This is my first attempt at finishing a guitar. This guitar is a Ibanez Gio. I have stripped and sanded, the wood, used a wood filler, sprayed a sanding sealer, and sprayed primer on the guitar. I then used the swirl painting method, and it turned out alright. I used Humbrol enamel paint. http://imgur.com/M5enLVM
I then began spraying Minwax Polyurethane clear gloss on the guitar. My original plan was to spray about 4 coats, let it dry over night, wet sand with 600 grit then 1500 grit (these are the only two high-grit papers i have; i could get more if it is prudent), and repeat that process, followed by a rubbing compound. Yesterday, I put 4 coats of poly on the guitar, about 2 hrs apart as per the instructions on the can. Today, I noticed that the finish really was not that shiny yet, and i figured 3 more coats wouldn't hurt. So I applied them and helped the body dry with a fan. Tonight, I started with some wet sanding, using the 600 grit. Now, I have heard that it's possible to sand through layers of poly and create these "witness lines," as they're called. I wasn't too concerned about this, as I'm really not expecting a factory caliber finish.
When I did a little sanding, I thought the orange peel would be smoothed out revealing a dull sheen. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and it seems that paint itself was coming off. As seen in this image, the gray primer is poking through the green paint where I sanded. http://imgur.com/DSVpPO7
So I stopped, and I came here. If anyone has read through this, I would be very grateful for some advice from an experienced person. Here are some more photos:
Some parts, like this side, looked pretty good: http://imgur.com/TOJACjW
Some parts have a real "orange peel" look to them, such as the inside of the horns: http://imgur.com/6rcs8FY
This is very frustrating as I treated all parts the same in terms of sanding.
Also, the face of the guitar in general just doesn't look very even as far as glossiness, and I really don't know why: http://imgur.com/HZu7jNw
http://imgur.com/fRZuJES
Again, thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer. i want to get this guitar back in action by the end of August so I really don't want to be held up by the painting much longer.
