Spray back or sides first

[Hotrock]

I was priming my polished-turd-ocaster by hanging it on my washing line and spraying it with a rattle can. I was wondering if when I'm applying the paint is it best to sparay the sides and then the top and bottom to avoid runs or the other way round (or indeed does it matter)?

Just want to know for future reference, I don't need it for this guitar because I'm using good old Hammerite hammered finish to paint it with anyway. My mate built a resonater and painted it to look like metal and it looked . This sparked me off into looking for an alternative paint which made me think of Hammerite, it might look like a gate but I'm willing to try it

While I'm here, has anyone tried boat enamel to paint a guitar?

[butnut]

Not too critical either way, I'd shoot the sides and inner horns first and the T&B after. Spraying the sides after you get a nice coat on the T&B 'could' have overspray issues on the flats.

[Maiden69]

I have a jig set up to paint the whole guitar in order, I start with one side turning to the back the other side and finaly the fron and both horns... I find this the better set up, that way you can keep the paint gun or can upright all the time instead or turning it...

[erikbojerik]

I've never hung any of my bodies, I always lay them flat with bolts or screws to stand the bodies off the table (make sure you check the level with a level), and a scrap of wood in the neck pocket for a handle. Then I shoot at an angle, so that the top (or back) and sides get done at the same time. Shoot the top+sides, wait awhile, then flip and shoot the back+sides. Repeat as needed.

It doesn't make much difference in the color coats, but with the body flat, it lets you get a bit thicker clear coat in fewer shots. Most important, if you get a run then it is only on the side and not such a big deal to sand out.

[truerussian558]

i do what eric said, except instead of bolting it , i place a block of wood, in the trem cavity if im spraying the front, or stuff something in the pickup cavities for the back, and spray the sides, while your spraying the top or bottom,

hanging it isnt really advicable because if it starts to drip your screwed (and it will, if you even place 1 cc too much). and it gets nasty,

also if you overspray, do not try to wipe it with a towel, just let it be, usually it spreads out so the blob gets smaller, but when you wipe it turns super nasty (learned this the hard way, still regretting it), also dont try to fill in dents and such with the paint (even small dents that looked perfect on the primer show up on the paint), that causes opverspray.

[butnut]

I spray just like Eric said using finish nails as 'legs' like the original Fenders were painted on a work table. Handle is screwed into neck pocket. Some guys like to spray hanging the body...that's how I first did bodies. I like the finish nail way better...I saw a 'rotissorie' style paint jig that looked good, I may build one as you can rotate the body suspended within the jig.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/70925377/83995344bDWeYm

[Maiden69]

Guys if you are bathing your guitars in paint, why not just dip them in a bath of paint, pull them out and let 'em dry! I have never had a run since I started doing this method, and unless you have one of those neat hi-value gravity feed gun, I find it impractical to shoot paint in a horizontal plane, I will only do this with big metal flake paint, just so the flakes stand up more and this way get a better effect, but once it's clear time, it gets sideways, spray a mist, let it tack, then start your medium-heavy coats, wait to the coat to get tacky before applying the next one, I think thats why most people get drips, too much paint, not enough time between coats, I have had a lot of clear at once, It looks kinda hazy, but it doesn't run, and it dries crystal clear... that's my advise, if the way you do it works, great, but with little experience thta I have, I haven't spent more than 30 min colorsanding from 600-2000,

here my guitar is at a 45 degree angle, just to get a better pic, but when spraying it's flat with the ground, and the round tube is a shockabsorber from the tailgate of a Civic, that way I bolt it to the table, and turn the guitar as I paint, over lapping 50% in every stroke...

[Gorecki]

the round tube is a shockabsorber from the tailgate of a Civic, that way I bolt it to the table, and turn the guitar as I paint, over lapping 50% in every stroke...

BRILLIANT!

So, you took the shock off a hatch back and then made it into a jig? I see you made a neck pocket fitting to attach to it and also keeps the pocket from getting painted without having to mask I presume. You have a pic of this jig?

I've seen at wayne guitars where they have a pole that hooks into a swivel base so they can rotate the guitar while they paint then take it off and hang it to dry. I wish I could figure out how to do that.

[Maiden69]

That's what I do. Here area few pics, the Idea of the piece of wood (particle board was so that I wouldn't had to mask, but it got damaged after wet sanding , so I made this one with a piece of galvanized steel tube. When I get the new body? I will be making a mold of the neck pocket out of fiberglass with the jig on that way I won't have to mask, and a small strip of tape rolled between the two will be enough.

Here is the way I set up the jig to colorsand, you can see the slot were the jig connects to the table.

this way I use it to paint so that it's away from the table

Here you can see all it takes to rotate the jig, Since there is preassure on the gas tube it will hold whatever position I place it into.

Here you can see where I hang the guitar to dry over night. No need to take it off or reposition in a wire or anything else...