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29-09-2012, 12:18 AM
Hi, guys!

If you've followed the video instructions on how to paint your Pitbull guitar, you'll have an axe ready to go and impress people!

We all want to put it together ASAP, string it up, and get out there and play it. You might

be happy with the finish as it comes out of the can;

want to "distress" it, or slap a couple of decals the body, so a mirror finish is pretty unimportant;

put it together to play, with the idea of pulling it apart later and polishing it up; or

have incredible patience and be willing to hang it up until the paint is fully cured. I don't know what they do now, but Gibson used to hang up its acrylic painted guitars for 3 - 6 months.

The big question for the people in the last two situations- who want to cut back their Pitbull guitar's finish- is when is the paint ready? The answer is-


Smell it.


The more it smells like paint, the less ready it is. The paint you sprayed on isn't just paint. It's paint in solvent, and paint really does dry- the solvents are evaporating. When you smell your guitar, it's the solvents you are smelling.

The more solvents, the softer the finish at that time. And the softer the finish, the more damage can be caused by sandpaper etc. You will find the paint is ripped up and clogs the paper and rips the paint again. If that starts to happen, stop. Stop straight away. You are doing it no good.

And please use good quality sandpaper. The stuff found at Bunnings or Supercheap is not that good, sheds it's abrasive and clogs like you wouldn't believe. You're doing yourself no favours.

There are many more questions about paint, and I'll try to answer some of them shortly. But the answer to just about every question about building a Pitbull guitar- Have patience, and don't rush it.



(The Telecowster, one of my guitars, took almost FOUR YEARS from when I purchased the first part to its first gig. I knew what I wanted, and how much I wanted to pay. The painted body hung up for 3 months before I was ready to polish the finish- and there was NO paint smell.)

adam
29-09-2012, 07:57 AM
Good stuff Dmac, you can't stress enough that patience is the key to a quality "shop" finish.

I know what it's like though, as soon as the kit arrives you want to assemble it and play it. So, painting and waiting for proper curing seems like a bit of a drag.

Still, as you say, if you absolutely can't wait, assemble the guitar without painting first, to hear it and feel it in action. Then, break it down and paint it properly.

I have a question Dmac. WHEN do you do the cutting?

Our "quick paint" technique requires 3 or 4 light layers of Auto Acrylic Colour, then up to 7 or 8 light coats of Auto Acrylic Lacquer.

Do we cut after the colour and the lacquer (ie, twice) or do we just cut after the lacquering (and allowing for proper curing)?

Also, you say the paper from Bunnings is no good, can you advise the brand and likely sources of the paper you would recommend?

Cheers,

dingobass
29-09-2012, 09:25 AM
Another great article! Thanks dMac. Lots of my questions were answered there.
In answer to Adams question regarding sand paper, I have been using 3M Gold fre-cut and 3M Stikit papers for quite a while now.
For radiusing my fret boards and leveling frets I use the Stikit self adhesive paper on my radius sanding beams.
For all other sanding jobs the Fre-cut is unsurpassed.
The great thing about these papers is they wont clog up and the grit stays on the paper, which means a small piece of paper is enough to sand down the entire Bass body!
The only down side is I have yet to find a supplier here in Perth, so I get mine from Stewmac in the U.S.
If anyone knows of a supplier here in Oz I would like to know.

Phil

It is all about the bottom end....

29-09-2012, 11:21 AM
Quote from adam on September 28, 2012, 16:57
Do we cut after the colour and the lacquer (ie, twice) or do we just cut after the lacquering (and allowing for proper curing)?


Adam, the easiest way of looking at it is that between coats you're scuffing the paint up and doing away with any runs etc to prepare it for the next coat. When the painting is finished, you're cutting the paint back.


Quote from adam on September 28, 2012, 16:57
Also, you say the paper from Bunnings is no good, can you advise the brand and likely sources of the paper you would recommend?


Like Dingobass, I use 3M. (One guy I was talking to there was Rob Jackson- he used to be the guitarist for Hush before Les Gock.) Give them a ring and they'll be able to point towards the local supplier- maybe a supplier in the panel beating indstry.

Remember- a better quality paper will last longer and work quicker, so it's a false economy to use paper from the $2 shop. Sometimes I go up to 8000 grit... More to be revealed later! :D :D

dingobass
09-11-2012, 01:41 PM
Found these very handy polishing dooverlackiethingamajigs...

Micromesh polishing pads, they range from 1500 through to 12000!

You can get a mirror shine on those hard to get at places on guitars with very little effort.

They are available from Stewmac but I have also found a supplier in Queensland that also has more sandpaper products than you can poke a sanding block at :D

www.TheSandpaperMan.com.au
Check them out! my new favourite store...

Gavin1393
10-11-2012, 02:04 AM
Great article DMac! Thanks for sharing.

Gavin1393
10-11-2012, 02:04 AM
Thanks for sharing this Aussie supplier. The strips I got from the american supplier were fiddly to be sure! The range here is just awesome! But I have work to do and can't play too long on the site so have added to my 'favourites' for a proper look tonight. Will be ordering soon so get your request in for commission soon Dingobass!