Advice On Classic Red Sg Mahoganey Look

[zionstrat]

when i was a kid i didnt know any better and refinished a number of guitars with paint can variety polyester, did a lot of wet sanding between coats and used a lot of clear coats to top it off-

now I would like to do my first serious guitar but kind of like the advatagous of poly over lacquer (no shrink/fade) etc-

I want to do the classic semi translucent red SG look that we all know from the 70s and wonder how you do this with poly?

Guessing I would first use a grain filler- Anything special if I'm going poly?

Then it sounds like I would take a pass or 2 or 3 with red die? Any special types?

Then poly clear coats?

I can find full instructions on number of coats sanding schedule, etc for lacquer at reranch and other sites but nothing like it for poly-

Is this becuase poly is just a bad idea for some reason? Or is lacquer more of a cult or more applicable to accoustics?

Interseted in any and all ideas! thx

Edited October 14, 2005 by zionstrat

[zionstrat]

bump-if I dobt expect i'M asking a hard quetion-If' Im missing a search on this topic please point it out- but thus far all I have been able to find refer to lacquers or car finishes that appear to need a catalyst-

[stageleft]

My guess is, with poly it just wouldn't look right. i would go with reranch and just bite the bullet on this one. I have used their products many times and have never been dissapointed.

George

[zionstrat]

thanks george-so far no input elswhere so i may end up nitro afterall

[Southpa]

I almost bought a red '69 about 7 yrs ago for $900 Cdn. but there was HUGE belt buckle rash on the back so I opted for the strat I have now. The SG had very little in the way of finishing. All mahogany, but it didn't look like the wood was grain filled, just stained and then a few coats of clear lacquer.

[erikbojerik]

The thing with poly is that there's no "bite back"...in other words, the various coats will not melt into each other and fuse into a single layer like nitro will. And with spray cans, the poly goes on very very thin.

Best you can do is apply "tack coats" with 20 minutes between each, only 3 or 4, let dry fully, then scuff-sand and keep going. The problem with spray-can poly is that the thin coats almost guarantee that you'll sand through if you try to level the finish (like you'll need to do if you get orange peel). Laying the body flat (instead of hanging it) will allow you to apply a thicker coat, but its still not too thick.

I've done it on two guitars and it was a bit of a PITA. Next time I go with poly, it will be automotive 2-part with a proper air gun. That lays a much thicker coat and you can be more aggressive with the level sanding.

[zionstrat]

I almost bought a red '69 about 7 yrs ago for $900 Cdn.  but there was HUGE belt buckle rash on the back so I opted for the strat I have now.  The SG had very little in the way of finishing.  All mahogany, but it didn't look like the wood was grain filled, just stained and then a few coats of clear lacquer.

←

Southpa- In a way you've read my mind-

I'm doing a warmoth project to get p90s with a 25.5 scale-

But this is just the warm up as I've got a 61 LPSG special that was butchered in the early 70s, rerouted for hums, repainted black, and all of the hardware changed out-

As a result it will never have rarebird status, but ultimately I want to take it back to the red mahogney as well-

Part of my problem is that I haven't found definitive directions and definitions-

I thought I had read that Mahogney always has to be grainfilled so that's what I was going to try- But frankley I dont know what grainfilled means as I have never done it- So can you help me understand the impact on the look and why you wouldn't fill mahoganey?

Same thing with 'sanding sealer' and 'top coats' and lots of other jargon that seems to have different meaning and application depending on who you are talking to-

So anyone that can help me come up with a reasonable 'receipe' for this classic look with Poly would be graetly appreciated- Or else maybe someone can explain why I would want to use lacquer- So far I have heard that it makes a difference on accoustics, but that poly is stronger-

Thanks again for input!

[zionstrat]

erikbojerik-

Now I'm starting to understand-

I will definately spray with cans so lacquer allows the coats to level better-

So let's talk lacquery finsishing as I've never done this at all-

1. Prep Sand- I think I found plenty on this

2. Naptha cleaning? Some sits seem to sugest that a wipe down is good to make sure no hand oils are under the finish-

3. Stain- I'm guessing all of the stewmac or reranch dies will work under nitro- There are a couple of receipes for SG red out there

4. Clear grainfill- Per my previous notes, it sounds like most do this with mahoganey and it sounds like you just rub it in corsss grain, let dry 5 minutes- scrape off cross grain, sand and do a second coat?

5. Sanding sealer? Not entirely sure what this is and where it fits on the list-

6. Clear nitro coats- Think I found something about 3*3 coats and some talk of sanding between coats-

Does this receipe get me in the ball park?

Thanks!

M

[johnsilver]

StewMac's guitar finishing book has 5 recipes for SG Cherry Red including both nitro and water based lacquer recipes. You might try one of those.

[zionstrat]

StewMac's guitar finishing book has 5 recipes for SG Cherry Red including both nitro and water based lacquer recipes.  You might try one of those.

←

thanksall!