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jarrod
13-05-2014, 08:10 AM
Ok Guy's I can't help but notice there has been a few failures on the forum regarding paints and clear coat. Please follow these steps and I can almost Guaranty there will be no more failures.
1)one thin coat of clear on the wood to seal it and let that dry overnight
2)rough it up with a little 600 grade (dry)
3)spray a mist colour coat on but just enough to see you have a bit of colour on there al be it patchy
4)now walk away and leave it for 15 minutes
5)slightly heavier coat to full cover (one coat only)
6)walk away for twenty minutes so the solvents in the paint can vent away
7)Your next base coat and a repeat of the last step
This should really be enough if you intend to clear coat the colour. It is simply a base coat and by no means needs to be thick.
8)Now leave it over night
9)Your first coat of clear should be a mist coat and leave for 15 minutes, always put this mist coat on to give your real coats something to bond too.
10)Your first real coat needs to be even and not too heavy.
11) Again leave it for twenty minutes to let the solvents escape from the paint.
12) repeat steps until you feel you have enough or you need a lot to fill the grain so don't put anymore then 3 coats on and let it dry over night then rough it up in the morning and carry on.If you do not have IR force cure then you now need to be leaving it alone for at least two weeks. Do not put a fresh paint in direct sunlight , it needs heat to cure and time not U.V and U.V will do your paint no favors whilst it's curing. Do not cut and polish your paint until it is fully cured.

(paint cracks) This is not normally caused by humidity or heat , but is generally caused by only two things and that is a chemical reaction or paint coats put on far too thick.

(paint coming off with masking tape) This caused by either the surface under the paint was not scuffed to except paint or your mist coat was too thick and you have not left it long enough in between coats for the solvents to escape and your next coat sealed them in. Alas meaning your paint was not cured enough.

(finish going dimply after cut and polish) If after a couple of weeks your clear is showing signs of orange peel it means your paint had not cured before you polished it up. Cure is to leave it a good month and re cut and polish it.

Above all guy's patients is the key thing , It is worth not rushing things to end up with either a crap look or a failed paint job. ;)

wokkaboy
13-05-2014, 09:32 AM
thanks for taking the time to explain Jarrod, I'll keep these tips in mind next spray clear I apply

dingobass
13-05-2014, 09:41 AM
Excellent stuff, Jarrod :)

Every type of finish needs time to fully cure! Finishing your Guitar is the most important part of the build and it is a worthwhile investment of time to let the finish fully cure before final assembly.

Typically, it takes me about a month before I get to the top coats.. and then another month before I do the final assembly.
I dont see any difference between my high end scratch builds and a kit build when it comes to finishing.

A bad finish can make an expensive custom built guitar look like crap. A great finish can make an inexpensive kit guitar look a million bucks!

bargeloobs
13-05-2014, 11:58 AM
Above all guy's patients is the key thing , It is worth not rushing things to end up with either a crap look or a failed paint job. ;)

Patience, that's it bro. Something I need to exercise in much higher doses.
I knew straight away when the tape had pulled the finish off it wasn't cured. Sure as eggs the lacquer was like tar when I went to strip it back. Pretty unacceptable really coz it's basic stuff and I should know better.
I've been sorely neglecting my songwriting since I this started build, it's gonna be a good chance to get that back on track whilst things dry out (properly).
Cheers for all the info!

gavinturner
14-05-2014, 05:45 AM
Thanks Jarrod for this excellent rundown. There's at least 3 mistakes in this list that I made on my current solid colour build. Now that it's all sanded back to bare wood I can do it the *right* way.

Much appreciated dude!

cheers,
Gav.

jarrod
14-05-2014, 07:01 AM
Only happy to help guy's . The more perfectly finished guitars out there, the better the world will be.

stan
14-05-2014, 09:54 PM
awesome Jarrod, thanks!

Light coats and not too many, give them time in between...

And a light sand of acrylic top coat colour before clear goes on? (oops, naughty room for me...)is 1200 light enough?

jarrod
15-05-2014, 05:38 AM
I would go more 600 and light just to rough it up a bit but not break through.