Binding On A Les Paul

[guitar2005]

I have binding on a guitar I'm working and its flush with the body.

The guitar will be a solid color. Do I paint over then scrape down to the binding, then clear? ... or is there a another method?

[thegarehanman]

In the case of opaque paint, it's your call. Honestly, even if you tape over it and spray, you'll probably end up scraping it anyway to make the paint/binding transition just a little crisper.

peace,

russ

[SwedishLuthier]

If you scrape (my choise) do it when the finish is still a tiny bit soft. Makes chipping less likely

[johnsilver]

I usually tape off the binding, at least the tall side, using 3M pin striping tape. After spraying the color, I remove the tape and scrape the binding to remove any color and to get a crisp edge like Garhanman said. Like SwedishLuthier said, you will get a much cleaner job if you scrape when the color is still a little soft. If you tape, remove the tape relatively soon so the color coat doesn't get too hard.

Taping is more process than many people like to do because they are comfortable with scraping. I tape at least a portion because the clean area after removing the tape gives me a reference for scraping. I don't mind the time it takes to tape.

[guitar2005]

I usually tape off the binding, at least the tall side, using 3M pin striping tape. After spraying the color, I remove the tape and scrape the binding to remove any color and to get a crisp edge like Garhanman said. Like SwedishLuthier said, you will get a much cleaner job if you scrape when the color is still a little soft. If you tape, remove the tape relatively soon so the color coat doesn't get too hard.

Taping is more process than many people like to do because they are comfortable with scraping. I tape at least a portion because the clean area after removing the tape gives me a reference for scraping. I don't mind the time it takes to tape.

Thanks guys.