Clear Finish

[a_novice]

Sounds like a plan.

What brands of poly do you use and also where is the best place to get the Scotchbrites...i've only used 0000 steel wool before so keen to try the pads as i've seen a lot of people using them.

I've stayed away from Shellite and trying to use finishes that are as least toxic as i can, like to look after my health as much as possible

[McCreed]

I use water based due to lack of odour but if you put it on bare wood then it can raise the grain so I put on a solvent wipe on poly first, maybe 2 coats but most time I get by with a single coat, and then finish off with water based over the top.

I was unaware you could do that. How long do wait after doing the oil based to apply the water based?

[Dikkybee007]

I sand up to 240 grit, I never go finer as it is not necessary for me. I then use some Feast Watson sanding sealer by applying a generous coat and sand with 320. If needed I may give another very thin coat and sand with 400. I then stain to what ever colour I want to use at the time. I then use some Feast Watson gloss wipe on poly and apply a thin coat as it is only used to seal the wood before you apply the water based poly.

I normally wait no less than a week to be safe but I normally have more than 1 guitar going so it may sit for a month or more. I normally hang it outside due to the fumes and once it stops giving off a smell I move it inside to my spare room and give it a little more time. It depends on weather conditions but you have to make sure it is totally dry. Once it is totally dry I use a fine Scotchbrite to remove any dust or raised spots. Don't rub too hard as you could go through, you are only making sure the surface is still smooth. Any area that is not smooth will only get worse as you add more coats.

I then apply Cabot's Gloss Cabothane Water based poly. I normally put on 2 coats and flatten with a Scotchbrite to make sure it is smooth then apply a third coat and repeat the Scotchbrite rub. Normally it is smooth enough to polish with a compound and cotton/wool/sponge rubber buff. I did have some failures at the start but that was due to not waiting for the oil base to harden fully. The water base dry's much quicker than the oil base and I give it roughly 2 - 3 hours between coats. If the weather conditions are right I have only waited about 3 days and it is hard enough to polish but normally I give it about a week just to be safe. No need to rush it and waste time and money

I got my white Scotchbrites from Amazon, as well as my grey and maroon ones. You have to make sure they are the abrasive ones and not the cleaning type. The cleaning ones will sort of polish the finish but they don't really remove high spots as well as the abrasive ones. Of course they are not cheap but I have gotten 3 guitars out of a single pad so far. I just looked on Amazon and they are unavailable. They are hard to come by and the price does vary greatly. It could be due to supply problems but I did see the grey and maroon ones were available. I have used steel wool in the past but found it much more abrasive and not as consistent. The Scotchbrites are easier to control and don't really take much to flatten the surface. I have used them with an random orbital sander as well by removing the paper. To clean just give it a tap and the dust falls off.

The smoother the wood to begin with the easier it is to apply a finish that should take little or no sanding before you polish once the finish has hardened fully. I never sand any finer than 240 as it is more than smooth enough to start the finishing process as the finish will fill any small sanding lines. I used to only use wipe on as I never had any problems with runs but you had to work fairly fast as it can start to tack on warmer days quite quick. Once you get your process down you should only have to apply the finish once and not go over it. When I apply the water base I have used sponge rubber brushes but did have some runs when applying the finish. I mainly use the blue and white lint free Chux as it comes in a roll and is cheap and you can throw it away once you have applied the finish and you don't have to soak them in water like other finishes.

I have now done 7 guitars with this finish and I find it easier and cheaper than spraying and you don't need any form of booth to perform the application.

[McCreed]

Thanks for the detail Dikky.
I have a small tin of water base Cabothane, but haven't used it. I may give it go next time I do a neck.
However I would spray it as I prefer doing it that way, and also spray shellac as a sealer and bit of colour.

[Trevor Davies]

Yes thanks for sharing,

I'm going to give this a go also.

[a_novice]

Ditto! Thanks for sharing the detail, really useful.

Super excited to give it a go.

[a_novice]

Sorry to hijack the thread a little, but in addition to the clear coat questions around finishing my Tele headstock, i have just ordered a PBG IC-1 and looking for some advice on how to achieve the following colour...open to staining or painting :-)

I'm planning on putting decal graphics over the body and hence wanting to contrast the black lines of the prints with the grey background.

Any thoughts?

I'm assuming a grey spray paint would be the best option (black for the burst obviously hehe) but looking for a grey that has flecks of dark grey to give the effect seen in the pic if thats even possible.

[Rabbit]

Yeh paint. is the grain of the timber is interesting, rather tha a a solid grey, you could shoot some black candy which would give you a see through grey, then you could do a solid black burst with spray gun or air brush. Looking at the pic you will also have to scrape the binding after ... that I'm guessing will be a pain.

[a_novice]

Not sure on the grain yet, just ordered last night :-)

So you would spray the black candy over a solid grey? or over a grey primer?

The IC-1 doesn't have a binding so phew! It was time consuming (but worth it) when i did that on my PBG Tele.

I don't have a spray gun or air brush so looking at how to do a thin burst with spray cans (not the wisest choice but....)

[Rabbit]

Not sure on the grain yet, just ordered last night :-)

So you would spray the black candy over a solid grey? or over a grey primer?

The IC-1 doesn't have a binding so phew! It was time consuming (but worth it) when i did that on my PBG Tele.

I don't have a spray gun or air brush so looking at how to do a thin burst with spray cans (not the wisest choice but....)

Um... no.... if the body has nice grain then a coat of clear sealer over the timber, then sand smooth, thblack candy over the sealer. primer or grey paint will just hide th grain. Black candy *instead* of grey primer/paint will still give you a grey unless you put too many coats on, but show off the grain if it has a nice flame to the top , it would be a shame to completely hide it. Think of it as a tint . or you could use a grey stain if you can find it. If the grain turns out to be boring then go with primer /paint. As for the burst, you can do it with a rattle can.... the big manufacturers use a full sized gun to do bursts, I'm more inclined to use an air brush, but if you don't have that as an option, the can will do.