Originally Posted by
george wilson
Julie,if there is any doubt about what I have said, make a dyed piece of the same wood your guitar is made of. Put the vinyl sealer on it,and spray lacquer over it. You have been very organized in your approach to building your guitar. This extra trial will show you what I mean about a "cool" and lifeless finish.
I had begun the previous post before reading the last two posts made today. But to let you know, I am heeding your advice.
I had planned on doing two grain fillings, a washcoat of shellac then spraying lacquer over that. When I was at Woodcraft yesterday, I had picked up a quart of Behlen lacquer. Then I saw the Stringed Instrument Lacquer. Of course! This is it! When I read the directions it said:
1. - Surface should be finish ready (properly sanded and clear of oils, dirt or dust). Note: If applying over filled and stained woods see those Behlen product labels proper application and drying times.
2. - Apply ONE COAT of Behlen Vinyl Sanding Sealer
3. - Allow to dry 1 hour and scuff sand to 320 - 360 grit smoothness. Clean well the surface of any dust.
4. - Apply one wet uniform coat of Stringed Instrument Lacquer at ready to use strength. Allow at least ONE hour dry time. Scuff sand with 360 grit. Clean the surface of any dust.
5. - Repeat the step (#4) above 4 more times to give a total of five (5) Lacquer coats. & after each coat: Allow at least 1 hour dry time. Scuff sand to 360 grit. Clean the surface of any dust.
6. - Allow to dry 24, or better, 48 to 72 hours.
7. - Wet sand with 400 grit wet / or Dry Paper & Mineral Spirits, clean surface & remove sanding residue with denatured alcohol on a clean white cotton rag. Allow at least ONE hour for drying.
8. - Apply one Final coat at a 1-to-1 ratio of Lacquer & Behlen Lacquer Thinner 631 (this assures better flow and leveling of the final lacquer coat.)
9. - Allow Stringed Instrument Lacquer to Air Dry for 48 to 74 hours prior to final rub out.
Special Note: (For the BEST Result, when polishing out to a high sheen, the finish should cure for at least 21 days prior to any polishing operations.)
And so there it was, simple, easy to understand instructions for applying a finish to a stringed instrument. And it coincided with what I had recently read. I had a stringed instrument, a product designed for that and easy to understand, step-by-step instructions. The clouds parted and the sun shone brightly!
I have come to believe Behlen is highly regarded by many professional finishers. In fact I thought it was their go-to product. Now I'm back to to where I was - still unsure.
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I just read the latest posts. Thank you guys! I don't feel so lost now.
Taking what I have read here and elsewhere and throwing in some of Behlen's instructions, tell me if I have these steps right (this will be for the sapele body, not the blue-dyed maple body):
- Wet the surface to raise the grain and let dry
- Sand the fuzzies to 220
- Apply the dye
- Apply a shellac washcoat to seal the dye
- Rub in grain filler, allow to dry, sand, apply a second coat filler and sand to 220
- Apply a shellac sealer (I want the garnet shellac to impart its tone to the wood)
- Apply one wet uniform coat of Stringed Instrument Lacquer at ready to use strength. Allow at least ONE hour dry time. Scuff sand with 220 grit. Clean the surface of any dust.
- Repeat the step (#4) above 4 more times to give a total of five (5) Lacquer coats. After each coat: Allow at least 1 hour. Scuff sand with 220 grit. Clean the surface of any dust.
- Allow to dry 24, or better, 48 to 72 hours.
- Wet sand with 400 grit wet / or Dry Paper & Mineral Spirits, clean surface & remove sanding residue with denatured alcohol on a clean white cotton rag. Allow at least ONE hour for drying.
- Apply one Final coat at a 1-to-1 ratio of Lacquer & Behlen Lacquer Thinner 631 (this assures better flow and leveling of the final lacquer coat.)
- Allow Stringed Instrument Lacquer to air dry for 21 days, or more, prior to final polishing.
- Wet sand the finish with soapy water through progressively finer grits - 800, 1200, 1500 and 2000 – cleaning and checking progress along the way.
- Apply rubbing compound with water and bring to a high gloss.
- Apply wax if desired.
I do want this guitar to look good but at the same time I don't want for the process to become so laborious that it becomes self-defeating. There's been a lot of skill learning along the way and I'm enjoying that but for skills that have a deep learning curve, I'd rather not make that part of the first build. So if these steps will work, I'm fine with that for now. I'll dive into epoxy later. But if there's something I need to change in those steps, by all means, please let me know.
You guys have been great! I only hope I can absorb all the information you've provided and apply it correctly.
George: I built a rotisserie kind of holder for the guitar body finishing. I posted a pic in the Telecaster thread. I'll be using that for this body too.