CaptMysterio

i use a soft chalk or a wax pencil (then thoroughly cleaned with wax & grease remover).

what was the time span between the first coats of clear, and the last coat of clear that wrinkled? generally, you'd either want to recoat the same day, or wait 48+ hours for the next coat. during that time solvents are still working their way out of the paint, and are likely to wrinkle and craze if you spray over it.

simple schematics are cake once you learn what things stand for. just pick up a book on small electronics. with practice you get better at reading them. in any case, it'd be worth learning, cause you'll always be able to use it if you keep playing with this stuff.

the author is "Robert Benedetto" (someone missed an 'e' i think). the book can be had off of amazon here. it's $10+ cheaper than at stewmac.

the side of the can should tell you what type of finish it is, whether it be enamel, laquer, acrylic, polyurethane, or what-have-you. you really should find out exactly what you're spraying. this will keep help you avert disaster if you do recoat. why can't you just buff it out now? four coats should be plenty of coverage if it's even. i've done a guitar and a bass with rattlecans, and everything has turned out swell so far. it just depends on the quality of paint you get. about the best i've found in a rattlecan is duplicolor. if you spray laquer now, it will probably wrinkle the current finish. laquer solvents will eat through just about any finish. you might find yourself doing the whole thing over again if you mix types of paint like that. i'm not too well versed in nitrocellulose, but i know this is the case with automotive finishes. it'll be hard to find tinted clears in a rattlecan. if there are any good ones, i have yet to find them.

i have no idea how the custom shops do it. but i'd venture to guess that they just do some selective sanding with some super-fine grit sandpaper (800+) maybe? or maybe exessive use of buffing compound and a cutting pad? just some ideas.

i too am a fan of the alligator clips. mounted to a stand or not, they help a good deal.

preach on brotha! if i could find a woman to write music with...i'd never leave the house.

sounds swell to me. gives me time to practice! ...and get some cash!

i really didn't give cobain much of a look until i saw nirvana do unplugged. if you ever get a chance to see the performance of "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" near the end of unplugged, do. it wasn't spectacular musicianship, but there was a feeling to that song that surprised me. it was hard to see past all the pop-kiddies yelling, "nirvana is the best," without totally writing him/them off. another guitarist that i miss on the poll is eric clapton. that guy has been around forever, and has made some rad music. i dig the cream and yardbird days, but i just like the way the guy plays.

for the fb removal, how hot was the iron? or does it even matter?

yowsa!

snork: " damn.... well where does that dude live?" - he's outside our apartment building. we're roommates. GEdwardJones: " You're probably going to hate hearing this if you haven't hear it before. but that headstock is strikingly similar to the one used by Tyler Guitars" - and to think, i was going to put that little point near the nut in my design on paper, but didn't think it looked quite right. it's kind of a bummer, but the important thing to me was to excercise creativity and practice planning. thanks for the link! thanks all for the great feedback! gives me hope that i might not be too bad at this stuff afterall. time to start thinkin' on another project i think! thanks again for all the support ya'll.

man. i wish i'd have found this forum a month or so ago. nuts!! can't wait to see the finished products!

can't wait to see it!