Where To Find Drab Olive Paint?

[Atlantamm]

Anyone know where to find a drab olive pain that I can spray a guitar body. I am wanting some thing like the 355 pic below. I can find some regular military paint at the Home Depot that will match, but curious if I can spray Nitro over it. If not, what gloss clear coat can I use? Most cans of the green are enamel. Any tips and ideas are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Ronkirn]

Go to Home Depot, or Lowes.. any large consumer paint store.. they will have a boatload of paint chips... find one ya like... take it to any auto body paint supply shop, and ask 'em to mix ya a pint of acrylic enamel... should be about 20 bux.... remember, if you clear coat it, it will wind up a tad darker appearing...

Ron Kirn

 

[papaschtroumpf]

also I don;t think you want to clear coat lacquer over enamel, at least last time I did it was a mess, maybe it was because they were of different brands.

when I read the thread title I went "yew", but actually the 335 pictured above is not half bad

 

[Atlantamm]

Thanks. I found a quart of acrylic lacquer online that will be close to that color I hope. Any advice when using this type of lacquer? The company says I can polish the lacquer without a clear coat. Assuming I can wet sand as I have before. Lastly, if If I choose to clear, I was planning on using regular nitro. This ok?

Thanks!

 

[HotDan!]

I like to go to automotive paint suppliers...You know, the guys who provide for body shops and such.

First, they're experts. They can answer all of your questions like what you can put over what so that you don't mess it up.

Second, they can custom mix whatever it is that you would like and even put it in aerosol cans with the correct nozzle if you don't own spraying equipment...

 

[adjason]

reranch cadillac green is pretty close to that - not quite as drab but close

 

[RickyRicardo]

You can't spray nitro over acrylic lacquer or vice versa. It would blush and blister on you and get you in real trouble. Like Dan said, auto paint stores and industrial coatings places are the way to go. They'll match the color you want and you'll get the same type of paint for both color and clear coats. I'm not sure I'd buy a color coat online because the picture and reality may be totally different. Also, check out some vids on YouTube about finishing guitars and here on TDPRI. They are extremely helpful and if you haven't done it before then I wouldn't dive in head first. There are a few steps to getting a really good finish (lots of sanding) and you can't skimp on those steps if you want something decent looking.

 

[Mountianjustice]

Rustoleum spruce green is pretty close to olive drab. I did a bobber bike with it and it looked close too army drab but just a bit more green in it

 

[Ronkirn]

I don;t think you want to clear coat lacquer over enamel,

When using different blends of paint... always spray a test sheet.... allow to dry properly, then spray THAT with the clear... give it a good day to do whatever... that way ya know...

but using Sherwin Williams automotive paints, their enamel, I have found they accept Sherwin Williams Nitro for the clear with no issues.

Ron Kirn

 

[crisscrosscrash]

Design Master "Basil" is probably pretty close - and it's nitro!

You can find it at Michael's or other big craft stores...

 

[MDMachiavelli]

Anyone know where to find a drab olive pain that I can spray a guitar body. I am wanting some thing like the 355 pic below. I can find some regular military paint at the Home Depot that will match, but curious if I can spray Nitro over it. If not, what gloss clear coat can I use? Most cans of the green are enamel. Any tips and ideas are appreciated.

Thanks!

Hey, are you gonna make some kind of Army "themed" guitar?

 

[rambleon]

Rustoleum camouflage deep forest green
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009XCKC4/?tag=tdpri-20

I used it to finish the top on my first build.

 

[61fury]

Rustoleum camouflage deep forest green
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009XCKC4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

I used it to finish the top on my first build.

That is beautiful all around, love the binding and the back too

 

[Tomasi]

Sure is classy!

 

[Willatr]

I’m using rustoleum spruce -so far the color is perfect. I plan to rub down and polish the paint directly with no clear coat. We’ll see how that turns out. Does anyone have advice for a suitable clear coat if needed ?

 

[stormsedge]

Hobby store---model car/airplane paint...there are some finishes for spraying, but I am unsure of compatibility.

 

[jhiatt1]

The problem with O.D green paint is that there are so many variations. Some are true od green some turn out brownish and some look greyish. I wanted to do od green on my tele but went a matte spanish moss. I tried an od green on a spare piece of wood and hated the way it looked then i tried the spanish moss green and I personally thing it looks more like what I wanted. Then I did 4 coats of pure tung oil over the whole guitar. Then I modded the hell out of the electronics.

 

[jhiatt1]

Here is my mods list.

Fender roller nut
Wilkinson 3 saddle compensated bridge with brass saddles
Tuning machines from a Fender Starcaster
Fender American Standard 3 way switch
Fender American Standard jack
Fender vintage 1meg tone pot
Fender vintage 1meg volume pot
DiMarzio True Velvet bridge pickup
GFS vintage 52 neck pickup
All cavaties are shielded with copper tape
Vintage wax coated push back wiring
Hand wired in the vintage 53 telecaster style
Treble bleed circuit
Fender Greasebucket circuit from a Highway 1 Telecaster
String trees are in non conventional locations
And finally, I aged and distressed everything by hand.

 

[Silverface]

Thanks. I found a quart of acrylic lacquer online that will be close to that color I hope. Any advice when using this type of lacquer?

You can't spray nitro over acrylic lacquer or vice versa.

Respectfully, this is incorrect. not only can each be sprayed over the other, many products are blend of the two to provide better flexibility and impact resistance. The solvents are virtually the same and they melt into each other just like they melt into themselves.

I did lab quality control and tech support for several lacquer manufacturers - both types - for over 30 years. I apply nitro clears over acrylic lacquer colors with my HVLP on a regular basis. And visa-versa, since I generally tint my own colors.

 

[Silverface]

The company says I can polish the lacquer without a clear coat. Assuming I can wet sand as I have before. Lastly, if If I choose to clear, I was planning on using regular nitro. This ok?

First, if you have practiced application on scrap to refine your spray technique you should be getting results smooth enough that finish sanding is unnecessary. It's only needed if there are problems - orange peel, lumps, runs, inconsistent thickness etc. You should be able to go straight from clear coating to buffing in a couple of hours with conventional nitro and acrylic lacquers.

lacquuers 0 except lacquer enamels like Deft and Colortone(which can take days...or weeks...to dry due to the slow evaporating solvents and additives), and plural component catalyzed products, dry only by evaporation - there is NO cure time - and if properly applied each coat should dry in 30-60 minutes.

I DO recommend at least 3-4 thin clear coats. And you can use either type.

But PRACTICE the entire system on scrap before starting on the guitar!!! That's how you avoid useless sanding and get a better looking result.

The #1 cause for problems in guitar finishing is impatience...apply THIN coats consisting of 3 VERY thin passes each - and PRACTICE until you know what you're doing.