chunkielad

Sorry mate - i didn't click that you were doing a replica paint job too - I'm a bugger for not reading properly. I'm not surprised that Gibson did shoddy fades as their finishing never impresses me. I just set my mates LP Studio Jem up and it's a shocking finish on that.

Done some testing on scrap top pieces tonight. I've sanding sealed and then Briwaxed the maple to see what it'll look like. To be honest, I'm not entirely happy with the result and I think some sort of dye will be needed. http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m37/chu...ld/DSC00481.jpg I'm not sure that the quilt is standing out enough.

Yes mate they are the same tins. The site I showed is the international one which has a list of suppliers so you can check for the one local. Your lin is your local one. I have never had a problem once with my local guy. He's very knowledgable and always chucks a bit of sandpaper or a mask in for free.

It seems like the edges of the bursts are a little too harsh to my eye but then again, who said they have to be anything else . It is a striking guitar though and I like it a lot. Good work!

Same peeps innit? They are great I have found!

Some people don't like the idea of a finished neck (as in paint or laquer) as they feel it 'slows the neck down' a bit playability wise. Personally, I don't have a problem with it but I ain't no God of a player! You finish exactly the same way as the body but you could go over the final surface with 0000 wirewool to make it matt instead.

Createx auto-air is sold in the UK by a guy I loosely called Pete Millichamp. Their website is createx. It's pretty much compatible with anything you can throw at it once dry as it's an acrylic based paint. I have personally thrown 2K and celly on it and no probs at all. I strongly suggest calling Pete himself and tell him Craig from Signchatter sent you. He's a very helpful guy and extremely knowledgable about the product. EDIT: We posted at the same time. I know Beej Curtis uses these for airbrushing and swears by them. He is an absolute GOD at airbrushing too. Check out the site.

Next update: Work has commenced on the body. http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m37/chu...0Build/Back.jpg Sadly, as I starte routing though the timber I found bit of a crack in the mahogany. It's not a structural issue so I've filled it with Glue and sawdust.I'm not too bothered by it as it's relatively small and I like the 'naturalness' (ye sit's word!) of it. http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m37/chu...Build/Crack.jpg There's plenty more sanding to do on the edges http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m37/chu...ild/Neck3_4.jpg http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m37/chu...ild/Tailend.jpg You'll notice there's a stain in the ash which has appeared during sanding. It goes right the way through and at first i didn't like it one bit. I keep looking at it and looking at it and looking at it. I thought of scrapping the body and then decided that we're back on the natural thing again. So I had a go at snding sealering the back to get an idea of what it's going to look like. I like it so i'm going to stick with it. I've routed the bridge pickup (no neck pickup going on this so I can put a 24 fret fret board on). All ready for the maple cap now....

I'm liking the quality of work on this one Dayvo. It's a really nice guitar and the Lacewood is spectacular. I think I'd like to see this one more natural looking - maybe a hint of amber to bring out that lacewood but nothing too much. Although saying that, a really nice green would suit the hardware - IMHO blue suits silver Hardware more than gold. Either way it's your guitar so it's your choice. I'm intrigued to see which way you go.

I like that - I gotta say I haven't been sure about the finish on this all the way through but it's got me at the end. Very nice. Couple of flaws like you say but hey, who's perfect? It'll only get dinged whilst it's being played anyway!

Check out autopaint. They do car paints as rattle cans and as liquid for use in spray guns. They have cellulose and non IsoCyanate 2K.

+1 on that - i have an airfed visor which works on the principle of a high pressure inside the mask which means no fumes can get in the sides. This is the very least you should use.

Drak, as a fan of your work (your work is what made me decide this next project is a tele!) I totally get where you are coming from. If we don't strive for better we will never get there or anywhere close. That doesn't mean things have to be hard though does it? I use the gun I have because I get on with it and it makes my life easy. I get decent results that with time will be great.With the cheaper gun I get bad results that with more time will be good. I just want to make the best guitar I can and if that means making things easier so I spend less time practising and more time doing then i'm all for that.

I'm loving the double cut one. I'm afraid the single cut isn't my thing but hey, who am I? Looking forward to seeing this one done.

