Luckyvision Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 (edited) I'm refinishing a Bass that needed to have a pickup cavity filled, so i cannot stain it (the repair would show) I sanded the whole thing down to a 320 grit level & gave it a first lacquer coat & all the grain of the wood is showing (where the wood filler was used it's nice & smooth) I was told that sealing wasn't needed because the first coat of lacquer would act as a sealer, & it should be sanded then repainted & then gloss coated. I am hoping this will be perfectly smooth when i'm done... I was surprised at how obvious the grain is after the first coat, so my Question(s): --Will the first coat really act as a sealer & sanding it down smooth it out? --what final grit should i end up with to get it smooth as possable? --i had planned to basecoat/ sand/top coat(s)/ clearcoat/buff, is this the reccomended progression? Now don't get mad at me: the paint is rattlecan rust-oleum 'specialty' high lustre black lacquer (& clear gloss) I have no access to a paint gun, compresser, etc & no way to even beg someone to borrow or do it for me, & very little money for this project either, but i have time, patience & the desire to do the best job possable with what i have to work with. Thanks, --Lucky Edited January 27, 2006 by Luckyvision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 There are those who don't like sealer. I happen to be one of those who do. There are certain properties associated with a good sealer including fast dry. Too late for that now kinda, but that's okay. You're going want the surface very smoothe for the final coats to go onto so you don't see grain when it dries in a year. Since it will be solid colored then you can use a grain filler, which is not expensive. (it's way cheaper than the piles of lacquer you might have to buy to fill all the grain) Follow the directions on the container and it will work fine. Then sand it some more to flat. You might do well to use flat paint as your color coat. This gives the lacquer more surface to bite into. Also, be sure to let the paint dry for like a week or it will turn all rubbery when clear coated. It will anyway, but not as much and your final finish will be more level making it easier to sand and buff. With grain filler and sanding the parts you patched will vanish. Remember, if you see the patched areas in the paint coat, you'll see it under the clear too. Hey, low budget is okay! -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyvision Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 There are certain properties associated with a good sealer including fast dry. Too late for that now kinda, but that's okay. With grain filler and sanding the parts you patched will vanish. Remember, if you see the patched areas in the paint coat, you'll see it under the clear too. Ok, so pardon the ignorant questions: --is sealer the same as grain filler? --to apply the grain filler, how far down do i sand my base coat of lacqer? completely back to bare wood or just enough to eliminate the shiny? so now my procedure should be: sand (dull?), grain filler, color coat(s), clearcoat. correct? --Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 grain filler-fills in the grain so that the finish is flat sealer- seals and prtects wood from moisture I believe you sand all the way back down to the wood to apply grain filler your procedure is baically right, there is a lot of fine sanding in between clear coats though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 You need only sand the clear flat, then apply the grain filler. No need to remove it completely as it will help in this case. Because you already put the clear on just continue with that, it'll be fine. Spray it lightly at first to see how your base surface is. An important thing to note is that sealer is not finish. It is to be used in a single coat to seal the wood and get rid of the "fuzzies" associated with sanding wood. So don't apply any more sealer until you're done with grain filling. -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyvision Posted January 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 alright, I haven't got any clearcoat on there yet, only one 'base' coat of black sprayed on today.. I did notice that where i stripped off the original coatings, i removed all the clearcoat & left the basecoat of black on the sides (the top & bottom were sanded down to the wood) and the sides have a nice smooth surface... being tomorrow is saturday, i REALLY appreciate the quick responses too! --Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyvision Posted January 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2006 S.N.A.F.U.!!! I attempted to sand down the layer of black lacquer & it just all went to sh*t... --first i learned new lacquer is soft, so that when you sand it you get spots of lacquer build up that just...suck... --second i learned that a palm sander just makes it worse --SO.. I now have a body with lacquer bumps all over it, some bareish wood patches, damage to the filler around the plate i made to fill the pickup cavity.. if i had another choice i'd chuck this thing onto the railroad tracks, but i'm not giving up... so how do i fix this child from hell?? i was thinking of taking a rag & some lacquer thinner & trying to rub down the spots, then lighting..uh, i mean, rub down the whole thing. then what? all i want is to get it flat.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Wow, bummer. In an earlier post I mentioned letting that harden for a week... Before you go all crazy with thinner, let it set for a few days (week) then sand it again. The bumps and all the other ugly stuff will sand nicely. Try sanding by hand at first to see how it goes, because heat is a major problem with power sanders. 2 or 3 years ago I bought a can of that Rustoleum black lacquer for my son so he could spray something he made. It took f o r e v e r to harden, and it was on new wood. -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyvision Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Hmm, yep, you did say that.. i have to pay more attention to the details...ok, follow the sanding with grain filler? are they all compatable with lacqer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Try this: 1. let it dry 2. sand it carefully 3. fill remaining defects 4. sand a little more 5. seal it - (vinyl sealer, or thinned lacquer) 6. spray your black paint - just enough to cover the body and make it black 7. let the paint dry a day or two (do not sand it) - a dull base coat works best 8. spray several coats of clear lacquer over the paint 9. let that dry for 1 month 10. wet sand and polish What's compatible? Don't use enamel and lacquer on the same project. Just for the record, I use only comercial instrument finishes, and have never used lacquer out of a spray can for a guitar so I might not be the definative source. The steps above listed are for reference, but do represent the reality of your situation. Hope that helps... -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyvision Posted January 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 Thanks, that's what i needed, a little hand holding. i'll be back in a month or longer with prelim results. sooner if i have questions or screw it up, lol --Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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