Done With Nitro....going To Wipe On Poly

[Prostheta]

Ever compared the price of a show finish on a big ticket performance car to the peel-ridden work on a generic showroom Ford? The kind of finish you pay a grand for is nowhere near in the same league as a plastic-dipped hanger twanger. At the very least, if you are paying a grand for a finish then it should be top shelf work.

[madhattr88]

A thousand bucks for a poly finish? Or is it nitro?? For that price maybe it's French polish?

[demonx]

Killemall: overpriced you say...

Lets break it down in a business sense by the hour, in hourly blocks as most trade like businesses charge by the hour, not in minutes.

Time spent talking to customer sorting out details, usually drags on over a month, lets just say an hour

Disassemble and store away all the parts etc, one hour.

Sanding the body and neck, an hour

Sealing, grain filling or any spot repairs, could be several hours but lets just say one

If its very damaged or has raw wood parts may need sanding back and sealing a second time, add another hour

Sanding again and spraying a primer of some sort, another hour

Sanding again and spraying colors and clears, lets just say two or three hours depending on the guitars needs

Wet sanding and buffing the clear, an hour

Assemble, set up etc could be an hour, could be two.

So here we're at eleven hours in a by the block breakdown. In reality its less hours, but you would also have to over quote to cover your arse. So eleven hours labour, times by your hourly rate as a trades person. Most tradies work at over $100 an hour.

Then add paint cost, plus overheads, sandpaper, a $35 canister for your breathing mask, etc etc etc. A grand is more than fair if you look at it as a business rather than hobby transaction. Why do you think most luthiers don't take on respray work. People aren't willing to pay for their time.

[rhoads56]

That's for Poly. Nitro $150 extra. Relics add $450. If it's a vintage instrument and will increase in value, add more.

I can charge those prices because of my reputation. Why would I charge less? Which would you prefer: Charge just enough to whine that there isnt enough money in it, or charge enough to be able to go the extra mile if and when needed??

Im certainly not going to charge less for certain work. I have an hourly rate I like to meet or exceed, and charge accordingly. If people dont like the prices, they are free to shop around.

[madhattr88]

So one more question about poly...

Would it be better to use a preval sprayer or use the wipe on poly???

[guitar2005]

I have been using EM6000 (waterbased lacquer) and have been rather pleased with it. Complete burn-in, so no witness lines. I've done one or two instruments in wipe-on poly and am not much of a fan of it. Then again, with all the effort put into a spray job, $300 really is not all that bad. But as Scott said, you could get your own setup for about that price that will finish many a guitar, but then you have to put in the time and effort, along with all the consumables (sandpaper,polish, etc.) and you are on the hook for those times when you inevitably will sand through the finish (I still occasionally do that, and always kick myself afterwards, certain that it will never happen again).

I'm about to give up on the EM6000. I've had many issues with it.

1) The final colour has a blueish tint to it. You don't see this over lighter colors but over dark woods and colors, the stuff just doesn't cut it.

2) Long term repairability isn't the best. They say 100% burn in. I tried to repair cracks that developed in the finish of two guitars and it just does not work. Two guitars have had crack appear in the finish and even when I fill them, its as if the repair doesn't do anything. As I sand back, the cracks re-appear.

3) Shelf life isn't the best.

I might try it again for light colors but switch to Nitro for darker guitars.