Phroz STA-1M, ST-M, TL-1

[Zandit75]

Gorgeous mate!!

[stan]

great result and sensational colour combo

[phrozin]

cheers guys

ok here is a bit of a walk through how i did it with rattle cans if i left anything out let me know, ok its a bit of a read


Hi guys I thought I would do the next strat with spray cans only, I think it will help guys get a good finish for not much outlay, all the paint in the thread i have used my self so I know they will be easy to do a great finish, specially for the guys who start out with good intensions but goes to shit. I will try to show some of the methods I use to get a super flat and shiny finish

the products ill use primer filler, colour and clear the colour i use was viper mica which is a really deep purple and will look good under lights or sun, cost of the paint was primer was $11.50 can colour was $14.50 a can and clear was $12.30 can paper I use is aluminium oxide grade 120, 180, 240, 320/360/400. and wet and dry 800 and 1200/1500/2000.what ever you like

1st of all you will need to sand the body smooth then grain fill, I use either epoxy or ca glue depending on wood basswood is a lot easier than ash which is a real pain to seal the grain and if its not done right it will for ever shrink back into the grain and that’s looks bad and is a real pain in the ass to get rid of, I sand the body with 120 until its flat as I can. Then grain fill it then use 180 then 240 to smooth it ready for primer here I use a primer filler as its quite good to get the little marks out of the body and fill grain low spots, try keep it nice and flat (should note I use a flat block to sand with and on the flat surface ALWAYS USE A BLOCK its important for the finish shine)

ok when its all sanded prime with 4 good wet coats of primer filler then leave to dry for a couple of hours, I then spray a dust coat to make sure I don’t leave any imperfections on the body after i sand it back any colour will work just spray a light dust coat

next I use 240 to smooth out the primer and finish with a 400 ready for colour, if you see any of the dust coat after sanding give it 2 more coats of primer filler do a couple of wet coats, and re sand and make sure its flat and smooth (I should just mention a super shiny finish is in the prep you do, so take your time get it right)

ok when your happy with your body its time for the colour here is where it gets to the most important part, with colour I always spray 3 coats at a time, i start with horizontal then vertical and horizontal again with medium to wet coats. Always over lap the coats by 30% (with a spray gun i would over lap by 50%) do full length spray don’t do the short bursts all over the place as it will give you a uneven layer and a dry blotchy look specially with micas and pearls or metal flake not a good look. You can practice you spray technique with the primer make sure you keep can 9 to 10" off the body how fast you go will determine how wet the coat is, if you can try practice it

with the colour I do 3 lots of 3 coats and leave 20min between the 3 coats with metallic/mica paint your very last 2 coats try spray a even and a bit drier coats as you can to get the mica of metal flakes to stand up when done leave for a hour to fully flash off.

Now the clear its going to be how well you spray will determine how its going to finally look, with the clear i still spray in a block of 3 coats leaving 20mins between blocks don’t forget to always do the horizontal and vertical horizontal
coats with 30% overlap, with the clear you want to do 4 or 5 blocks of clear(15 coats). You want to try spray the coats as wet as you can with out running when your done its time to put the body somewhere it can harden usually 7 days is good unless its 30+ out side where it will only take 3 days before your ready to cut and polish. normally lacquer that’s about 30 days before its fully harden once it is it pretty hard

if you have done it all right it should look super shiny and nice and flat don’t worry if you got some orange peal as it will sort it out when you sand it to polish that’s why I do 15 coats as you’ll take a fair few coats when you sand and polish

so its been 7 days and your chumping at the bit to shine it up, you need to be careful how much and where you sand again i use a block, now for the 1st sand 800g w&d when you use water BECAREFUL not to get water anywhere near the sides of the cavity’s or near drill holes as it will swell the wood and you’ll never get rid of the lump it leave after it dry’s. Be careful with it use your block and sand till its all flat and smooth dry it up and check your work you got all the orange peal out of it then its time for which ever grit paper you want to use 1200/1500/2000 your choice. you only want to sand enough to remove the 800g marks (you can go strait to the high grade paper and miss the 800grit totally up to you) when your done clean it up so there’s no gunk left its now time to cut and polish.

Now you can do by hand or machine cut it, I have 2 polishers 1 which was my car polisher a 9" with lamb wool pad 2000/3500rpm polisher but its to harsh on a guitar body and easy to burn the paint, if it grabs it will fly the body out of your hands and across the room (yep I have done it) I also have 6" polisher which has a orbital sponge on it and wont burn the paint and works quite well. I should also note there are different types of compound hand grade and a machine grade with my polisher it ok with both types I used Maguire’s rubbing compound its works ok but can get a bit dry on a machine use a fair bit of compound to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Take your time slow wins the race I cant stress enough your not racing for cattle stations.

I hope I have covered every thing if not let me know what your not sure about and ill be happy to point you in the right direction, I wanted to do this one by rattle cans to show you can get a excellent finish. You spent a lot of money buying your kit and nothing worse than seeing something doesn’t look right or you buggered it up I totally understand as it pisses me off as well when I mess up and I do at times and I have been spray painting since I was 15 so your not alone

[cade711]

Good detailed info Phrozin thanks. I've been using rattle cans on my SG build and although I haven't previously tried this finish method it seems my process has been pretty close to your recommendations here. Only applied 4 clear coats then ran short, so a bit of a way to go yet when I get more.

[Fretworn]

Just printed your instructions out. I'm keen to try solid colour someday.

[OliSam]

thanks phrozin
I have really been enjoying this thread. your paint is totally awesome.

[andrewdosborne]

Appreciated Phrozin. Your axes come up superb and your detailed instruction will help immensely with my current build

[Chuck]

Thanks Phrozin, I'll certainly take your technique tips on board as I've been doing some of the stages a bit differently. The results you are getting speak for themselves. You've also got me interested in compressors/guns as the examples you mention from Supercheap are way cheaper than I thought the whole airbrushing caper would be!

[phrozin]

Good detailed info Phrozin thanks. I've been using rattle cans on my SG build and although I haven't previously tried this finish method it seems my process has been pretty close to your recommendations here. Only applied 4 clear coats then ran short, so a bit of a way to go yet when I get more.

No worrys thats the best thing about acrylic even when its full cured just a light sand and you can go again 4 coats wont cut it youll rub through when you cut it back, any method will work as long as it works for you. Method i posted is for guys who havent had luck with the projects and unsure as they can be so easy to stuff it up if you dont know how and what to do, i tried to show guys even with a rattle cans and with gear you can go to your local auto paint store for $60 you can get good results.

any way thanks guys glad to help and hope you get a great looking guitar you love for years to come

[Andy40]

Thanks for taking the time to post that phroz, I was holding back on painting my next project until i saw it.