Help needed!

[charlie]

I'm building a guitar for a school design project, and for various reasons i'm using a plywood / MDF laminate. You can laugh if you want, i would. I've made the body and got all the components, but I really don't know about finishing it. I am trying to acheive a gloss black finish. Will i be able to use a lacquer on MDF or will it aborsb anything I try to apply? Apparantly you can get certain sealers especially for MDF, so if anybody knows where I could buy some please tell me. Also, what lacquer should i be using?

Thanks, any help would be appreciated!

[westhemann]

for something like mdf i would think auto body filler(bondo) would be your only choice.

[decalshopmike]

MDF will suck any finish into it you try to apply if you just put it straight on, as said above, you'll need to cover the whole body in something like P38 auto filler and then sand that smooth and use it as a base for your primer and paint.

Its a shame you didnt ask on here first really, as by the time you've paid for the filler and all the primer you'll need, it would've worked out cheaper to get a block of decent wood to use for the body in the first place !

You'll also find that with MDF for the body the guitar is going to sound really thin and have a crap muffled tone.

Saying that, the project will be a good way to learn the construction techniques needed, and you can then use these on your next guitar and pick some good wood for it.