Utterly Confused On Sealer Compatibility

I've spent half of my day prepping and laying down a coat of sanding sealer on a recently stripped back IB-7 kit that I'm doing all over again. I'm doing this mainly due to poor finishing technique first time around, so I'm trying to avoid making the same (or worse) mistakes again as it's fast becoming a very expensive kit.

After doing what I thought at the time to be adequate research, and based mostly on all the comments in this post - https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9063, I went out and grabbed a small tin of the Feast Watson sanding sealer and carefully applied a single coat to the entire body. Having not decided on colours for the finish, I haven't got anything there yet. However, turns out I may not have been thorough enough in my research as most comments and directions for this sealer implies (well, more specifically states in some cases) that the top coats are expected to be "CLEAR VARNISH, WEATHERPROOF VARNISH or STAIN & VARNISH."

My dilemma is that I'm wanting to go for a solid colour with gloss clear coats. In the past, I've usually gone for the Dulux Duramax due to the colours available, product availability and ease of use. Plus, I usually get a fairly decent result out of rattle cans... most of the time. But, after reading dozens of web sites, forum posts, data sheets, guides etc, I'm no closer to understanding if I can safely put a Duramax primer over the Feast Watson sealer (with or without the recommended proof tint that I haven't bought yet) and then put the Duramax colour/clear coats over that or not.

I'd love to hear from an expert or even someone with similar stories. I'm not committed to the Duramax, btw. In fact, I've been toying with the idea of getting one of those little spray guns (like this - https://www.bunnings.com.au/wagner-w...rayer_p0055604) and trying for a more professional looking finish and this could just be the situation that warrants it.

So, the way I see it at this stage, I'm left with the following options:-

1) Duramax is perfectly compatible and I do the proof tint, primer, colour, gloss coats as I'd initially intended.
2) Find a compatible solid colour finish and use that instead (rattle cans or spray gun option).
3) Sand what I've done right back to bare timber (again) and get a compatible sealer.

Any and all advice is appreciated. I'm a complete novice when it comes to paints. I've never really thought about compatible finishes in the past so I guess I've just got away with dumb luck most of the time - with the exception of the initial job on this particular kit of course.

If I'm looking for a different type of finish to go with the sealer I've got on, would love some examples because there's a whole world of paint data and specs that I know nothing about. If I'm stripping back this sealer to use something else, what would I be looking for? I've read about people using shellac amongst other options. Also, wouldn't sanding be sufficient to remove the existing sealer or should I also give it some sort of chemical treatment to be sure?

If it helps, the kit body is basswood and doesn't seem to need any grain filler as it looks and feels pretty smooth. Apologies for the wordiness, but as you can tell I'm quite clueless here and I just don't want to be doing this kit a third time.

It’s likely to be fine. However unless you know, always test first on scrap wood if you want peace of mind. Give it a couple of days after applying the sealer to starting applying any finish so that the solvent in the sealer has time to evaporate. You can sand back before then, but just give it that full drying time.

Otherwise I’d stick to one manufacturer’s product range.

You’ve probably bought a clear sealer, which is why they talk about varnish and clear finishes.

Thanks Simon. Your words always fill me with the confidence I lack on most occasions. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of trying the spray gun. I mean, it's not even my guitar, it's my son's - best place to learn is on someone else's gear.

Personally I would not recommend that sprayer you are looking at for a guitar.
It might be fine for spraying a garden fence, greenhouse or gutters but it will not give you the quality of finish and range of control needed for a half decent finish.
HVLP guns (at least for the finishes we use) tend to operate at anything between 15 psi and 30 psi. This is down to personal preference to a degree and is based at pressure at the gauge with trigger pulled) not the outlet.
I have not heard of anyone spraying at 5 psi.

There are lots of HVLP guns available on the web like this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/PetHot-Grav...s%2C182&sr=8-7
I have that one and it works fine for me.

You would also need a compressor with tank (minimum 24 litre, 50 litre ideal). There are lots to choose from.

I only say this as I think the gun you are looking at could end up putting you off spray painting.
Just my 2 cents.

Cheers
Ricky

I agree, do not use that kind of spray gun. Get one for automotive applications, and not a $29.95 model. If you get a good one you will be much happier.

Rattle cans can work well as long as you get a name brand, choose the right kind of finish, and practice a bit.