alan hipson Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Hi I have just managed to get hold of some preval sprayers in the uk and would like some advice if anyone has used them. I am thinking of doing a translucent burst onto swamp ash, 1. Is this achivable using preval sprays ? 2. What is the best type of dye to use in cellulose lacquer ? 3. Anyone any tips or know of any tutorials that use prevals ? 4. What sort of coverage / number of coats do you get from each can ? Any help would be appriciated Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 I had once thought about those before I read this message board long ago. Maybe LGM will go into greater detail for you if he's reading. But basically they claim they don't work as good as a regular spray can of paint. So, I'd avoid that if at all possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan hipson Posted February 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Hi The problem I have is reranch will not ship to the UK, I dont have access to a spray gun/compressor and cant source coloured lacquer ie green, blue, amber, red, brown here in the uk. I want to do a translucent burst, if anyone knows how to achive this with other products I would be glad of the advice. Or if anyone knows where I can get any reranch products in the UK please drop me an email or post a reply. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 I think you can mix Alcohol based aniline dyes with clear laquer. dont spray a guitar with those preval kits. a cheap air brush and small compressor would do a better job. Have you considered renting a spray rig from a tool rental place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 I know of some paint stores here that will mix up a custom can of spray paint. It's not as cheap as ready made but it can be worth the cost for small jobs. I'm not sure of the limits of what they can and will do but it would be worth checking into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 I just bought a cheap gravity feed spray gun here in the Netherlands for 25€. I'm getting all the dyes from LMII.com. I'm going to rent a compressor from a tool rental place. It costs 17€ for one week's rental. That might be a good solution for you. From what i've seen the guns seem to all work the same way. I know the cheaper ones have cheaper pieces and will break down sooner, but i'm only really going to be making one or two guitars, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan hipson Posted February 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 Hi I Just found some tips on using prevals to spray finnish guitars...I think I will try out on some scraps that I have kicking about will let you know...anyway here are the tips. Tips on using Prevals Thinning & Mixing Lacquer Untinned lacquer is to thick to be sprayed using your Prevals. You must thin out the lacquer with lacquer thinner. Do not use any other type of paint thinner unless you've already tested the lacquer and different thinner out in a plastic cup. If the mixture turns gummy, then toss out the thinner and stick to lacquer thinner as I mentioned. You should purchase a gallon of lacquer thinner. Pour out a small amount of lacquer thinner into a different container to make pouring and mixing lacquer practical. You will want to have plenty availble and it also makes a great lacquer cleaning solution. Once you've mixed your lacquer with your lacquer thinner, you must stir the mixture together. I prefer to put the lid back on the glass Preval jar and swirl the bottle around. Do not shake the glass jar, it will make the solution bubbly and cause the Preval to spit while spraying. Ratio for thinning lacquer Try mixing your lacquer and lacquer thinner between these two ratio's 50% : 50% and 33% lacquer : 66% lacquer thinner. Those are the most practical ratio's to use. 50% thinner is good ratio but the finish comes out thick and is harder for the Preval to spray. I prefer a 66% thinner ratio because it will give you a wetter finish. It's easier on the Preval and is easier to spray but tends to run more if your careless. Experiment with different lacquer to lacquer thinner ratio and find out what you like for yourself, it's all a personal perference. Why does my Preval spit? The most common problem is a clogged nozzle. Remove the nozzle and soak it in small cup of lacquer thinner. The Preval also may be clogged at the intake valve filter, tube or internally. Fill a small cup up with lacquer thinner and put the Preval intake valve into the lacquer thinner. Shake the tube around to clean out the small filter. Then spray the lacquer thinner from the cup for a couple of seconds to clean up the Preval tube and inside. The thinner will clean the Preval out within a matter of seconds. The nozzle may be damaged. Do not attempt to fix it by inserting a needle. Just toss the nozzle away and take a nozzle off another Preval refill. The clear intake tube may come loose. Unscrew the Preval from the jar and push the clear intake valve tube securely into the Preval. If you shake the bottle you may have air bubbles that will be getting sucked into the intake valve. Let the bottle sit and allow the air bubbles to float to the top of the bottle. Now mix the lacquer by swirling the bottle, not by shaking it. When you buy your first Preval, you have a choice of two Prevals. One comes with a glass jar and a Preval, the other is just a Preval (cheaper). The difference in price is minimal. I always buy the ones with jars to because they come with a plastic top, this way I can store my lacquer if I don't use it all up that day. You can not use the Preval tube as a mean of storing the lacquer, the Preval tank allows air to seep into the jar. Not only are the Preval jars good for storing, they make clean up so much faster. I fill up one jar with lacquer thinner as soon as I finish spraying my lacquer, I unscrew the lacquer jar and screw on the lacquer thinner jar. I spray the lacquer thinner for a few seconds and swirl the jar, to clean off any lacquer residue off the Preval tube and filter. Then I put Preval tank back on the lacquer jar and leave it there for a few hours until I'm ready to start spraying again. Before I start spraying again, I press the nozzle down for a few seconds to get all the lacquer thinner out of the preval tube and tank. Don't forget to do this or else you'll spray lacquer thinner on your guitar and have an almost instanteous run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted February 18, 2004 Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 I still would avoid it. I'd do what the others have suggested, because you'll come out with a much better finished product. Using a gravity feed spray gun and some good automotive polyurethane will really make your guitars look professional. But if you don't have access to that, or know someone who does, then I'd stick with regular aerosyl cans. From what I've heard they work better than the Preval does.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsl602000 Posted February 18, 2004 Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 but i'm only really going to be making one or two guitars vergeet het maar... translation for all you non-Dutchies: forget it!! When you get hooked, you wanna build more and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted February 18, 2004 Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 Eigenlijk, misschien heb je gelijk... Translation again, (although i'm not Dutch myself) "You're probably right" I'm only halfway through my first guitar but i'm already planning my next...3!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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