Achieving Black Sunburst

[Amiddaru]

Heya Peeps

I will soon receive my ES-1 and was looking for a black sunburst effect like this https://www.long-mcquade.com/44201/G...k_Sunburst.htm

While it seems relatively easy to achieve a classic sunburst with honey and red stain, how can you work around only with shades of black?

Or maybe there isn t only black stain on these ...

[Old Tooth Hopkins]

Not an expert in the field but just watched a video this afternoon on how the affect can be achieved..

[Amiddaru]

This one ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeRwamHt0bA

[Old Tooth Hopkins]

The video I have linked in the post. Looks like it takes a lot of practice.

[Fretworn]

I’d suggest making a few fake body blanks out of pine or ply (don’t need to be full thickness) and practice the spraying technique. I’ve never tried myself, but many if the tutorials I’ve seen say that to get the burst effect you don’t actually spray the top, but spray past it so only the edges of the field of spray get on the edges of the body. (I don’t know if what I’ve just written qualifies as English, I hopefully I’ve made some sense.)

[Richy17]

I’ve sprayed a few bursts. I found the best way is to spray off the body.

Basically if you’re spraying the upper edge of the guitar, you want to be standing at the bottom edge spraying towards the top.

You can also make a cardboard template but raise it up off the surface with some rolled up balls of masking tape. I’ve never actually tried this way but if you aren’t comfortable with an air brush/spray gun it might help.

[Simon Barden]

You stain the body black using a fairly diluted stain, then use a solid black spray to create the sunburst effect. If the body looks too black after the stain, then sand it back a bit very gently (very thin veneer so be careful). Then add clear coats over it all.

Always spray outwards from the centre of the guitar towards the far edge for a 'burst, starting with the spray missing the body completely, then bringing the spray down until just the edge of the spray is catching the edge of the body. Don't point the centre of the spray at the edge, or else you'll end up with a very thick sunburst edge, with almost no 'clear' centre section.

You'll probably need to do this a couple of times; the first time spraying a bit more in towards the centre than the second time, in order to get a good solid outer edge to the burst.

It's an idea to have the body resting on a smaller piece of cardboard so that you can rotate the body in front of you, as you are unlikely to have a suitable table and enough space to walk around it and spray from a constant distance.

Practice on some cardboard cut-outs first until you are happy. It is very tempting to bring the spray too far into the centre of the body to start with, but you really only want the edge of the spray cone hitting the body otherwise you end up with too solid a line of paint, and not one that transitions nicely.

[Old Tooth Hopkins]

You stain the body black using a fairly diluted stain, then use a solid black spray to create the sunburst effect. If the body looks too black after the stain, then sand it back a bit very gently (very thin veneer so be careful). Then add clear coats over it all.

Always spray outwards from the centre of the guitar towards the far edge for a 'burst, starting with the spray missing the body completely, then bringing the spray down until just the edge of the spray is catching the edge of the body. Don't point the centre of the spray at the edge, or else you'll end up with a very thick sunburst edge, with almost no 'clear' centre section.

You'll probably need to do this a couple of times; the first time spraying a bit more in towards the centre than the second time, in order to get a good solid outer edge to the burst.

It's an idea to have the body resting on a smaller piece of cardboard so that you can rotate the body in front of you, as you are unlikely to have a suitable table and enough space to walk around it and spray from a constant distance.

Practice on some cardboard cut-outs first until you are happy. It is very tempting to bring the spray too far into the centre of the body to start with, but you really only want the edge of the spray cone hitting the body otherwise you end up with too solid a line of paint, and not one that transitions nicely.

If you dilute stain what do you dilute it with? Clear stain?

[Simon Barden]

More water if water-based, metho if spirit based. Just so there's less pigment per unit volume. Just be aware that spirit-based stains tend to get in the small stress cracks in binding, whereas water-based stain rarely seems to do that. Probably down to less surface tension with the spirit stuff.

[Amiddaru]

You stain the body black using a fairly diluted stain, then use a solid black spray to create the sunburst effect. If the body looks too black after the stain, then sand it back a bit very gently (very thin veneer so be careful). Then add clear coats over it all.

Always spray outwards from the centre of the guitar towards the far edge for a 'burst, starting with the spray missing the body completely, then bringing the spray down until just the edge of the spray is catching the edge of the body. Don't point the centre of the spray at the edge, or else you'll end up with a very thick sunburst edge, with almost no 'clear' centre section.

You'll probably need to do this a couple of times; the first time spraying a bit more in towards the centre than the second time, in order to get a good solid outer edge to the burst.

It's an idea to have the body resting on a smaller piece of cardboard so that you can rotate the body in front of you, as you are unlikely to have a suitable table and enough space to walk around it and spray from a constant distance.

Practice on some cardboard cut-outs first until you are happy. It is very tempting to bring the spray too far into the centre of the body to start with, but you really only want the edge of the spray cone hitting the body otherwise you end up with too solid a line of paint, and not one that transitions nicely.

You assume you stain using a gun not with clean rag then?