painting/lacquering headstock

[12b345b67]

hello, i found the tutorial about painting the headstock but now i have some questions.

what preparations should i do (sanding of lacquer etc.)??

what lacquer/paint should i use? should i use some kind of sealer?

an in-depth explanation(or link) would be appreciated.

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

If its a solid color, used an automotive sandable primer, otherwise use something like Deft sanding seler

[Brian]

Your going to need to sand the top surface of the head stock enough to give your paint something to hold on to, basically scuffing it up but with a finer grit of paper, you will end up with swirl marks if you use paper thats 320 or larger so use something finer then that.

When it comes to the paint you can use any type it doesn't necessarily have to be lacquer, thats really up to what your comfortable working with.

If this is your first time using a particular type of paint though I would highly recommend trying it out (including the sanding first) on a scrap piece of wood so you can get a little more experience working with it before trying the neck.

[Guest Litchfield Custom Gutars]

And with my method (and what brian was saying) I reccomend wet sanding with 800 and greater, all the way to 1500 or 2000 grit. Wet sanding can ONLY be done with ewt dry, and works best with a sanding block

[butnut]

Here's my law-suit gold top LP headstock done exactly as the guys stated above. I used black lacquer over primer (after sanding with 400) decaled, 1st coat with lacquer to set decals, and buried under a thick poly clear. Did the 1200,1500,2000 sand and buff...good luck.

http://www.montypics.com/pic.php?url=/butn...05_0526_IMG.jpg

[12b345b67]

ok, thanks alot everyone!

and, Brian, this is not just my first time with whatever finnish i will use, its my first time ever!

so the conclusion is that any pain will work, if i just put down some work on it (sanding etc.).

im thinking about using a primer, then a paint and maybe some clear (inculding the sanding in between ofcourse), all of them made for cars (i guess that makes them automotive?).

would that work great? if yes it would be really handy since i could get some cheap and easy (in cans..).

[12b345b67]

plz?

[butnut]

It MUST be all LACQUER in rattle cans. NAPA has the best IMO. Get some 400 grit, tack rag, primer (for lacquer) black lacquer and clear lacquer. Sand the headstock smooth (not to bare wood) dust and tack lightly. You don't want any dust. Shoot a few light coats of primer. Let it dry a few minutes then shoot a final heavier coat. I let primer dry 8 hours or overnight. Next, lightly sand (400) the primer, just enough to get a even smooth look, don't wanna sand through. Dust and tack well. Shoot your black, first coat light...see through. Let it flash dry a few minutes, and continue this way, building up thin coats, letting each coat flash. Lacquer is'nt meant to be shot in one heavy coat. You may shoot up to 10 coats this way, easily 1/2 hour or longer. Take your time. (I'm assuming everything was masked off... ) The 'final' coat may be a bit heavier for gloss off (wet). Let this dry..overnight if applying decals or 5 minutes if not and you'll shoot clear. Assuming it's a hot day, longer wait if not ideal (I'm in Hawaii btw, so we have good days, except this mega rain storm right now ) If moving on to clear, again, start light and build slowly, 10 coats more or less. Last coat can be heavier for gloss off. Let this dry a day or longer. Remove all masking after an hour, slowly. The gloss may be fine and left as is, but can be buffed out using the methods above. Good luck.

[MikeB]

have a nice clean surface to spray onto.

[MikeB]

as i state the obvious!! dont mean to patronise.

[12b345b67]

thanks alot!! i think i will wait some time though, because its mid winter here right now ( -10ºC).