Primer And Clearcoat

[pokpok]

so im planning to have a black finish on my project jem...would it be fine just to use black primer then clearcoat? or black primer..black basecoat then clearcoat? which would have a deeper shine?

[Devon Headen]

I've never cleared directly over primer so I can't answer for certain. It seems to me that a black color coat would look a lot better than a primer, though. I suppose you could practice on scrap, but I really doubt black primer will have quite the effect you want.

[pokpok]

I've never cleared directly over primer so I can't answer for certain. It seems to me that a black color coat would look a lot better than a primer, though. I suppose you could practice on scrap, but I really doubt black primer will have quite the effect you want.

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hm i was thinking that too but...i was going to use a flat black base coat anyways (i heard its easier to sand)

[Doc]

Hey guys,

Clearcoat over primer is absolutely okay. Lacquer primer is usually just top coat with some stearates and pigment. I've probably got 75 pieces of furniture out there with tinted undercoat (primer) nad then water white lacquer over top. Everything From black to Chinese red.

[Maiden69]

Yes it will be ok, as long as you color sand the primer to get a smooth texture, primer tend to be sandy after painted, not like flat paint that will lay smooth. I will still suggest the paint better!

[pokpok]

alright thats what i did heres what i ended up with

now i want to turn it into something like this...mabye not as many dots...

yes i know its got polkadots. but how would i go spraying them on? should i mask off the whole body..then cut out circles from the tape then proceed to spray?or is there an easier way to do it?

thanks in advance

Edited March 16, 2005 by pokpok

[AlGeeEater]

You should have sprayed the green as the base coat, then cut out tape circles and sprayed the black over it. It would have been a hell of a lot easier.

[marksound]

yes i know its got polkadots. but how would i go spraying them on? should i mask off the whole body..then cut out circles from the tape then proceed to spray?or is there an easier way to do it?

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I used the Search function to find this.

[Devon Headen]

You should have sprayed the green as the base coat, then cut out tape circles and sprayed the black over it. It would have been a hell of a lot easier.

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You can still do that. Just spray the green over the primer, tape off the dots. I don't remember exactly how Perry did it, but if I remember right, he probably cut the pattern out on one of those auto masking sheets. That's how I would do it anyway. My vote's still for putting paint on. I think it will look better than the primer. The color coat lays flat and requires no sanding.

[willliam_q]

For the flourescent green to flouresce properly you will need a white base coat. I tried spraying a flourescent yellow onto a black Ibanez and it wouldn't flouresce. Didn't matter how many coats it just came up as this pale green tint on the black guitar. It was only after about 4 cans of the stuff did I read the instructions. it told me I should have been spraying over a white base coat. DOH!!!!

Your experience and brand of paint might be different from mine though. just read the instructions carefully! I wish I had!!!!

[Maiden69]

For the flourescent green to flouresce properly you will need a white base coat.  I tried spraying a flourescent yellow onto a black Ibanez and it wouldn't flouresce.  Didn't matter how many coats it just came up as this pale green tint on the black guitar.  It was only after about 4 cans of the stuff did I read the instructions.  it told me I should have been spraying over a white base coat.  DOH!!!!

Your experience and brand of paint might be different from mine though.  just read the instructions carefully!  I wish I had!!!!

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Even though you should have done the white/green first, this should work, just that it will take more clear to cover it evenly.

You should haved mentioned it before on the 1st post!

[tirapop]

If you aren't to worried about crisp edges with all those dots, you could cut a stencil with all the holes cut in it.

[Devon Headen]

Why wouldn't he get crisp lines?

[tirapop]

I was suggesting something like a piece of thin card stock with holes cut in it. It would be just placed over the body. The edges of the circles wouldn't be stuck down to the surface of the body like masking tape. If the stencil sits off the body, there'd be a little feathering to the edge.

[Devon Headen]

The auto masking stencils stick, so you would get crisp edges. I see what you're saying, I just didn't think of anything like posterboard.

[RGGR]

To my knowledge why bother with painting on dots as original has stickers on them.

Original has white primer, black base coat, and then clear......on top of that just vinyl green polka dots.

http://www.vai.com/Machines/guitarpages/guitar032.html

Not really sure why you started with black primer......the lush, and depth of the black is created by the layers of clear on top of your base coat. Not so much what's under there.

[pokpok]

well i thought it was a general rule to start with a primercolor closest to your basecoat.

to be honest i havent seen that Vai Guitar...its a good reference tho

"The prototype actually has the "JEM" logo script on the headstock. There were more green spots on the guitar originally, but constant use and touring have caused some of the adhesive spots to fall off."

i dont want them to fall off

so after laying my basecoat of black..i assume i put the stickers on there then clearcoat....would there be some sort of complication regarding the bonding of the clearcoat to areas where the dots are on?

[RGGR]

well i thought it was a general rule to start with a primercolor closest to your basecoat.

True....but you were talking about clearing directly over base coat, if I remember it correctly.....And although your primer may give nice appearance.......it has function of a primer......so appearance is not the main focus of this coat.

After laying base coat, you could put layer of clear on there. Then add vinyl stickers and then layers of clear again. Slowly build up so sticker out line will disappear.

[Maiden69]

Then add vinyl stickers and then layers of clear again. Slowly build up so sticker out line will disappear.

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RGGR, alto I have done this, and is on the headstock tutorial that Brian did, I don't recommend it for a body finish, it takes a ridiculous amount of spray paint to build up to the thickness of any vinil, and you have to sand the cirles down between every coat to keep the build up down to get the rest of the body up to par, and a little too much sanding and the scratch on the vinyl will never come out.

[pokpok]

darn i just got back getting some circles cut from a sign show now i see that haha - anyone want some dots? :-P

ok kind of a related question...do i sand inbetween coats of base and clearcoat ?

[Devon Headen]

You'll want to sand your primer, but sanding your colorcoat is unnecessary.

[Maiden69]

If you are talking about the dots, you just have to sand over the dots, not the entire guitar until the rest of the guitar is at the same hight. then add a few coats of clrear and finish.

http://projectguitar.com/tut/phs.htm

Just like Brian is doing here!

If you are refering to painting the guitar do what Devon just posted.

[RGGR]

Just finish guitar with clear without the dots. Let clear dry and add dots later.

In couple of years playing some dots will have fallen off. By that time you're sick of the dots anyhow........you take of the rest. Buff clear out again....and sway.....new nice black guitar.

Just my $0.02.