How to get a nice thick, shiny finish with minimum facilities?

axisus

OK, just about to get started with my second guitar build. I'm very happy with the aged look that I got on my first guitar, but I'd really like to try and get a nice shiny/polished feel to number two. I have limited facilities, so I'd like to know how to go about it - useful/good tutorials etc. I seem to recall that someone here got a good finish by painting on some kind of varnish first, smoothing it back then spraying afterwards. Does that ring a bell? I'll have to use spray cans rather than compressor for the finish, and my experience with those is that you can't really get a thick coat very well, so I'm hoping that the pre-coat with painted on varnish isn't just my imagination!

Kalimna

Try googling Tru Oil. You can get some spectacular shiny finishes with it, with minimal expenditure.

Adam

axisus

Thanks Adam, but I've used tru oil previously, and it's not really going to get the look I'm hoping for. I'm thinking more of your PRS type glossy finish

Kalimna

Fair enough, but ive certainly seen some PRS style gloss finish using many tru oil coats and buffing. Rather than the open-pore glossy satin normally associated with oils. Cant find a link right now though.

Adam

WezV

I do brushed on sanding sealer before the lacquer tins for my nitro finishes.  I used to use brushed on rustins plastic coating with no spraying at all, that gives a hard gloss finish pretty easily but the fumes are nasty.

love tru-oil as an oil.  Yes you can build it up like lacquer but it's not as hard and takes a lot of coats to get there.

octatonic

My advice is to do one with rattle cans and then get a spray gun.
They aren't that expensive and you will never go back to cans afterwards.

Tip: an old wardrobe can be converted into a spray booth.
Tip: find a tame auto shop that has a spray booth and offer to hire it from them on Sundays or other days when they might be closed.
I'm lucky enough to have one 3 doors up from where we live.

WezV

I'd agree with that actually,  I will try and remember it next time I am ordering paint tins.

i still I'll think I will stick with brushing the sanding sealer on, you can build up coats very quick and sand most of it off again soon after with very little waste.

axisus

WezV said:

I'd agree with that actually,  I will try and remember it next time I am ordering paint tins.

i still I'll think I will stick with brushing the sanding sealer on, you can build up coats very quick and sand most of it off again soon after with very little waste.

What brand of sanding sealer do you use? And what type of varnish over the top?

WezV

"Cellulose sanding sealer" under nitrocellulose lacquer.  I have used at least 3 types of cellulose sanding sealer with the same results.

this one was done with spray can paints and a bottle of sealer from rothko and frost (dartfords brand), i have also used Chesnuts version recently.  it has been done over mahogany without a grainfill.  this means it will carry on sinking in and already has quite a bit since this pic was taken... if you don't want the sunken grain look you must grainfill too on any wood with pores.  This one was levelled and buffed by hand too so it really was the minimum level of equipment







If you want the true PRS finish at home then it is worth looking into Rustins Plastic coating as its a much harder finish than nitro and easier to buff to a really high shine .   It doesn't need sanding sealer, just use it undiluted for the same function.   it still sinks in for the first few weeks but won't carry on the way nitro does   I used this on a lot of my early guitars and a few other users here seem to be getting good results with it

Jez6345789

Hi lots of good suggestions here, I used Rustins Plasticote years ago after reading Melvin Hiscox book where he used it for some of his early guitars. Its pretty good but can look just a little too plasticky at times and you need to keep it to thin coats. 

After visiting the Taylor Guitars factory this year I was very impressed with their UV cure system and wondered if there was anything like this that could be done on an amateur level. As you can really finish a guitar in a single day or less. Having done the Martin Factory last year and seen the productivity gains that Taylor gets and the quality of the finish my interest was piqued.

The only thing I have found so far is this but have not tried Solarez myself yet but it has possibilities. 

https://youtu.be/xgSYSdou7Eo

paulnb57

Wipe on Poly........

WezV

Jez6345789 said:

Hi lots of good suggestions here, I used Rustins Plasticote years ago after reading Melvin Hiscox book where he used it for some of his early guitars. Its pretty good but can look just a little too plasticky at times and you need to keep it to thin coats. 

Why do you mention thin coats?   Obviously its true of any finish, but i would probably say less so for RPC.  I have found it works quite well if applied thickly and quickly over a few days.  I used to brush on a coat every few hours over a few days... just had to be aware of the time between last coat or the day and first of the next.

axisus

Many thank all, some great advice!

TheOtherDennis

I have a kit that I built and finished using Crimson Oil. It's very black indeed (which is what I was after) but as matt as Matt le Blanc. Could I use Rustins on it to get a glossy finish, or would something like Chestnut Lacquer work?

http://www.axminster.co.uk/chestnut-acrylic-lacquer-ax19769