FretFire Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Hello all, I have a few questions concerning possibly clear coating over my Ibanez RG. I have never done anything along these lines before, and was wondering if this would a good idea to do myself, or if I should have a pro do it. I recently applied these graphics to a natural finish, and have had many recommendations to clear coat it to protect and preserve the look. Just researching it right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscovill Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 For what my opinion is worth, clear coating it would seem to be the thing to do. You don't want your work to only last a few months when it could last years under a clear coat. I'd suggest doing a search for this subject. I'm sure you'll find the information there that will help you decide if you want to do it yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FretFire Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Haven't found anything specifically about this yet, but I'll keep digging. Thanks for replying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscovill Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I have trouble finding what I'm looking for in the searches sometimes too. Did you look through the tutorials on the main page of projectguitar.com? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FretFire Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Yeah, they had topics about painting (color schemes like bursts, gold top, etc.) but nothing specifically about clear coating. Do I need to look for something more general? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sscovill Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 I'm not the best person to ask since I'm on my first from-scratch build and don't have the experience to really help you. You could always check out stewmac.com or do a Google for the topic. Check out the In Progress section of the site to to see what others have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Ok, I know that this is a tutorial for a headstock decal, but the same technique can be used in your grafics. Even with this it will requiere a lot of coats to fill in. I will suggest if you have access to 2 part poly paint to use it, follow the advise on LGM's pinned threads on the tutorial section. If not you can take it to an auto body shop and have them lay the clear for you. Make sure they lay a few coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 The painting tutorial I did has good explanation of laying down 2 part clear. That is what I would recommend, however in all honesty, I wouldn't clear over vinyl decals like that. They are very problematic. Also, I can't tell from the picture but if your guitar has a clear coat on it over the wood, that all needs to be sanded for decent adhesion. It would be WAY better if the graphic was painted on there. If you are set on clearing it, you will want to CAREFULLY sand the graphic with 600 grit paper. You do NOT want to use the black wet/dry paper in this case as it will discolor the white vinyl. If you don't sand it you may end up with adhesion problems down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGHbuilder86 Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Yeah, find that tutorial by LGM guitars. Read it, understand it, and your guitar will look perfect. There is some great info there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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