I just got back from my local car painter, and found out they want to paint my Strat in water-based automotive paint. How does this compare to nitro? The color is sonic blue.
I specified nitrocellulose lacquer when I dropped the body off almost a month back, and I assumed they'd been painting it all this time. I went to pick it up today and told me they'd ordered the wrong color (some new and nasty dark sonic blue). When the guy told me they could still have it ready tomorrow or Monday, the alarm bells went off.
So, do I pull the project? Or is this water-based paint the same, or close enough? It's the kind that needs a clear coat, and they use heat to cure it faster. You all know why I wanted nitro - I want it to age and wear off. Does water-based paint do that?
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https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HEdMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=fender+water-based+paint&source=bl&ots=TWO44-m15I&sig=BNS2JBReW5GdwhrtG8A1qd2p88w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjA2dChtL7YAhXoLMAKHe5PBPIQ6AEISDAH#v=onepage&q=fender water-based paint&f=false
Waterbase paint is used in car production because of solvent regs - but it still needs a catalysed clear coat over the top, aka urethane, catalysed urethane, two-pack, 2k.
So no it won't wear like nitro because it has the tough clear over it, like cars and some guitars. Under a 2k clearcoat it's no different to 1k, at least until you chip the clear off and spill your beer on the colour coat.
It has some advantages over 1k acrylic (solvent base) - it has no fixed open time i.e. you can clearcoat it any time. 1k has a set time window after which adhesion is poor. It does soak up the clear. It's a bit odd to spray, you have to start easy, and needs heat & air movement to dry.
One interesting point -- they use a 60˚C oven to accelerate drying/curing. The body is ready for polishing after a few hours. I guess they know their business, but it seems too good to be true.
its true that it will work fine on a car body.
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at the end of the day, just make sure they will fix it if it goes wrong
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Oops
These were automotive paints, so you've gone to the right place!
They do nice water based lacquer these days, nitro is nasty stuff to work with.
Sure, they have the right skillset to get started. The only car sprayers i have known who do good guitar finishes are those who know a bit about guitars. The main issue seems to be many have not done wood before,and most have not done something as small and complicatedly shaped as a guitar.
Even Fender had quite a learning curve with spraying wood -Fullerplast solved a lot of issues for them
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• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
Sounds like the fellas doing the op's guitar know what they're doing mind you.
I should find find out soon enough whether they’re up to the task. The place does a lot of custom car and airbrush work, which is why I picked it. It’s here:
http://www.lackebilly.de/
I won’t be buying an unfinished body again unless I plan to finish it myself, though. It’s a real pain in the arse to find anyone local to do it. In future I’ll order a nitro-finished body off someone here. I’ve seen a few folks whose work looks amazing.
Anyone remember the sprayer who turned up in the late days of music radar offering to do any colour for about £50?
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