Jupiter Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 Hey guys! A while back, i refinished a Schecter C-7 body of mine. I painted it with white Krylon paint, and Krylon Crystal Clear clear sealer, both aerosol. Well, basically, i got a little excited and rushed the crap out of the project. The clear recently got a bunch of cracks all over it, i assume where the clear shrunk. So, i decided that since it didn't look too hot and i'm going to have to refinish it anyway, i'd have some fun with it! I got some 00 steel wool and went over the clear to knock the gloss off of it, then went over it with 0000 steel wool to make it even smoother. It was then nice and satiny. I started drawing on a bunch of assorted designs and such using coloured pencils, markers, and sharpees. I've stuck to using various shades of blue, a lot of outlines in black, a little gray, and the occaisional bright red { a semi-tribute to Satch's Blue Donnie guitar... he's been a HUGE inspiration to me! }. Against the white backdrop, it's looking extremely great! The colored pencils are actually going on pretty well. They look really smooth, and up close they're kinda grainy, it's pretty neat. They seems resistant to rubbing off, but i think if i sweat on them, it would definately smudge them around.Same with the markers. So after i finish all of my doodling, i'm going to need to seal it somehow. I think a satin finish would add to the uniqueness of the guitar, but gloss always looks nice, too. Could i maybe just use Deft lacquer over this? Keep in mind that i didn't sand the previous clear ALL the way off, just knocked it down a bit. Or should i just stick with the Krylon Crystal Clear? I'm leaning towards a satin finish, the more i think about it... Wish me luck, any input is greatly appreciated!!! Thanks , Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 Please put down your lacquer!!! lol... If I was you knowing what i know now.. I'd invest in a gravity feed hvlp conversion gun and paint it with polyurethane clear.. or polyester.... much more durable.. if you do stay with nitrocellulose lacquer.. let it fully cure up to 3 weeks before final polishing.. read LGM's tutorials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted August 18, 2003 Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 I agree with guitarfrenzy on all but the HVLP, I suggest a gravity feed spray gun, I hate HVLP, the overspray isn't that much less, and they leave a yucky finish, high pressure guns seem to allow a better flow out as the paint is just a bit thinner. I find the HVLP to be good for industrial painting and that is about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2003 Well, i'd invest in a gun, except that i'd also have to invest in a compressor, high-quality mask, and whatever else... i got nothin'!Thanks for the advice, though! I've pretty much decided on a satin finish. Any pointers??? I did a bunch more artwork on it last night, this thing is looking so great! I'm really quite excited about it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Anybody ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au3078 Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 I dont know how much this will help you bout go menad's or lowe's and look up the Minwax® Polycrylic® Protective Finish if I remeber right they have it in spray cans but it will most likely go on thin. they also have Fast-Drying Polyurethane too but it kinda tints everything yellowish. I dont know how much help that is. but it is somethign to look into I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Hmm, that sounds worth checking into! Whatever i get HAS to be crstal clear, though... i want the white backdrop to stay bright white! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
au3078 Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 then go with the Minwax® Polycrylic® Protective Finish it supose to be clear. you can look it up at www.minwax.com in the protective seals I think. they dont have any spray type listed but Im almost postive they make it cuz I have the ultra fast drying stuff ina spray and it isnt listed either. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 I'm right now in the middle of a side-by-side test of Minwax fast-drying polyurethane and Minwax water-based polycrylic (both from spray cans, on top of bright yellow). The only firm conclusion, 3 days into this, is that the yellow base coat under the polyU is definitely "darker", and that the polycrylic is more clear and gives a truer yellow (compared to the uncovered base coat). The difference can be seen indoors and in the sun. This first trial, I put it all on a bit too thick (10 layers of polycrylic w/15 minutes between layers; 8 coats of polyU with 20-25 minutes between layers), trying to get them to "melt" together, so I basically have one big thick layer that has remained "gummy" but is firming up very gradually. If you're going for a glossy finish, I've heard that sanding through layers of polyU can cause rings to appear...if poly is allowed to dry completely between layers, then successive layers don't "melt" into each other