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Got my ST kit the other day, started working on it. It's my second build (first was a Tele Deluxe from Fretwire) and I'm going with sort of an 80's shred vibe with it. I've got a mirrored pickguard and a Seymour Duncan Screamin' Demon pickup, and I'm in the process of painting it right now. The headstock took the paint really well, the body on the other hand....well I didn't even bother taking a picture of it in it's current state. Anybody have any tips for painting Ash?
That looks like basswood, not ash. That is a very ‘80s approved shred guitar wood. I’m not the expert at painting guitars, but I know that you cannot skimp on the prep work. Let us know what paint you are using and your method of application and someone will be able to help with the information you need.
It's the STA-1R kit, so it is indeed ash, or atleast its supposed to be lol. As with my Tele I'm just using Krylon and Duplicolor spray cans. The Tele turned out great, but the Strat is so far looking like a translucent finish even after about 6 coats of primer, which while I wouldn't be opposed to it it's not what I'm looking for.
Did you do a mock setup to check the guitar's allignment prior to applying finish? You may want to double check the cavity routed for the bridge. It seems slightly off from your picture. It may just pickguard positioning playing a truck on my eyes.
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I did, it lines up fine. The pickguard is sitting kinda funky here so it looks that way.
Upon rechecking the website the kit is listed as ash, but the body definitely looks like basswood, I believe you are right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fretworn
Progress is at a standstill, paint is being difficult
What type of paint are you using?
If you are using duplocolour auto lacquer, I'd suggest you use a high build primer first, the auto one should work (I have used the auto acrylic primer on wood ok)
Then sand it back to about 320 400 grit, making sure it is completely flat.
Then the colour coat
Then a clearcoat
Generally I prefer a Matt base coat and then make it shiny with the clear
Either way, this paint colour coat isn't used directly over wood, metal or anything really without the correct primer, I'd say that's your problem here
Is it particularly hot/cold or humid where you are? The paint shouldn't be milky like that - it generally means that you got some moisture from the air condensed in the paint as you were spraying.
If you notice it while its still wet it is possible to fix it with a gentle application of a hair dryer, but otherwise you probably need to sand it back and try again.
Yeah, I live in the American Midwest so its humid and miserable this time of year. I did sand it down and re prime it for the now third time, and the result is still crap. More even crap, but still crap.
Hmm, yeah you may need to wait for drier conditions to spray.
There's a couple things I have left to try, a buddy of mine suggested rubbing compound, another said wet sand it, and last resort is getting some blush eraser.
Wet sanding works really well at stripping off crap without clogging up the sandpaper.
100% looks like that to me as well, if the body is ash what did you use for a grain fill if your using lacquer it will shrink back big time as some said use a high fill primer but use a grain binder 1st then use the high fill 5 or 6 coats and dry sand it with 240 alloy oxide paper when it's good enough to take a colour coat do 5 or 6 coats of colour and wet sand that back with 600 W&D when it flat give it 8 to 10 coat of clear so you have enough to sand it back when it shrinks back then leave it a month to cure them 1200 up w&d then polish it till your arms feel like there going to fall offQuote:
Originally Posted by Sonic Mountain
If your using spray can you may need to leave it a bit longer to cure as the use a retarder in them so they cure slower
Alright, sorry for lack of updating on this. Been pretty busy with work lately. So I took a tack cloth to the body and it cleared up all the milky look to it. Then I cleared it and it came out looking like it does in the photos. Unfortunately while I was doing the final wet sand and buffing my friends kid smacked the table I was working at and caused the buffing wheel to dig into the paint. So now ive got to re do the top.