Drak, you misunderstood me I think mate. The crappy gun problems are user error defo, i don't dispute that but my HVLP gravity fed was MUCH easier to learn. For the little extra it cost it made my life easier and I had to practise a lot less. I am lazy and impatient so it was the best buy ever. I want to spray a guitar not mess with practising. I use my gun a lot on motorcycles and the odd car panel so it's important I'm spraying not learning. I still agree that no one should spend silly money though. If there's a local automotive repair suppliers near by, they usually have what I need and I get it at a decent price. 2Pack is literally a 2 part acrylic enamel which is used in automotive repair over here and replaced Celly totally quite a few years back. It's basially a resin and activator which chemically harden rather than relying on evaporation. The main problem is, it's poisonous and nasty for the environment so most of us are moving over to the new water based versions. 2pack (or 2K as it's otherwise known) is a bitch to use well and you need an air fed mask or your lungs will just stop working one day - it really is that bd and has cyanide as it's main component! Here's a good link with some basic info. http://www.austinsevenfriends.com/paint.htm The benefits are great though. It's as hard as nails when it's cured. The curing time is easily cut down to 40 mins in a commercial spray both over but decent infra reds will get it down to a coule of hours or a week if not heat used. It NEVER yellows and each coat goes on quite thick so there's only about 4-5 coats on the guitar - less spraying and less time to using the beast! If you don't clean your gun well, you might as well chuch it in the bin. The secret I think is a good balance between quality and price. A decent gun will be easy to set up and you will get a decent finish quickly but an eaxpensive gun will be a waste of money if you spray a couple of guitars a year and nothing else.

I agree to an extent Drak but I found my gun to be a big help in getting me to the standard I needed to be at. It's easy to set up, easy to get going with and easy to get a decent finish out of. Oh and by the way it wasn't THAT expensive - it cost me £35 (isn't that about $60-$70?). If you clean it, it'll outlive you. You are right that it would be pointless to get a £100 gun - there's no need. Just the fact that mine is a gravity fed HVLP made things much easier. I go back to my crappy suction gun every now and then to see how much better I'm getting and every time I have problems getting the air right without causing the paint to come out too dry yet still lift it from the cup. I get there it's just a pain. I use a 1.2 nozzle by the way and I only normally spray 2pack which is a pain in the ass and I know you guys have problems getting it over there but the principles are the same what ever you spray.

Bog standard stain mate - I used Rustins for mine. The secret is to do the staining watered down (I used 75% stain 25% thinner but it ended up quite dark so a 50% 50% may be better) that way if you want to darken it you can but you don't go too dark as easy. Then, when happy with it, just clearover with Nitro, 2 pack, poly - whatever! Mine looks like a trans black laquer but as I say, a bit darker than i planned.

One with Gibson info for those interested.... http://www.provide.net/%7ecfh/gibsonc.html

Check out this link - interesting paint info and tells you exactly what the holes are for. http://www.provide.net/%7ecfh/fenderc.html

I did a trans black with black stain, sanded back and then a thin black stain over and clear over that. I didn't thin the second coat down enough but next time it'll be immaculate.

Man this has gone off on a tangent! Can't say I've eaten the Createx but I know I used to use acrylics on leather jackets years ago when I painted them for my mates. I still have one I did for myself and it's not cracked in 13 years! Acrylics are flexible, water based (not as bad health wise when using them) and totally inert when other finishes are put over them (such as the clear you will lay over them). They are very flexible so they'll 'move' with any eapansion the guiitar experiences. The createx (also water based) are really designed for airbrushing but can be hand painted if you wish. personally, i'd go to the pound shop and buy some cheap acrylics as they're gonna be covered in clear anyway!

I'd always work ith a HVLP, Gravity fed gun. The best quality you can afford and get a water trap too.

The sanding sealer goes under the vinyl pretty much the same as a waterslide not over it.. You will need to build up more clear over the guitar but there's no problem there. I've done it and as long as you do 2 or 3 dust coats first there's not even a problem with shrinkage. You can also get print onto clear so the timber shows through like the pic. I'd personally stencil or free hand paint it with Createx paint but not everyone is artistic enough to do that - make your own decision on whether you are or not.

Prostheta, I got the joke mate - i even made one back! I am a northerner too though! frenchiw v2, sorry for the minor hijack... one other option you have is to get a signmaker with a printer to print onto vinyl, the image you want (you could make it up in Photoshop etc) then apply this to a sanding sealed body. Clear over it and Bobs your aunt fanny! Wouldn't mind seeing this one when it's FINNISHED!

The price is what you think it's worth mate. I sell my services (as a signmaker) out at parts plus a profit and then an hourly rate. If you follow this principle, you will earn what YOU want for the job. If they don't want to pay it, they can go elsewhere.