Nice And Cheap Guitar Finish

[Evtim Djerekarov]

A friend of mine repainted his guitar, and I'm going to tell you about what he did. I'm living in Bulgaria, where you cam find primarily spray cans, sandpaper, primers, but not exotic things like sealers. Most people here seal the wood with super glue . The materials needed are a can or two of acryllic primer some spray cans of acryllic lacquer(2 usually), and one can of transparent acryllic finish, about a meter of 60, 220, 400 and 600(wet) gritt sandpaper, and some polishing compound. Also a block of wood or rubber for sanding, and protective equipment, and of course a dust-free room.

First, the old paint is removed with the 60 gritt paper, with a sanding machine. Then, if the surface is perfect(no holes from hits), the acryllic primer is applied. After a day or two, it is sanded smooth with the 220 gritt paper, the guitar and the room is cleaned from dust, and the first 2-3 coats of pain are applied(one coat is 2 consequent sprayings). The minimum time betweeen 2 coats is about half an hour. Then the guitar is left for 2 days, and the paint is then sanded again for a mat look(all the surface must be ideal, the primer below must not show up, nor there should be shiny spots left from the lacquer). After cleaning, the second 2-3 coats must be applied, and, after drying again sanded with the 220, or even 400 or 600 wet sandpaper.

By that time, the surface must be perfectly mat, without imperfections. If you sand it too much, and the primer shows up, additional coats will be needed. The next stage is to apply the transparent finish. It is critical not to allow any leaks ond drips here. After applying the lacquer, the guitar must dry for at least a week. After it has dried, it is polished with the polishing compound.

Here a spray can coasts about $2, a meter of sandpaper is about $0.5, and polishing compound is about $3-4. This makes a total of about $10-15 for the job. (Needless to say that the average salary here is about $120).

If you have any suggestions or improvements to the procedure, feel free....