Neck Finishing

[thewongster]

How many coats should I use for an acrylic laquer finish on a neck? I like it glossy too. Also once im done sparaying do I wet sand the whole neck and all? Im also on a budget and I want to add a decal onto my white head stock any ideas?

[SwedishLuthier]

What are your neck wood?

How many coats? It is partly a question of taste. Some people spray two or three coats on a mahogany neck without grain filling because they like the raw feeling of the textured finish. If you are doing maple no filling is needed and you can get away with 5 to 10 coats depending on how heavy coats you can get away with without drippings or curtains. If you go for only a few coats you must be very careful while wet-sanding. Normally I shoot between 10 and 15 coats for a maple neck and I go up to 20 or sometimes even 25 for a mahogany neck even when I use grain filler. It gives me a little more insurance against sanding through.