like with nitro. I've heard variously that these rings may or may not disappear during the buffing stages; I'll let y'all know what I find out with my own tests. Also check out my similar post at USA Custom Guitars forum... http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usacg/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowser Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 yo can u show us a pic of ur guitar man, or do we have to wait until its all done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Who knows LGM.. I've only used the HVLP guns so far... If i get a chance I'll try out a conventional gun out.. and let you know how good it does.. Your probably right the conventional gun may do better and I shouldn't rush to judgement so quickly.. I was just told from a couple of guitar builders that I look up to also.. that they used a HVLP spray gun and so from that I knew I already had access to one, so I used it, and so far it's looking great. But then again, I had heard that the very first HVLP guns that came out didn't do a very good job.. so maybe I'm just using a better built one.. not sure... It's not that I don't think conventional guns aren't good.. that's not true.. I just had access to the HVLP and have hopefully gotten used to the way they spray.. but I'm open minded enough to try the conventional gun. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 22, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2003 Bowser: Sadly, i don't have a digital camera or a scanner... however, i know a few people who do, so maybe i can get them to help me out with it. I really want you guys to see it, i'm having a lot of fun with it! Currently, about 1/5 of the guitar has been painted... it's gonna be a loooooooooooong project.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowser Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 thats cool man, im looking forward to seeing the pics once you are able to take some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butnut Posted August 26, 2003 Report Share Posted August 26, 2003 In my painting experience, it's always best to stick with the same 'brand' of finish...from primers on up to the clear. Some brands don't intermix or, over time, you'll have some issues. Since you started with Krylon, it's best to finish with it. It won't react with itself and should stick since you steel wooled it and knocked the gloss off. Since you have art on there, shoot a very LIGHT first coat, just 'dusting' the clear on. It will dry quickly since it's light and this will 'seal' the art and prevent runs or bleeding of color. The following coats should be slightly heavier, but still light. Let it flash dry a few minutes between coats. When you have a good build, the final coat can be heavy and more 'wet'. Let it dry at least a day before handling it. I'm not sure what Krylon is...clear acrylic? I use acrylic lacquers, clears, solids and kandies and finish with a poly clearcoat. Maybe they sell a Krylon satin finish? If not, some super fine steel wool will degloss a shiney finish and if you have good build up of clear, you won't cut through. Good luck and yeah, I wanna see a pic. On the subject of HVLP, when the 'system' first came out, I thought it was crap...the wierd and expensive 'vacuum cleaner' compressor setup did'nt impress me. Later I got a Matson HVLP 'gun'...gravity feed, hooks up to a standard compressor, just use a fatter hose. I had doubts the first time thinking a lot of product is gonna squirt out, but you can adjust it from light to heavy. I was amazed how great this gun was at shooting kandies. When I shot the poly clear, I could lay it on heavy...fast! I'll never shoot conventional again...except my junkie guns for primer. I've been shooting metalflakes lately and I can't shoot the mambo huge flakes...chokes out. So I mix some in with the medium flakes and it works great. I always add pearl powders to the clear for extra shimmer in bright light. Metalflake flamed Tele I did for a friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Posted August 26, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2003 Thanks for the tips, butnut! Yeah, he Krylon is clear acrylic. I'd rather not use it, though... it has cracked on me once before already. I was thinking of using either the Minwax clear poly or Deft clear lacq... What about these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butnut Posted August 28, 2003 Report Share Posted August 28, 2003 I don't know why your clear cracked...might be useful for a 'relic' look. I read you used a Crystal Clear sealer ? I don't know if it's the same as a clear coat, most sealers I used are for bare wood, and the automotive type which spray on the primer to chemically bond the top coats..never heard of a sealer as a final coat...maybe that's your problem? Anywho, I'm not familiar enough with the Krylon paints and any reaction may be possible. You may just have to dive in unless someone else knows if you'll be OK or get screwed...good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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