has anyone tried using a fine 'gloss' roller instead of spray paint to finish? i can't spray atm.

vale

i'm rolling around ideas about how i could even attempt a build in my current no-outside-space small rented accomodation. & potential spray paint stink is a big factor in that.

so i was thinking, i have used those for gloss radiator size 6" rollers before & they put the paint on pretty smooth. maybe if i combined that with wet & dry sanding techniques between every few layers (to trap & minimise ambient dust), is there the remotest possibility that i would be able to get a decent result by this means, colour & laquer?

there's also the fumes issue. i live in a small flat which i don't want to badly stink out for days (i also get migraines of death with solvent fumes), so i would prefer to use oil or water soluable paints. long waiting times between layers not a huge issue as i'm hardly in production.

i know there are oils & waxes & various treatments for a clearish finish, but i am thinking pink or deep blood red with some kind of glitter-flake-lustre in. the stunning finish on this LP is totally in the zone, though i appreciate that this full effect may be far beyond the means i'm proposing.
am just thinking the top to begin with, leaving sides, back, neck as is.

https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--yeRxvm34--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1462923580/dalnq4agjzpmbnxkvu9p.jpg

anyway, i wondered if anyone has any success (or disaster) stories to share on the subject?

Gagaryn

If you want glitter you need to spray - the flakes need to be at different angle's to catch the light and buried in the lacquer.

You would be able to get a decent solid finish with any method and then some serious flatting with wet and dry then compound.

Corvus

It'll probably not go well - 1k and celly/nitro solvent dries and does that quickly. You can't keep going over it. It'll lay on tons of paint, likely lead to cracking & crazing, they aren't meant for thick layer builds. And there's corners & edges to deal with.

Slow cure paints like enamel, synthetic enamel, can be rollered but still the finish is poor - lots of Landy owners do that, seen car guys attempt it too.

It'd take a few days/layers to do that sort of finish, if you could borrow some space it might be do-able. You'd probably want a coloured primer, then the flake layer, then quite a lot of clearcoat to bury it. Sand/polish etc. Spraying flake is easy to get wrong (tiger stripes or runs & unevennes) so a first go might not go brilliantly well. It's also messy, flake gets everywhere.

impmann

Corvus said:

Slow cure paints like enamel, synthetic enamel, can be rollered but still the finish is poor - lots of Landy owners do that, seen car guys attempt it too.

I don't agree with "the finish is still poor".

I've painted three cars with Rustoleum with a gloss roller and two of them  you genuinely wouldn't know it wasn't sprayed. The third was a rush job, but it still looked good.

The secret here is preparation - if the surface is keyed and smooth, you can achieve glass-like finishes. But you can't just daub it on like a maniac... it will look cack if you do that.

But I'd agree about a metallic finish - you won't achieve that with a roller.

vale

thanks for your advice & tips @Gagaryn ; @Corvus ; @impmann

i will watch some videos about how flake is applied. i thought i could just get a flour shaker & some flakes & lightly dust each layer of clear laquer. but it sounds far more technical & invloved.

water-oil based gloss & enamel paints fit my criteria for ease of use & lack of mess/stink, but the thing i hate about enamelly type paints is that there's no depth to the finish. it's kind of stickyback plastic finish.

i messed around with oil paints during my art student days, & i know that once you get a few layers of varnish on they can give the impresion of some depth & luminosity. maybe i will dig them out & have a play around on some scrap wood over the summer.
& i also have some fine grade make-up glitter (for face & nails) that i can work into the mix.
ok, back to the lab...

ps. if you want to throw any reliable paint & varnish (non-stink) brand names to try at me, by all means throw. shellac is on my list of maybes for one, i think.

WezV

I used to get good gloss results brushing on rusting plastic coating with a lacquer brush.  Haven’t needed to bother in well over a decade but it basically involved a lot of sanding between coats.  It is very fumey though.

you do get some water based lacquers that might be better in doors.

they won’t give you metallic.  You can do a glitter sprinkle on a wet coat and pile on more lacquer, but that is a very different look

nothing is out the question though.  Caparison do a horrible rag-rolled finish

if you you want to get inventive you can use pretty much anything... doesn’t have to look like it came from a factory.

GoldenEraGuitars

For metal flake I would advise a compressor, a dedicated HVLP gun and a spray booth.

Attempting it any other way is futile. 

Corvus

It's worth pricing up having it done @vale. I know someone who does flake if you're interested, he's in Cornwall and not majorly pricey. If you wanted purple he might have some left, he's just done his beach buggy and a Tele in it. Not as much fun as DIY and the guitar might not be great for posting, but a bolt-on style body's easy to send.

paulnb57

I cam't help but think that rolling or brushing will be a disaster, if you can't spray I cant feasibly see how you can sand without mucho dust round the homestead, if it were me I'd go with a stain and oil finish and save the sparkle for another project.......you could get up an hour early, apply oil, hang in a room with an open window, the fumes will be pretty much gone when you get home from work/school/burgling.....repeat as necessary......very little mess and a very good chance of a decent result....

vale

Corvus said:

It's worth pricing up having it done @vale. I know someone who does flake if you're interested, he's in Cornwall and not majorly pricey. If you wanted purple he might have some left, he's just done his beach buggy and a Tele in it. Not as much fun as DIY and the guitar might not be great for posting, but a bolt-on style body's easy to send.

thanks for the suggestion @Corvus will pm you re spray person.
it's just a budget body & neck kit i'm toying with, but if i decide to do it & it comes out great then even just getting the front body face properly finished & the rest 'amateur black' may make it presentable. finish is usually the achilles heel that makes even great kitchen worktop builds still look like kitchen worktop builds.

thanks @paulnb57
i am not really into natural wood & stain finishes. i've seen some smart results achieved with them across the forum but not my look really. i'm either black or 1980s bright palette, especially the pinks, reds, purples.

re sanding, i was thinking wet&dry paper for wet sanding in the bathroom (even in the bath) might contain that side. i've also got a charles hoover that sucks wet, so i could atomise floor & vacuum up when finished. maybe a crazy idea. maybe i will experiment on scrap wood over the summer & see what happens (re all aspects of process).

Jez6345789

Hi
i think it will be very hard to do metal flake in a small apartment without fumes, mess etc.

In way of product as said can get a good gloss with plasticoat from Rustins by hand if you have paitience. I did guitars in the bathroom with that and a gloss brush but wear a mask if you get migraines.

i did recently see Northwest Guitars are advertising an easy to use water based lacquer, formulated for easy hand application not used it yet but may try it at some stage to see if it’s an option for those of us can’t spray.

poopot

@vale  b&q do a clear lacquer with sparkles in it. 





As for spraying, in this weather the paint will go off quite quickly. Could you possibly go to a park or similar to spray?...

having said that, the stuff from b&q is designed for interior use so if you get a flat base colour you would probably be ok to spray the sparkles indoors without dying of fumes!...

****edit**** just remembered, the kids used the rest of my can of sparkles to tart up some Halloween masks they made and they sprayed those at the kitchen table... so you will be ok to spray inside!.