Acrylic rattle can paint plus True Oil for TL-1

Greeting friends.

I am considering options for finishing my TL-1 kit. Since I do not have paint spraying guns or compressor, I want to use opaque rattle can acrylic satin paint. If I could do it all by hand, I would but this is basswood and I really want a bright, opaque color. I assume I need to start with a white primer and sand. Question: do I need to worry about grain filler? Basswood may not have much wood grain but it is porous, right? Does the sealer take care of that? What brand of sealer do you recommend?

Next, after the sealer is completely dry (after 24 hours?), time for even sanding but not so heavy as to remove the sealer. What grit of sandpaper do you recommend at this stage? I clean the body with a damp, clean cloth. So on to acrylic rattle can color on the entire guitar body and front headstock. A couple of these color coats, sanding between and allowing for 24 hours drying (or less?) between coats. I hope I'm on the right track here.

Once satisfied with the color, and waiting two weeks for drying, I'm off to True Oil finish by hand. I have read a lot on the TO method already. Do I perform any special prep before TO application over the acrylic satin paint? So far, I've seen a mix of applying TO with a cloth, drying, applying with sandpaper (grit?), cleaning, applying with cloth, with three hours drying time between then repeat until finish is acceptable. Do you have any links you can share on the TO process? Several videos that I found on YouTube seem incomplete.

When finishing the back of the neck and headstock, should I follow the same process? I don't want the back of the neck glossy, rather satin so my fretting hand moves freely. It seems like TO alone might give me that but I am not sure. Does that area need sealer and paint as well?

Lastly, finishing the fingerboard with lemon oil or similar. What do you recommend?

I'd appreciate any pointers. I'm searching the Pitbull Forums but have not found my answers.

Cheers from Colorado USA.

Heyo, I'm going through a similar process at the moment and have a lot of the same questions, so I can't really comment on most of what you're asking, however..

Have you got a maple fretboard on your TL-1? If so, you're going to have to finish it with lacquer or poly, or tru-oil, the same as your neck. Unfortunately lemon oil alone will not do enough to protect a maple fretboard. The overwhelming consensus is that it needs a hard wearing finish.

No grain filler necessary for basswood, but it can be used. I'd just use primer on the wood. I'm no expert on acrylic, but I'd first apply a light mist coat of primer (not full coverage), let that dry for a few hours and then start sanding the body flat. The primer is to show up the dips in the wood once you strat sanding.. Flatten the body all over so there are no dips and you're then ready to paint.

Phrozin has done an excellent description of how he sprays his guitars, which is widely followed on here. Phrozin was a pro paint sprayer, so he will get better results than you will.

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...l=1#post129444

Not quite sure why you want to use TruOil over the acrylic, I'd stick with acrylic throughout. Tru Oil will give a slight yellow tint to the finish, and yellow further with age.

Fine for a neck but not always what you want with a body. Don't put it over blue or you'll get green!

Note that the grits mentioned don here will normally be European P-series grits e.g. P400, P1200, which are coarser than US ANSI series grits above 220/P220 (Conversion chart here https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/a...ion-chart.html)

Many thanks Simon. I've got more research to do!

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

Not quite sure why you want to use TruOil over the acrylic, I'd stick with acrylic throughout. Tru Oil will give a slight yellow tint to the finish, and yellow further with age.
Fine for a neck but not always what you want with a body. Don't put it over blue or you'll get green!

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Thank you for clueing me in on these important points. I'm showing my own ignorance as a newbie. I'm thinking of a stain and True Oil or Danish oil for the neck and fretboard -- forget painting the front of the headstock. Since I'll have to go with rattle can, I will look at other paint solutions including poly and clear coat. I just need to keep diving into it. Based on what I'm reading in the thread you recommended, the project could turn into a nightmare unless I get it right! Your reply helps a lot!

I had success applying TruOil over acrylic rattle can on my LPM-1E build.

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...d.php?p=190205

I wasn't after a high gloss finish, so only a few coats needed to seal and protect. I was going for a textured/satin feel, so I was banking on the finish sinking back into the grain slightly, which it did and showed off the grain highlight which was Ebony timbermate.

If you aren't going for a high gloss finish, I wouldn't bother applying the TO with sand paper etc. This really only acts to grain fill as you progress through the grits and the slurry it leaves behind. As long as your prep and paint are flat, you should be able to reach a satin finish no probs. You may just need to slightly rub back the TO with a gentle scouring pad. There are a few threads on there talking about the different colors of 3M pads and their use as an alternative to steel wool. The white pads are good for this particular use, IF you can source them in your area. I had luck with being able to buy single pads from a cleaning shop local to me.

Best of luck and keep reaching out with your questions / thoughts.

