Catalyzed Eurethane Clear With Createx Auto Air Pearls

[ndamaren]

Hey, hows things? anyways, i have a question, im painting my guitar with Createx Auto Air Pearls. It has a white basecoat, and will have 3-4 coats of color. After which, i need to clear but am having trouble find a good, strong non-yellowing catalyzed urethane clear.

i would prefer to spray through my airbrush (paache millenium) because id like to stay away from aerosol propellants. if anyone can recommend a good clear to use, please let me know. im in despirate needs because i need to start paiting soon.

Thank you for all your help.

-ndamaren

[ihocky2]

Catalyzed urethanes are easy to find, and every one I know of is water white (non-yellowing). House Of Kolor is very well known, but pricey. Kustom Kolors is cheaper and only a 2 part mix instead of 3 part. PPG has several lines of product, I've used the PPG ShopLine which was decent stuff and is pretty much the same thing as Kustom Kolors. Dupont has catalyzed poly as well as Imron. The trick is finding a local autobody supply shop or hobby shop that specializes in airbrush work. If not you are going to have to order online.

The hard part is going to be applying a proper finish to a guitar with an airbrush. Most catalyzed urethanes are not recomended to be thinned to the extent that an airbrush needs. Which means your atomization will be poor and you'll get a lot of orange peal. The second problem is that your coats are going to be very thin and for decent protection you'll end up having to spray a lot.

Airbrushes are good for graphics work and sunbursts but when it comes to a nice finish, they fall short.

Also, read up in some of the threads on here about the hazards of catalyzed finishes. They contain isocyantes which are not blocked by any respirator, even the charcoal filters, they are also absorbed through the skin.

[ndamaren]

Hey there, thank you for the reply, it is appreciated.

have you heard anything on these products? SprayMax 2 Part Urethane Clear Coat? its in a can. ive seen some videos and looks promising. just wondering if you've heard anything about them.

thanks again.

-ndamaren

[ihocky2]

I've never heard of them, so I can't help with that. Alsa Corp sells 2K uro's in rattle cans as well, and I've heard it is pretty decent stuff, but it is pricey.

[six_stringer]

I've used Spray Max 2k clear on three guitar's and it worked fine. Also, at half the price of the Alsa 2k it's a deal in my opinion.

One of the guitar's I cleared with Spray Max 2k is the Metallic Gold (AutoAir Colors) Charvel strat style body in my pic to the left.

Edited June 22, 2010 by six_stringer

[ndamaren]

do you happen to know how many coats/cans of the spray max to get a nice thick clear? i want a nice candy look.

Thanks..

-ndamaren

[six_stringer]

do you happen to know how many coats/cans of the spray max to get a nice thick clear? i want a nice candy look.

Thanks..

-ndamaren

It's been almost a year since I sprayed those guitar's and unfortunately I didn't write down everything I did while finishing. However, I seem to recall spraying two to three heavy coats from one can and waiting almost two hours between spraying the coats. I might have used four cans for two guitar's and various test scraps. Sorry I can't give you more detail.

Good Luck.