First builds: JK-1, MM-1Q

[wazkelly]

Good point Kick.

I would suggest matt black paint would be a good way to disguise things there as most likely black hardware kit. Even if chrome, matt black acts as a shadow tone contrast.

[Spychocyco]

My original plan was to paint the cavities with shielding paint. Everything that I've read on that says to do it last. I'm not sure, after further research, that I really need the shielding paint, but that's why the cavities aren't painted yet.

I'm about five coats of Tru-Oil in, and starting to get a little concerned that I'm not doing things right. The glue spots are still giving me trouble. They're not taking the oil well, just like they didn't take the stain well. I buffed down some rough spots between the fourth and fifth coat with some steel wool, but I feel like I should be seeing more build-up than I am. Should I be seeing, for lack of a better word, some sort of "shell" forming at this point?

[Dedman]

I'm with Waz on the cavities, matt black paint in the trem cavity. I you aren't using pick up rings , same there.

Don't expect to see much happening with the true oil until about coat 10 or 15.

[wazkelly]

I'm with Waz on the cavities, matt black paint in the trem cavity. I you aren't using pick up rings , same there.

Don't expect to see much happening with the true oil until about coat 10 or 15.

Dedman's advice is spot on.

Give the steel wool away as that stuff can break down into small particles that get trapped in subsequent finish coats.

1200 wet light wet sand after 8 - 10 coats then 1500 after 12 - 15 and stepping up to 2000 from there until really happy with things.

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[wazkelly]

Dedman's advice is spot on.

Give the steel wool away as that stuff can break down into small particles that get trapped in subsequent finish coats.

1200 wet light wet sand after 8 - 10 coats then 1500 after 12 - 15 and stepping up to 2000 from there until really happy with things.

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Shielding paint is best done last after fully polished and need to mask off to prevent getting some on anywhere it is not meant to go.

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[Spychocyco]

I had decided that I was going to paint the headstock on the JK-1 black instead of trying to do the color change paint, but I had a little left, and I decided since the body looks so bad, what the heck. Thing is, it turned out really nice. So that pushed me back to the body, to see if I could make it look a little better. I decided to try a wet sand on it, to see if I could get some of the ugly off. I figure I could hardly mess it up. After wet-sanding to 1000, I got really happy. The thing looked great ... when it was wet.



Then it dried, and it looked worse than I started with a white haze all over everything. I tried wiping down and scrubbing, but I couldn't get it off.



So a couple of questions. All indications are that clearcoat will bring out the best, so clearcoated does it look like the first picture or a muddy mess? Second question, is there any way that I can remove that haze and make this paint look like it does when it's wet?

[Sonic Mountain]

The haze is just from sanding back the paint and is completely normal. Its the light being scattered by all the fine scratches from the sanding. Once you seal over the top it should look fine. When its wet the water is filling in the scratches the same way the clear will.

Make sure you get it really clean before clear coating, I would wipe it down with a tack cloth to get all the dust off.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Spychoyco, how many colour coats have you applied ? The wet pic looks like there are machine marks you haven't sanded enough but that's ok. Looks like you have to apply a few more colour coats and build them up so when you wet sand you get a more even blue colour

[Spychocyco]

It's got about six or seven coats over three coats of primer. This whole finish has been a bit off an adventure. Probably too ambitious for a first build. I had an ok finish, then tried to fix a few rough spots and totally screwed it up. My second can of paint malfunctioned and covered it in gray powder that I also had to sand back.

Some of the marks you're seeing in the pic, I put on there after the finish was done. I stupidly laid it on my work bench while it was a little soft, and it got pushed around a little. There's one pretty rough scratch in the middle of the back. The front hasn't been scraped up like that, though there is one seam that I just couldn't smooth out. I just started the sanding process on the back since it was already messed up.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Spy, ok, don't worry I think everyone who has painted a kit in solid paint has had some kind of drama and resand !

There should be enough colour coats built up, so I suggest spraying a bit of clear below the neck plate and see how it looks. Is the clear paint the same brand as the colour paint ? compatibility of paints is a must.
I don't think this kit has a pickguard ?
At least if the clear doesn't work out it will be covered by the neck plate