Painting a neck with flat black spray paint and clear coat acrylic (satin)

[Ryan.bertie]

Hi guys just wondering if I painted the neck of my kit with flat black and a satin clear coat of acrylic the neck would still be playable? Any ideas on if it will work or alternatives? Thanks guys

[stan]

It would be fine, how ever use thin coats, give them at least a day between coats, this is because acrylic can take forever to cure.
It dries a bit like a meringue - it feels hard on the outside but it uncured in the middle.

Someone will chime in with other alternatives

[Simon Barden]

I already know your flat black is acrylic, so you'll need to use either an acrylic or a nitro clear coat. Satin is a common neck finish these days. As Stan says, take your time. It's always tempting to go over 'just one more time' with a spray (I'm guilty of this), but you will benefit from patience. And you do need to wait a few weeks after spraying to let if cure hard enough to play - the same as if you were going to polish it - otherwise you run the risk of putting marks in the finish.

So don't let the neck (or body) rest against anything during this time - hang it up by the tuners or an eyelet screwed into a strap button hole, as the finish may feel dry but in fact it is still slightly soft underneath, so any surface it is touching is likely to leave it's mark in the finish.

You could actually use a gloss finish and then use something like 400 grit paper or 0000 wire wool to roughen it up and give it a satin look. You'll probably find that the satin finish will start turning glossy over time as your hand polishes it, so just use the sandpaper or wire wool on it to get the satin feel back.