Minwax Polycrylic: Is It Suitable?

[ender]

i got my guitar painted by a friend using water-based enamel paint. I plan on using Minwax water-based "Polycrylic" semi gloss (mi padre brought it home, should i get gloss?), because i was told that normal solvent-based stuff will tear up the paint job (since it's water-based and enamel). will this work?

i have the spray version, this is the brush-on version

if this stuff is crap, point me in the right direction. thanks

[x189player]

i don't know that brand, but i've used diamond varathane water-based poly clear with good results.

[Doc]

That's probably the best thing that is readily available for this application.

It does take about thirty days to harden all the way, but then it's about as hard as a bowling ball. Minwax is a good brand of acrylic polyurethane.

[erikbojerik]

I've tested the Minwax polyurethane and the polycrylic both. The polyurethane dried faster and a little clearer than the polycrylic, and the polycrylic was slower to dry (like Doc said, takes a good month to get to where you can't dent it with your fingernail). But they both worked fine.

The rattle-can version is very fluid, it goes on very thin. So if you're going to finish-sand and then buff, first (A) make sure your paint job is dead flat, and ( plan on using 2-3 cans worth for enough build-up.

[ender]

uh, well the paint job is not flat, because its a freehand pschedelic paintjob, and the paint is pretty thick, so its got contours to the touch. is this bad news? what should i do?

another thing - spray, then sand with like, 220 grit, right? then after a ton of coats, buff, and weait 30 days, or buff after 30 days? i just need a general rundown on the coating procedure (like, excactly how to do it ) thanks

i sprayed the first coat today - it looks great. it really doesnt seem nevessary to sand- im afraid of hitting the paint. can i just spray and dry?

Edited April 14, 2005 by ender

[ender]

Lo-res pictures (its the only digital cam i have, sorry)

btw, i just set the hardware down on it so you could get the big picture, i didnt put it back together

tell me thats not awesome psychedelia (if you're into that kinda thing).

[erikbojerik]

Great paint job!

OK, with all that texture in the paint, all you can do with Minwax rattle can is to cover it and protect the paint job. You will NOT be able to finish-sand it....the coats are so thin, you will instantly sand through it and sand into the paint job! Don't want that...

I personally would think it would be cool to have the paint texture show up, like a real piece of art (brush strokes and all that). If that's what you'd like, then keep going with the Minwax, but forget about going at it with any kind of sandpaper. When you're done with the poly, you can use one of those StewMac foam buffing wheels and some Meguiar's swirl remover. Make sure you use the Minwax GLOSSY, not the satin (they look identical except for the color of the lettering on the can...).

If you insist on a flat mirror glossy clear coat, you'll need to start with a ton of poly build-up that is best done by a pro finisher (spray gun). There's a lot of topography on the body...you first need the fill the valleys in between the mountains with poly before you start finish sanding. I think this approach could dull the appearance of colors in the paint.

So I'd go with the first approach. Good luck!