Twiz420 Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Hey guys and gals I'm new here not sure if I'm posting in the right section but I think I am lol. So I'm refinishing a guitar of mine and I'm planning on putting graphics on the body and doing a custom logo on the headstock, specifically I want my guitar to look like a Galaga game is being played on the body. I've already started to lay down the black paint for the background of the 'game' and I plan on finishing it all with lacquer since I have plenty of it and no other suitable clear coat. Since I can't find all the colors I need in jarred lacquer paint to do all the characters and the logo I was thinking of using water slide decals and I don't have much experience with these. I've read that the clear ones are best used with light backgrounds and will make the ink fade into the black and wont be to visible if at all. So I was wondering if I got the white background sheets would it have the same effect as the clear? Or should they remain visible over the black background? Sorry for the long post and thank you for any help or advice you can give it is much appreciated. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 (edited) I believe I recall people using clear decal paper to make black masks and mounting them over rough coloured shapes to provide sharp outlines and details. If you can't find the colours you need in paint, this doesn't help. Then again, printing colour decals can only achieve CMYK dithered colours plus lime green and other colours outside your printer's colour gamut will be impossible to even approximate. Edited November 15, 2011 by Prostheta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I believe I recall people using clear decal paper to make black masks and mounting them over rough coloured shapes to provide sharp outlines and details. If you can't find the colours you need in paint, this doesn't help. Then again, printing colour decals can only achieve CMYK dithered colours plus lime green and other colours outside your printer's colour gamut will be impossible to even approximate. The printer I plan on using will print out the colors I need since they are very basic colors. I'm having trouble finding those same colors in lacquer paint that I can brush on, and that would be the only way I can do the detail. The only lacquer colors in jars I've found are for model cars and most of them are various shades of blue and things like turn signal amber. I've found more colors in 3oz spray cans that are close but not all the ones I need and I cant do the small details with spray. I can find pretty much every color I need in enamel paint but that wont work with a lacquer top coat if I remember correctly. Would putting a clear with no print on it decal over the enamel protect it from the lacquer when I do the clear coat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I've no idea in that respect. It stands up to basic inspection I guess, however it is possible that the only way to find out is to test it on scrap. Spray paints are a superior choice if you can manage them on the basis that you can create far thinner coats than with brushing. How detailed are your decals? Have you considered getting some vinyl decals cut? They work great as spray paint templates and possibly for brushwork also. Know anybody with an airbrush or a preval? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 These are enlarged a bit to show their detail better, they don't have much detail but enough to make me want to either print decals or hand paint. I would be able to spray the base color of each character and possibly hand paint the rest. and here's the logo I plan on putting on the headstock this would be pretty hard for me to spray I'm kinda new to the area so I don't know anyone who does airbrush work or anything like that. I'm also on a tight budget for this project with the holidays coming up. I did come up with an idea that should allow me to print my own decals though. I have some white spray paint left from another project and I can make stencils of the characters the exact size they will be on the guitar then just spray a white background wherever I plan on putting them. then I just have to be uber careful when applying the decals so they cover up all the white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I love the theme. I'm a real 80s 8-bit spam. I would very much love an arcade-themed instrument however it would likely be something silly rather than one of the classics :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Ha ha thanks, I decided on Galaga because I just added a big red arcade button kill switch to my guitar and I remember Galaga having just the one red button. Plus it's still my favorite space shooter game. It suits the guitar too imo, I'm putting it on an 80's NJ series warlock. I'm gonna do some testing with decal paper, I'll be getting both clear back and white back. I'll try just white back over black paint and see if they're visible, painting a white silhouette and using clear back decal over that and hope I can line them all up properly, and enamel paint with unprinted clear decal over it and see if it protects it from the clear lacquer. Hopefully one will be successful. I'll be sure to post some photos of which ever works out for me and the whole thing when it's finished. Thanks for all your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Keep us informed of progress. It's always good to see how ideas travel from initial idea through to the realised instrument. Welcome to PG by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Thank you, and will do. I am hopefully ordering the decal paper sometime this week so my experimentation will probably start next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 The last time I worked with decals was doing a headstock logo in simple black from the laser printer. The clearcoat needed to be laid a little thicker since the decal itself showed its outline significantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Looks nice man, can't tell there's an edge in the picture. I put some thought into the raised surface of the decals (even though its not much) and bought an extra can of lacquer so hopefully when mine is done it will have a nice level surface. I just ordered 10 sheets of waterslide paper last night 5 white and 5 clear they should be hear on Monday. I did a test layout to make sure all the images are the proper size last night as well, I just printed on regular paper on draft setting. Here's one of the layouts and most likely the one I will be going with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 I presume you are going to sand the black coats flat first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Yes I will be using 600g wet then 1200g or 1500g wet paper on the black before adding decals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Great. :-D No Arkanoid control wheels now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz420 Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Lol no control wheels I'm running out of room for electronics on this thing. I do want to build an arcade themed guitar from the ground up with a joystick mounted on it as well as game buttons. Just not sure what I will make it do possibly pitch bending, wah or some sort of phase control. Granted that project will most likely be a synth guitar project with a GK pickup or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 No bitcrusher onboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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