Hi all,
Just ordered a TL-1 kit.
This will be my first build.
Question regarding finishing, my plan is to spray the body white and then get my daughter to do some artwork over the body (haven't told her this yet). If she uses acrylic paints, will this be fine to go over the white coat, then I can clear coat over the art for protection? Will I be able to get a gloss finish or will the different levels of finish where it's painted prevent this?
There are much more experienced people here but my (limited) understanding is to use the same types of paint for the different coats, or check they are compatible. It sounds like a great idea for a build so find a way to make it work is my philosophy.
Hi Macktown,Originally Posted by MackTown
I do not have much experience with this either. You should be fine to add a clear coat - just make sure the paint has completely cured (but I would also test for compatibility on some scrap timber). As far as the gloss finish goes - it will depend on how flat the painted surface is, and how many coats are needed to bury the art.
PitBull Builds: FVB-4, LP-1SS, FBM-1, AG-2, TB-4, SSCM-1, TLA-1, TL-1TB, STA-1HT, DSCM-1 Truckster, ST-1, STA-1, MBM-1.
Scratch Builds: Pine Explorer, Axe Bass, Mr Scary, Scratchy Tele's.
The little voices in my head keep telling me "build more guitars"
Hi Macktown,
Best approach might be to do a test run on a piece of timber. You should be able to get a piece of pine at your local hardware store.
I've used acrylic paints over nitro (with more clear nitro over the top), and that was fine. As it's water based, there shouldn't be anything in there to react with a polyurethane finish, and a lot of car spray paints are acrylic based (so should be 100% compatible) so there's a 99% chance you won't have any problem. But as has already been said, for 100% peace of mind, spray a test piece of wood first and try the acrylic on that, and then spray the clear coat over that. I'd give each stage a couple of days to dry thoroughly before putting the next type of finish on.
You're probably best sanding down the original white paint to maybe P600 rather than leave the spray finish as-is before the acrylic paint goes on, so it's got something to key into and not just sit on top of a shiny surface.
Make sure the clear coat is the same type of paint type as the base coat, preferably from the same range by the same manufacturer.
The amount of clear you'll need to spray for a flat gloss finish depends on how thick the acrylic paint is applied. If it's thin and smooth, you'll need to apply enough of it to match the level of the acrylic, and then probably 6 coats more to give enough depth to sand flat and polish without risk of sanding through to the acrylic.
Thanks all,
I'll make sure I run a test on a spare piece of timber first. Appreciate all the assistance.
Kit arrived last night!
Did a quick unboxing and everything appears to be included. I will do a dry fit when I have some more time to check everything before I get started in earnest.
Couple of items I noted:
- Minor blemish on the body, looks like there was a small crack that has been glued? I'm not that concerned as I am spraying this so should be covered up. Do I need to fill this before I start?
- The neck fits really firmly into the neck pocket (so much that it's difficult to get in/out without some force). It's been raining here in Mackay so I assume the humidity has swelled the neck/body a little. Will check the neck alignment when I do the dry fit. Is this something that needs a fix or am I fine with it being really tight?
I'd fill the crack before you start any sanding of bare wood. I'd use something like CA/superglue that won't shrink.
The neck pockets on the kits can often be on the tight side when they first arrive, especially after any air travel. I'd certainly give it a couple of days to see if it improves. If it does, it may take a week or so to get back to its 'normal' condition. Whilst you normally leave the inside of the pocket unfinished, you'll put finish on the neck so that will make it an even tighter fit, so you won't want it too tight before any finish goes on. But you don't want to start sanding now and then have it too loose. So I'd just wait for a bit.
So I finally got some time over the weekend and did a dry fit.
Checked the scale length and nut to 12th fret is ~324
Nut to bridge saddle on the high 'e' is ~645
So I can move the saddle backward to get the intonation.
Another issue I've come across on the dry fit is that the pick guard cut out for the volume/tone/pickup selector isn't correct and it doesn't slide in nicely. Can I sand back the plastic, or is there another way to modify this to fit?
I guess now it is time to get sanding.
Yes, I’d sand the pickguard cut-out. If you can find something tubular with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the cut-out to wrap sandpaper around, that will make it easier.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 19-09-2022 at 03:10 PM.
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