Headstock Finishing

[bassampegman]

How long after i have sprayed (car aerosol ) my headstock can i apply the clear laquer ??

IM happy with the final colour coat do i need to rub it down with 1500 grit because i need to add laquer so is there any need to rub down ?

I plan to add a decal to the headstock before i laquer this will be a vinyl one.

After applying the decal and the clear coats do i still rub back with say 1500 grit and then buff.

Can you get satin finish or matt clear finish as ive only seen gloss ??

Any help would much appreciated

[Mattia]

What kind of finish are you using on top? If they're compatible (and I assume you've tested your finish sequence on scrap, right?), just look at the recoat time specs on your can of paint.

DO NOT sand the colour coats if you're happy with the colour. Spray clear, 3 coats, then you can level that (with 400 or 600), spray another three, level those, spray another three, level those, spray two more, level those (still at 400 or 600, depending on how bad it is), spray your final coat, which hopefully will be nice and smooth, and level that with 1500 if you can get away with sanding that fine.

I'd put the decal on the color coat, seal it with a light spraying of clear, then keep going. Maybe wait with levelling until you've got 6 coats on there because you do not want to sand through the decal.

True satin or matte finishes are achieved with matte lacquer, or by adding matting agents to gloss laquer (only use the manufacturere's reccomended materials is my suggestion). You could do a 'poor man's matte finish' by rubbing the final coat down with fine steel wool, but on any area that you get skin/body contact on, it'll probably 'polish' itself out in time.