Jarrods SV -1

You should find the acrylic easier to work with Jarrod, highly thinned final coats generally come out really smooth thus reducing the amount of cutting back required. (it does take a little longer to harden right up tho)

Thanks AJ , I feel like I'm learning to paint all over again lol... I was surprised to see the mix was 1 clear to 1.5 thinners though but that's what it says on the tin.
I have infra red for forced drying so hopefully it wont take too long. :D

The blue looks awesome Jarrod! It's amazing the figure that can sometimes appear on these basswood bodies once the dye gets down in there. This is going to look killer with the gold hardware. Can't wait to see the finished product!

cheers,
Gav.

Thanks Gav, Im pretty happy with it.
Stained , clear coated , and buffed all in a day and a half , gota love infra red curing.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...105_002155.jpg

Holy crap that's a beautiful shine! Can I ask how many clear coats you laid down and how/what you buffed it with? CHeers

Ditto to Matt.

AGHH the deep dark secrets of the painters world.
Ok here we go , First I lay down a mist coat to seal the wood and let that dry for 15 minutes.
Then I lay down a a fairly thick coat, force dry it under infra red for about 10 minutes per side but make sure you put your axe about 3 feet away or you will burn the paint. I then give that a light rub with 1200 grit to flatten it of a bit ( take any dust or lumps out).I repeat that process for 5 coats and that does take all day.
My last coat gets baked under a lower infra red for about 30 minutes a side and your body is now ready for cutting.
I start with 1200 grit wet and dry on a piece of foam . Change the paper regularly as it can pick up and sore the paint and use clean water. Gently rub in circles until all shine has gone and there are no shiny dimples coming through as these will stand out when you polish.
Next you need to now cut it back further with 2000 grit wet and dry and take out the sanding marks that the 1200 left behind.I then use the cutting compound on the top right of the picture ( be gentle with this it cuts the paint and can cut right through). With the cutting compound only go one way (with the grain is a good indicator) and be gentle , you will feel it cut. wipe off all excess and look to make sure there are no other sand marks in there except the up and down very fine lines you just left. At this stage the clear coat will be shinning up. Now the secret formula which is pictured top left. $20 a bottle but the best $20 you will spend. this is called Scratch X20 by Meguiar's and it is the best in my opinion and as you can see by my axe it works.
Now this can be machine buffed on or by hand. I usually machine buff but I started this by hand and well the finish was amazing so I carried on by hand. Clean soft cloth ( I use micro fiber cloths for all polishing ) and rub with pressure in small circles and wipe off and repeat until your happy with your finish , twice is usually more than enough. A buffer is quicker and less elbow grease but is also not delicate so I recommend doing it the hard graft way. Next post is pictures of my Infra red dryer and all the clear and polishers used.
cheers
Jarrod

here are the tools I use . They are the brand for me and I get my best results with them in either 2pk or now Acrylic clear too.Lso there is a picture of my infra red heater , these can purchased from Bunnings for about $90 a pop and are the best investment for someone who paints.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...lear-coats.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-infra-red.jpg

Wow just did a bit home work and found out Fender switched to Acrylic clears from Nitro quite a few years back .

Thanks for sharing your secrets Jarrod...committed to memory :)

I really like the idea of the Infra Red lamps. Being in Canberra where it is pretty cold in Winter, I created an elaborate mini spray booth set up and used my halogen lamps to maintain some warmth. This worked fairly well, but those infra red lamps look much better. I also like the accelerated drying time idea...less time for dust and other stuff to stick to the paint and an improvement on the weeks of waiting for long curing times.

Cheers

Darren