kwm488 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi i have question on my fender american deluxe telecaster. i bought it second hand, the owner use sand paper sand it to get satin finish. i paint Aerosol Guitar Lacquer and polishes it very shine. but it is not hard enough. it is very easy get dent and scratch. original fender finish is very hard, it is no hurt even i drop it to floor. how should i do? thank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Lacquer needs a while to cure before it gets hard. Almost every finish needs time to completely cure. I even had this problem when I sprayed shellac. Now I have a few spots to fix (strap and case imprint). Also, I don't think lacquer is compatible with urethane. The original finish on that guitar is urethane http://www.fender.com/products//view_specs...caster%26reg%3B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strato-Master Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Fender more than likley didn't use a lacquer on the guitar when it was new. Thats what it has a harder finish originaly probably Poly urethane. Lacquer it self isn't a very hard finish (I.e. dents easy) and will continue to move with the guitar body over the years allowing it to crack. It's also not recomended to mix differant types of finish. Which it sounds like you have done. Did you sand all the old finish off and started over or just spray a clear over the old finish to make it shiny again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Actually lacquer is a VERY hard finish, to the point that it is brittle. That is why is dents and chips easily. Things that are durable are not always hard. In fact polyurethane is softer than lacquer. It moves with the wood, which is why you do not get the checking issues over time with it. Lacquer checks over time because it is hard enough that it does not move with the wood, and is always shrinking. The lacquer being hard is also why is polishes easier. Harder finishes polish up easier. Polyurethane gets it durability from the chemical composition and the molecular structure being crosslinked, not from being hard. That is partially why poly is more difficult to scratch. Harder finishes scratch easier, that is why they polish easier. Since polishing is nothing more than controlling and refining increasing smaller scratches. As to the OP, it sounds like you did not leave the lacquer to sit long enough if it is still soft, and that you are getting trouble with mixing finishes. I am pretty sure that lacquer over poly is a no no, but I might have that part backwards. How course of sandpaper was used to sand the body down before spraying the lacquer. The lacquer needs a mechanical bond to adhere to poly, so sanding with 600 or 800 grit first is a good idea. Also, did you wipe the body down with anything to remove any oils or dirt before spraying. Any contaminents remaining can cause major adhesion problems. If it is just the denting and chipping though, that might just be from the hardness of lacquer. What is happening to cause the dents and chips? Dents are usually from banging into stuff, which is more user error. Chips can be from the same, but if the finishes did not adhere to each other, then pick scuffing can cause it to start to chip off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwm488 Posted February 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 hi i know fender ifinish is urethane, not lacqure. my tele is sunburst color. before owner sand it , i try to polish it. but some areas have problem. i think the top coats is over. so i need to spray lacqure. of course, i don't want to refinish this guitar. in fact, should i use urethane finish like fender, where can i buy it? can anyone show the link to me? as the lacqure. i sand the finish 1000 grit and spray. i believe the lacqure get harder if it is complete dry. i just wait two day and polish. because i am not good patience person. but fender original finish is very hard, i believe lacqure will not harder than it even it is complete dry. for example, i dry a key to the guitar, it is dent. fender finish will not.................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 Lacquer is usually recommended to dry for at least a month if not more for it to fully cure. Even though the top is dry, the layers underneath are still soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcissism Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) I've had my test piece with poly on it, and after two days, it was still dentable. It didn't finally harden (couldn't dig my fingernail into it) till today. I put 3 coats on it: 1 coat, then 1 more coat after 2 hours, and one more coat after 24 hours. I started it on monday and applied the 3rd coat on tuesday. [edit] i also used a brush, if that matters at all. Edited February 14, 2009 by Narcissism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 What kind of poly? I am guessing since you brushed it, that it is not 2-part poly. That stuff stays soft for a while. Plus brushing tends to lay the coats on a little thicker. Plus I believe that stuff specifies one coat every 24 hours to allow the coats to gas off properly. Which would be why it is taking longer to dry as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcissism Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I use Minwax fast dry in High Gloss. I was unaware that there were two part polys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.