For a satin finish just go over with 400 grit sandpaper and voila!Quote:
Originally Posted by jugglindan
Bear in mind that areas that rub will eventually become shiny anyway.
cheers, Mark.
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For a satin finish just go over with 400 grit sandpaper and voila!Quote:
Originally Posted by jugglindan
Bear in mind that areas that rub will eventually become shiny anyway.
cheers, Mark.
I missed this yesterday...Quote:
I can still feel some roughness on large flat areas. It feels like the underlying metallic colour since it had the same rough feeling prior to clear coat.
My guess is one of two things, it's orange peel or "dust" (FLOABW) that was created by your spraying distance being too far away from the surface.
What happens is the atomised paint literally dries in mid-air and those particles get mixed in with the wet paint. If you were feeling this on the metallic based coat, I suspect my dust theory may be the answer. A well laid coat of metallic should still feel smooth.
Given that both colour and clear coats have felt rough, I'm thinking it's application technique.
400g/8 coats should be sufficient to wet sand & polish. However bare in mind what I said earlier about the edges and horns.Quote:
Despite my efforts to get a uniform coverage, and using an entire 400g can of clear in 8 applications (2 thin passes per application), does this mean I may not have enough clear in the rough areas? Or should it come up OK when I get to wet sanding in a week or so?
As for dry sanding, I wouldn't go coarser than 600 at this point, just to minimise risk of sand through. A light dry sand will knock down the dust nibs as well as reveal just how much orange peel you may have to deal with.
It's worth considering that a 400g can of aerosol paint is roughly 50% propellant and 50% paint/clear (and solvent mixed). I don't know what that equates in mils, but there's not a lot of paint that ends up on the guitar. Even 8 coats is going to be a very thin layer of paint.
I can't offer any advice regarding blue to green with poly, but as for satin feel, yes you can sand it. However this does not look the same as a real satin finish. It looks like sanded gloss. It's personal preference as to feel over appearance.Quote:
Another question: I have decided against using the spray can Cabothane Satin on the neck since it is oil based, and I believe that means a risk of it turning the BlueyCaster logo green over time. But I really want a satin feel on the neck. Should this be achievable with SCA clear acrylic followed by wet sanding (say 600 & 800 grit) but without any further polishing? If not, what are some other suggestions?
I have done it myself, but now prefer a real satin topcoat. When I have done the de-glossing, I used Scotch-Brite pads.
If you're referring to a reply I posted earlier, I was using polyurethane for both front and back. Gloss on the front, satin on the back, not a combination of poly and lacquer.Quote:
There is the suggestion to use clear acrylic on the headstock and to blend it with the cabothane on the sides of the headstock, with cabothane everywhere else. However I am somewhat cautious about how well the oil-based poly will mix with the acrylic.
The general rule regarding these two are lacquer over poly = OK, poly over lacquer = NOT OK.
This is very general though. Not all poly is poly...
I have tried acrylic lacquer over "hardware store" poly, and had adhesion problems. Production guitar poly is typically a 2k polyurethane or poly"ester" big difference.
I've never sprayed lacquer over those types of coatings, but apparently it can be done is the base is abraded to create a good mechanical bond.
Dust seems more likely. The roughness feels more sparse than orange peel. I had a fine orange peel texture on my pedals (which I left alone because it actually felt like a "good" texture). Hopefully careful sanding will fix it up.
Also, I will test the clear lacquer over the poly on some scrap wood.
Regarding technique, I tried to stay within the distance suggested on the can. That doesn't mean my technique was good though. There is a consistent pattern. The sides of the body are smoother than the front and back. I spray with the guitar hanging vertically and rotate as needed. This means that the sides are probably coming closer to the can than the sides and back, which all supports your description of dry paint particles from the spray distance being too far away.
Now I could do a light sand and apply some more clear from a closer distance, then reset my 2 weeks before polish. The weather looks warm enough tomorrow.
Here are some photos (lighting not great, sorry), but you can see the large difference in glossiness between the sides:
Attachment 34734
and the top (back is same as top for the most part):
Attachment 34735
Looking at that photo close up it's easier to see than in real life. To me it looks like a combination of orange peel and the dried paint particles from spraying too far away. But I really don't know which is why I am posting the photos here.
For a good accurate test I would suggest making sure the coats of poly are completely gassed-off (ie: can't smell any solvent when you sniff it up close) before you spray lacquer over it or you will definitely have a problem. And your poly "base coat" wants to be as if it were a proper finished coat, not just a couple of light passes that basically get absorbed before they begin to build.Quote:
Also, I will test the clear lacquer over the poly on some scrap wood.
re: The pics - sides do show minor orange peel. I've had worse and got it to level & polish well. And top does looks like over-spray/dust causing the dull appearance.
The sides feel like they have a solid layer of clear so I feel confident it can be polished nicely. The front and back do not. I am afraid it will be like polishing a turd. So I feel like repeating what I did with the colour: a light sand with 320 or 400 followed by respraying taking care to get in closer.Quote:
Originally Posted by McCreed
Ironically, I got a much better finish on my pedal enclosures while putting a lot less care, effort, and coats into them. In hindsight, the big difference is that I tended to hold the can in closer.
Good thing I bought a new can of clear yesterday...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sounds like a solid plan.
OK, so I sanded lightly with 320 and then did my second respray (is that a rerespray?). Holding the can consistently closer made a big difference. Less coats applied but much better coverage and the finish is now glossy. There is a lot more orange peel and a couple of runs, but at least that should be manageable as I finally have a solid clear with consistent gloss levels over the body. Here's a before (left) and after (right):
Attachment 34801
Now to start work on the neck. I have all my files now so time to level and dress the frets before sanding and finishing. Oh, and I better remember to order the Blueycaster decal.
Forgot to mention, the two photos are in approximately the same part of the body (but for some reason I cropped the bridge earth wire hole in the first).