to ice blue metallic, which I could spray the Cherry clear over the top to give the burgundy burst effect I'm toying with.

I'm not overly worried about it being nitro as the clear I was using (on top of acrylic orange base coat) was ready mixed 1k clear that I'd used to spray a bonnet when my son crashed his car a few years back. It leaves a nice level finish and can be buffed within a day or two.

This was his car before and after (I also have some of the red left over, but I don't want another red guitar):

During:

After: