ibanez5150

Sorry I wasn't specific. I know about the recoat window between clearcoats, but I didn't realize that you had to apply the first clearcoat within 24 hours of painting the guitar. I keep reading about people who paint the guitar, then mail the body to someone else to do the clearcoat. If this is the case, unless you ship the guitar body overnight, it probably wouldn't arrive and be painted within 24 hours. Is there some other kind of paint/clear coat combination that people are using that allows for a clearcoat to be sprayed beyond 24 hours of painting?

I didn’t realize it, but “rooster”, you appear to be correct about the 24 hour window for spraying a clear coat. I reread the product information for the PPG paint, and it says this: “Allow the Global BC Colour to flash off for 15 minutes (but no longer than 24 hours) before applying D894 Clear.” So, unless what “syxxstring” suggested (with the HOK intercoat clear (sg100) and scuffing) works, I’ll have to either sand it and repaint or find another way. What surprises me here is that out of all the posts I’ve read, I haven’t seen any mention of the clearcoat “window” until now. This “window” appears to be very important, though, so I’m kind of surprised that I haven’t come across it until now. Out of curiosity, what might happen if the guitar body is clearcoated beyond the 24-hour window? Since I’m not planning on any future guitar projects at the moment, I think I’m going to contact some custom guitar shops (Wilkins, Kal Koncepts, etc.) and see what they can quote me to do the clearcoat. That way I can get it done right the first time, and I will also have the benefit of discussing the paint/clearcoat compatibility with someone who paints guitars for a living. Speaking of custom guitar shops, are there any others that anyone has personally had good luck with?

Thanks for all of the replies. I forgot to mention that when I swirled the guitar, I also swirled a few test boards for later testing. Based on what I read in the replies, it appears that I should look for a shop that does custom painting on motorcycles, cars and other items. It makes sense that they would hopefully have higher standards for the finished result. I will have to do some research to find a place that can do this, as I’m sure they exist locally, I just need to find them. I’m a bit cautious about sending the guitar body to someone in the mail, but only because I prefer doing business face-to-face whenever possible. If I found a trustworthy painting expert who could do the clearcoat work, I would still consider it. Along these lines, fookgub, you mentioned sending it to Wilkins. Is this the same Wilkins from this site: http://www.wilkinsguitars.com? Have you (or anyone you know) had any experience with them? Thanks, and I welcome all additional replies to my posts.

I have an Ibanez RG guitar body that I just finished painting. I stripped it, and followed all of the suggested guidelines for sanding, sealing and priming (using B.I.N.S.). Once it was ready to paint, I chose to swirl it. After reading all of the posts and debates that I could find regarding paint types, I decided to use polyurethane, and chose PPG Global paints. I am happy with the results, and I’m ready to apply a clearcoat. After reading all of the posts about how to get a quality clearcoat, I don’t feel confident in my abilities to spray it myself. In addition, I don’t own any of the spraying equipment required to do this adequately. I have seen a few people on this board mention getting a clearcoat done at an auto body shop. I’m considering this option, but I have a few questions that I need answered before I contact a body shop. I chose to use PPG Global polyurethane paint because I have read several posts that recommend using PPG’s Global Refinish Polyurethane Clearcoat (specifically D894 High Solids Clear), and wanted to keep the paint and clearcoat types the same (polyurethane). Does anyone see a problem with this logic? To locate a body shop to do the clearcoat, I used PPG’s locator option and found a local shop with PPG CertifiedFirst certification. They only do cars (as opposed to helmets, motorcycles, etc.). Does this type of certification qualify someone to be able to spray a range of objects, or should I find a shop that specifically handles a broader range of objects (and not just automobiles)? Other than the type of clearcoat that I want to use, I don’t know other guidelines to tell the spraying technician when spraying the guitar. Does anyone have any good experience with this that I can use when talking with the technician who will be doing the clearcoat? Some examples would be spray thickness, number of coats, etc. I don’t know much at all about curing the clearcoat. I assume that they use a baking process of some sort, but I have also read that some places may use ultraviolet curing. Does anyone have any guidelines for what works best, and what I might have available to me at a body shop? Also, will baking the guitar body damage it? In general, if anyone has any experience (good or bad) with having a clearcoat done at an auto body shop, please reply. Not only do I not want to ruin the guitar by rushing into the clearcoat process, I want to be knowledgeable about the process prior to talking with a body shop. Sorry for typing so much, but I want to make sure that I provide enough info for anyone who chooses to reply. Thanks in advance for the much needed advice!