As you can see, there are loads of ways people put finish on their guitars, and if it works - it works! You just need to avoid mixing finishes that will react as not all finishes are compatible.

Spraying conditions are vital; you don't want it too hot or too cold or too humid, or windy (if outside). Around 20°-24°C/68°-73°F is ideal. If you can stretch out the spraying process, then I'd do so, as one of the worst things is getting a still-wet layer trapped under a dry outer skin, which can then take a very long time, months or more, to finally dry.

You don't need to put a clear coat over a solid colour, though you may want a few more coats of the solid instead. I don't clear coat my solid colours. A clear coat will give some extra protection if you want to try and keep the guitar looking pristine (though it will still mark and chip). Sand the solid colour flat so there's no orange peel effect (small dimples on the surface) then spray one final coat of the satin and let it dry and you should be there. No polishing required as you wanted a satin finish. Otherwise you need to let it dry hard (two weeks minimum is a good bet) sand and polish to a shine and then sand back to give the satin effect.

This is also when terminology comes into play as 'satin' is a bit different from a 'non-gloss' finish. You'll get proper 'satin' from a satin clear spray, as it has small particles in to help give the look. Using TruOil, you'll get between a semi-gloss and full-gloss finish depending on how fine you sand back and how hard you polish (and the fineness of the polishing compound). But TO hasn't got those particles in it to give a true satin finish. If you aren't fussy and just want a non-gloss (but non-matt) finish, then either method will do.

I've got a few guitars that came with a satin finish that I've since polished up to a semi-gloss/near-gloss look, which I think looks a lot better for that 'aged' look. Because of the satin paint used, I'll never get them to a full gloss, but that's fine by me as I don't want that look for them.

I used acrylic spray paint for my first build and am pretty happy overall. I added some acrylic flakes in a bottle from a craft shop which proved to be really time consuming (lots of waiting for paint to dry and sanding) but gave a pretty cool finish. I used automotive acrylic spray cans from a car shop and found the primer to be excellent in terms of being self levelling and filling any imperfections in the wood. It sanded down to a nice smooth finish for the paint. Clear coat over the top was recommended to me - I put on about 12 thin coats and sanded with steel wool. I am in North Queensland and it is pretty humid, but don't go less than 24 hours between coats - I got greedy and tried to apply 2 coats in a day and had to sand right back because they didn't adhere properly - cost me another can of paint and a lot of time.

Same for the tru-oil, min. 24 hours between coats before sanding up here. I wanted a really glossy finish - took 30 coats each side of the fretboard sanded with 000 steel wool each time to get the finish I wanted. All the time is in sanding, took about half an hour each time to sand, putting a coat on only takes a few minutes. Don't put too much on your fingers or you get imperfections and watch for runs. Lots of thin coats seems to work much better. I also tried using a rag, but just using your finger seems to work much better, you get a lot more marks in the finish even with a very fine cotton rag.

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Originally Posted by Darryn

I used acrylic spray paint for my first build and am pretty happy overall. I added some acrylic flakes in a bottle from a craft shop which proved to be really time consuming (lots of waiting for paint to dry and sanding) but gave a pretty cool finish. I used automotive acrylic spray cans from a car shop and found the primer to be excellent in terms of being self levelling and filling any imperfections in the wood. It sanded down to a nice smooth finish for the paint. Clear coat over the top was recommended to me - I put on about 12 thin coats and sanded with steel wool. I am in North Queensland and it is pretty humid, but don't go less than 24 hours between coats - I got greedy and tried to apply 2 coats in a day and had to sand right back because they didn't adhere properly - cost me another can of paint and a lot of time.

Same for the tru-oil, min. 24 hours between coats before sanding up here. I wanted a really glossy finish - took 30 coats each side of the fretboard sanded with 000 steel wool each time to get the finish I wanted. All the time is in sanding, took about half an hour each time to sand, putting a coat on only takes a few minutes. Don't put too much on your fingers or you get imperfections and watch for runs. Lots of thin coats seems to work much better. I also tried using a rag, but just using your finger seems to work much better, you get a lot more marks in the finish even with a very fine cotton rag.

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Very helpful Darryn. I am kicking around either using stain then poly rub-on satin finish or the rattle can acrylic method. So far as painting rattle can acrylic, I guess I could use rub-on poly to finish assuming the poly satin finish and acrylic paint work together. As already noted, the TrueOil might upset the bright opaque color that I'm thinking of... Everyone's input is really giving me a better idea of what I'm up against. After my TL-1 kit, I want to take on the ES-5V hollow body kit in maple. That I would want a dark stain and finish in rub-on poly satin. It's amazing considering all the possibilities. My thanks to you and all contributors!

Whatever you choose, just test all your finish steps/stages on scrap first. Just to ensure compatibility.

Most definitely part of my plan.