Advice For A Newbie

[arachni42]

So, my friend is building a guitar, and I'm going to be painting/finishing the body for him. He is getting the body from Warmoth. I have experience as an artist painting with acrylic paints, and intend to paint a particular design on the guitar on a white background. I'm comfortable with that part, but I am inexperienced in finishing, and am trying to figure out what to do both before and after the art. I've been doing as much research as I can, but some personal feedback would be helpful, too.

First of all, will I need to sand the unfinished Warmoth body before doing anything? They look pretty smooth in the pictures, but what do I know Do I need to worry about raising the grain?

Next, ... well, I'm not sure about what to use next for a sealer/primer/etc. I will need a white background to work with, one that is smooth and that the (water-based) artist paints will stick to. I assume it should be water based? I do not have airbrush equipment; would a spray can primer of some sort work? Or would it be better to get stuff I brush on? I'm hesitant to invest in airbrush equipment since I don't have any planned uses for it outside of this project, but I'll consider it if I'm not likely to get a good result from other methods.

After painting... I know the two typical choices are either nitro lacquer or polyurethane. I understand that layers of lacquer dissolve into each other which makes it easier to fix mistakes, but also that the fumes are toxic/explosive, that it's hard to work with, and that it yellows in time. (This would be undesirable on a white background.) I also wonder if the solvent would be likely to mess up the acrylic paints? Polyurethane I've heard is easier to use, but needs more sanding in between coats, and tends to be less preferred aesthetically. I know it will work on top of acrylics because I used it (at least, the Minwax spraycan stuff) after painting a friend's computer case.... but we were not going for a shiny buff finish, just a couple layers to keep the paint from rubbing off. This project is different.

My biggest question is, given my inexperience, what am I likely to have more success with? I also am limited with ventilation options. (I've got an organic vapor mask and a garage -- I'm willing to get things like fans if needed, but I'm hoping to avoid a complicated setup. Also, I suspect that outside temperatures will be in the 50s at the time I do the finishing.) Should I brush on or use a spray can? (I would assume brushing would be less likely to spread vapors.) (Or, is airbrush necessary to make this successful?)

Anyway, hopefully you can give some feedback. Thanks!

-Jennifer

[RobSm]

So, my friend is building a guitar, and I'm going to be painting/finishing the body for him. He is getting the body from Warmoth. I have experience as an artist painting with acrylic paints, and intend to paint a particular design on the guitar on a white background. I'm comfortable with that part, but I am inexperienced in finishing, and am trying to figure out what to do both before and after the art. I've been doing as much research as I can, but some personal feedback would be helpful, too.

First of all, will I need to sand the unfinished Warmoth body before doing anything? They look pretty smooth in the pictures, but what do I know Do I need to worry about raising the grain?

I think you'd need to look for small dings & steam them out, and probably would need to sand. People will disagree about how fine to sand but 400 should get you in the ball park.

Raising then grain becomes relevant if you're going to use water on the surface - as in water based dyes or the like - probably your water based paints too.

For sealing priming filling depending on the wood I would keep it simple & use shellac because it is a lacquer, is WIDELY compatible with lots of types of finishing products - you will need to check - and it can be applied by hand ( rag, brush) or sprayed.

If you brush or wipe you won't have ventilation problems.

For the final coat I would use this:

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....ut+Hard+Shellac

for the reasons given above.

Yes it's lo tech - but it will give you a great result anyway.

Post a pic at the end!

Rob.

[dalandser]

So far it all sounds good. Good questions and good advice. Those warmoth bodies are expensive and nice so I wouldn't imagine that there will be any imperfections that will need sanding when it's received. They use nice woods as well and I'd be interested in doing some kind of natural finish with the artwork that you describe if this was my project because of this. If full primer / paint is going to be used then spray can primer will be fine and rub it down smooth and thin with 0000 steel wool (finest grade). This is better than sand paper because it conforms to body contours and allow a nice even primer coat on edges. As long as you don't go too heavy on any coat of primer, paint or clear, then I would stick with the steel wool between coats or at least after using a block palm sander on the flat surfaces with 400 as recommended by fanlee.

As for the temperature, if that's 50 C then I'm sorry, that's hot, but good for drying - out of the sun of course. 50 F is cold and you should think about moving the piece into a warmer place for drying otherwise you'll run the risk of waiting a long time for the finish to cure and runs / sags developing.

I would be interested in seeing a completed picture as well.

Thank You,

Anthony

[arachni42]

Thanks for the replies so far. Shellac and steel wool are things I will think about! I don't mind low-tech, as long as I have something I can be proud of in the end... I can definitely post a picture, although it will be a few weeks before the body arrives. I also ordered the Guitar Finishing Step-by-Step book mentioned in another thread on this forum.

Temperature is F... I wasn't aware anyplace on earth got into the 50's C, but a Google search just now told me there are a few. However, I live in upstate New York. The garage may be a little warmer than full outdoor temperatures because of heat from the house, though if warmer is better and fumes not too terrible then I could probably set something up with windows and fans indoors.

Jennifer

[dalandser]

I noticed that there were a few people from Australia on this forum so I didn't know if it could get that hot there - but now that I think about it, it's winter right now down there. My girlfriend is from Victorville, CA - it gets that hot there - no thanks. Here's some 'mild' weather coming up:

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USCA1197

Anyway, I used to work with HPLV sprayers doing custom cabinets and other stuff and I think that just as good results can be had by taking your time with the stuff people mention on here.

Thank You,

Anthony