Beer Label Finish

[Jotinha]

I got a lot of those beer labels in order to cover my strat body with it but I was wondering how to make it. People tell me I can't do it because lacquering would damage the labels, making it blurry and spotted. Is there any way to make it (what should I use, how to glue the labels, etc.)?

Thanks and sorry for my lousy English.

[ToneMonkey]

Have a look at this thread:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...c=6819&hl=comic

He used comic books. Just make sure that you try it on a bit of scrap first. Have a look in the tutorial section aswell (on the home page) as I'm not sure if he did a tutorial or not.

Kaj

[ooten2]

I refinished an old beat-up pawn shop framus (strat-looking body) with Coors beer labels several years back. I was in high school, and had no clue what I was doing, but it turned out very nice.

After stripping off the old nasty finish and sanding smooth, I painted the whole body white as an undercoat (probably enamel, but I don't remember). After the white paint dried, I glued the beer bottle labels all over the body in a random pattern, basically however the shape of the label would fit on the contours of the body. I used Elmer's glue, as that was the handiest thing at the time, and it came with full recommendations from my elementary school teachers, who did decoupage (spelling??) all the time in art class! After drying, I finished it with a few coats of polyurethane, applied with a brush. (I had no spray equipment). I had no problems with running ink, or bleeding, or anything of that nature. The polyurethane did add an amberish color, but I didn't notice since the Coors beer labels were kind of an amber color anyway.

I topped it off with a white pickguard, which contrasted nicely to the amber color of the labels, and glued Coors beer bottle caps over the control knobs. The only problem I had with the guitar was that the bottle caps wouldn't stay on the control knobs. Needed screws or something.

Incidentally, if anyone wants to try something like this and has trouble getting beer bottle labels, just put your beer in an ice chest with ice. Let the ice melt into water and soak the bottles for awhile. Pull out the beer, peel off the labes while they are still damp (the labels should now peel off easily without tearing), and then drink the beer.

[AlGeeEater]

The only reason it would get blotchy is because its an ink printer. Laser printers wont get blotchy becuase of the laser.

[javacody]

Jotinha, it probably depends on the labels. If you spray the labels with a thin coat of lacquer to seal the ink, that might help (many folks do this when printing their own decals).