JellyBaby

Yes thanks everyone for all your help and advice! I definitely have the right respirator, it's for moderate levels (5000 ppm or something) of organic compounds. Only cost me £12 from ebay It's reusable but only for so long. I'll definitely get some pics up when I'm done (unless it turns out total crap haha) with some lessons learnt (of which there are many already ) and how well the lacquering went, but it'll be a good few weeks before I have anything to show. Stay Tuned! Thanks Again, Nick

Um wouldn't it be better to use a coping saw and then do the edges using a small fine flat file and some wet and dry? I'm new at all this so this is just my opinion on how I would try doing it.

I quite like those spots ... they add a bit of irregularity and imo enhance the natural look. I didn't even see them initially, they just looked like they were meant to be there.

Yep, I've ordered a 3M 4255 respirator and a box of Nitrile gloves. Do I need proper coveralls or can I just get away with cotton ones? and what is the right eye protection? I have some impact glasses but obviously they won't protect against the gases.

It's actually 2k in a rattle can

Ah right I see. I have no idea how much a "quart" is, but assuming it's around 1 litre for $40 (about £25) doesn't seem too bad to me ... assuming I'd be able to do more than one body with that? This 2k stuff I've bought I have no idea whether it is poly or acrylic, I assume it's acrylic as it's aimed at the car industry and that all seems to be acrylic. We shall see. I've just learned that the isocryanite (??) in the hardner (? the one of the 2 parts) is incredibly toxic and I am now paranoid about dying ... so I now need to find protective wear that's more suitable than what I have now (some old clothes, dust mask and some goggles)

Ah that's really good to know thanks I would have made exactly the same mistake trying to get rid of all of the shiny bits, but what you've said makes complete sense. Going to buy a tin of that 2k stuff now to test!

I guess some kind of satin clearcoat that has been wet and dried like crazy. I don't really know, but I think that's how I would try it. Going to be doing it on a neck i have.

wow that is looking sexy ... not sure minwax is available in the UK though? I shall have a google. What is meant by "levelling" when it comes to clear coating? Sounds like quite an important step in the clear coating process to get best results! :o

Do you mean this stuff: EBAY ?

What about acrylic lacquers, are they any good? I've been searching on lacquers for the last couple of hours and acrylic ones seem to be the easiest to get hold of. Nitro is pretty much impossible to get or far too expensive and I haven't found any poly yet ... having said that I have found a manufacturer called Morrells ( link ) which could be a winner ... they also have a branch in Bristol which is near me. Going to drop them an email see if I can get any prices.

Don't really know about the price but these people do nitro in the UK http://www.tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/L...duct-flyer.html they also do it in a non-aerosol from Nice thanks, unfortunately the website seems a little broken.

Thanks guys, some really useful info there. I do actually have 2 gravity fed spray guns, not used them much; when I first started out I used them to spray the createx paint and was a little horrified by just how much paint they got through for not very good coverage, so I switched to a cheap airbrush which has produced a nice consistent colour finish (from my experience, of which I've had very little!) using considerably less paint. So I could go for these 2k urethane things but I know absoloutely nothing about them and cleaning the gun afterwards will be a nightmare (I'm quite lazy when it comes to boring things like that ) That Aeromax 2k stuff looked interesting, but a little on the expensive side I think (I guess you can't have it all) .. I don't know if the 2k urethane for sprayguns is any cheaper?? That Nitrocellulose stuff from reranch looks like the biz, it's in the sort of price range I'd be willing to pay for my first refinish attempt. I'm guessing I'd probably need about 4 cans of the stuff, only problem is it's in the US and I'm in the UK so I'll have to have a little look around for some equivalent Nitrocellulose stuff The Minwax is nicely priced and is a poly ... might also be worth a look. Maybe what I should do is shop around by a few cans of different types and brands within the price range and see which one I like the most.

Hello, I'm currently refinishing a guitar as a sort of experimental project to find out what I'm capable of, to make mistakes on and to learn from before I start attacking 2 other guitars of mine. I'm using Createx auto air paints with an airbrush (a cheapo airbrush, but it seems to work well!). I'm nearing the end of applying the colour, just have a stencil to paint and black burst around the edge, and am beginning to think about the best way to do the final clearcoats. What I would like to achieve is a nice hard high gloss finish similar to what you see on good quality guitars. I'd rather use a rattlecan for this as I think non-waterbased liquids will be a pain in the arse to clean out of the airbrush. Does anyone have any recommendations for rattlecan clearcoat that will be compatible with createx paint and not *too* nasty to use? Thanks, Nick I've just realised this is probably in the wrong forum...doh!

awesome thank you very much I think I just need that rustins natural grain filler as I'll be painting over the top with translucent paint.