where (or how) can i get a project guitar body sprayed in the uk that won't cost a mint?

tabbycat

this place is seriously giving me the building itch. seriously. every day another interesting project goes up.

i have been collecting images of interesting guitars (usually retro-weirdness or stuff generally unavailable) and drawing sketches on envelopes of my ideas for a fantasy build for ages. which is probably how most here started.

i think i have (just about) the basic woodworking skills and tools to be able to have a good stab at a body. the confidence is there too, more or less. but the finishing is the sticking point for me as far as actually starting something goes.
as i live in a not huge rented flat with no outside space i am very much limited to what i can do in my kitchen, as it is the only uncarpeted room. spraypainting isn't going to happen. i tried spraying a stomp box last summer and it stunk out the kitchen (eating and food prep place) for days. and no matter how hard i tried to do everything in a big sealed box, whisps of spray were getting out. so i abandoned the idea.

i could leave a wood finish and just polish, but my main guitar is plain wood so am after something different. i have a squire jag bass that is just plain gloss black. i like that a lot and would be happy with just a basic black or white standard finish, it doesn't have to be flake or distrssed etc.

so i'm wondering what the options are re getting it done. pro luthiers are going to be way over what i can budget for. but could i take it to a car spraying place or somwhere similar on an industrial estate (we have one near here) where they could do it a basic black or white when spraying whatever, cars, office furniture, fridges, etc?

getting a good finish seems to be the stick in the spokes for me re getting going. do any builders out there have any original or interesting ideas about how to get around this one?

btw what is the going rate for a basic luthier respray if the body is prepped in advance?

thanks for any suggestions.

Nomad

Why not use a dark stain and (lots of layers of) finishing oil?

No spray painting, no minging chemicals.

Sporky

I had a car painter spray one of mine - it was a disaster. They didn't use a primer so after a couple of days is all started peeling off, but some of it had stuck so it ended up taking me ten hours or so to finish removing it.

I'd pay someone who knew what they were up to.

PVO_Dave

Well worth dropping @lamf68 a message, well known on here for excellent spray work at a very reasonable cost.

My latest project is winging its way to him tomorrow

paulnb57

Do it yourself with rattlecans outside your front door....A piece of 2x1 scrap wood held by a couple of woodscrews through the neck screw holes acts as something to hold on to, a cup hook in the end to hang it up to dry from the spare room curtain rail, nip out, spray a light coat, go in and hang it up to dry, repeat as necessary, if you dont mind a non gloss finish, I highly rate Halfords Satin Black, sprayed straight onto the wood, no primer, no sealer and sinks into the grain a bit....

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/908fa603-0ed1-410d-ae17-be33523b3ee0_zps459c7248.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/imagejpg3_zps6eb1d061.jpg

TTony

Another recommendation for @lamf from me.

Or, take a look at Wudtone for more diy options that would be do-able in the kitchen.  That's how I graduated from plain oil finishes to coloured finishes.  I'll re-post some pics of the outcomes if you're interested.

impmann

I've got two Wudtone 'd guitars. Really nice, non tacky, "organic" feeling to the wood. Nothing like a thick poly finish from a factory, though. Depends on what you want

AustrianJohn

Nomad said:

Why not use a dark stain and (lots of layers of) finishing oil?

No spray painting, no minging chemicals.

Wot he said. Stain plus oil (I use Tru Oil) is easy and gives a great finish. If it's a nice piece of wood the stain let's that show through. Also, washing the stain off after a couple of hours can work well if the wood is interesting.

underdog

I'd go with @lamf68 his work is sickeningly good so get in there before he finally realised he doesn't charge anywhere near enough for his work

tabbycat

thanks all who recommended @lamf68. have seen some of his finishing here and his work looks stunningly good. will definitely pm him (it's Rich, isn't it?) later tonight. from the feedback circulating in this thread it sounds as if fretboard should gang up and get him on a retainer as 'in-house finish-meister to the stars'. x finishes a week, names on the list, get in an orderly queue, type thing. so he is now first on my to-call-on list.

thanks for the feedback re the various wood or grain showing finishes mentioned too. have seriously considered oiling and varnishing (hadn't heard of wudtone before). @TTony would like to see the builds you mentioned.
i think i will keep all those ideas in my back pocket for the future. it's good to know what is out there though. @paulnb57 that's pretty damn impressive for cans on a doorstep. that block with visible grain is very 80s. my experience with cans never got further than spraying bmxs badly when i was still at school. always looked rubbish.

as my main player (hayman) is blonde wood (it has grain though people think obeche doesn't) i am really thinking about something completely the opposite for a second guitar. thick shiny black poly equivalent. high gloss black or white and no grain. and on a cheeky point, i think it will also help hide any (ok, 'all') the mistakes i make on a first build, holes in wrong places, chipout, etc. it's a forgive-all type of finish. i will think of the woodwork as the slog and the learning for this one, and the outsourced finish, depending on affordability, as the reward to myself for getting that far.

i haven't decided on wood yet. i have two tele sized blocks of obeche doing nothing (bought to make back-up hayman body clones) but might go for something darker to contrast the feel and weight of what i have. though am wary of going too hard as workability may become a big issue.

thanks for your thoughts all.

Sambostar

Trick is to grain fill/seal with Z-poxy first.

Shellac is the best, you can even eat it.

tabbycat

Sambostar said:

Trick is to grain fill/seal with Z-poxy first.

Shellac is the best, you can even eat it.

thanks for the tip, sambostar. have used shellac before (beetle shells?) when i worked in a theatre. we used it to stick dutch leaf squares to wood to gold things up. i like the non-toxic options as i don't cope very well with fumey things. am a martyr to terminal migraines so try to stay well away.

Sambostar

I use it all the time now, as I love old 20's 30's furniture.  You can grain fill with it.  You can wet sand it with white spirit, you can us cutting compound on it and a orbital polisher. Cklean it with white spirit.  Revive it with Meths (Alcohol), thin it with meths for a final wipe sheen after sanding so it doesn't get instantly sticky for a lesser build.  There isn't anything you can't do, it's so forgiving and completely safe, apart from the stuff they add to make meths and if you are really tuned it and practiced, all you need is cotton wool and a decent lint free rag to go from full grain to perfectly mirror smooth and it sticks over anything.

I don't use it on guitars though, well unless they were acoustic maybe.

I prefer isocyanates.  Pity they banned them.

Don't worry about your pad sticking, just sand it afterwards.  If you make thinner mix later for the final coats, you can get pretty good results.

Corvus

I did a French Polish guitar, my first total finish job, it feels dead nice and has been pretty hard-wearing though has sunk into the grain over the years. Came out well even for a total beginner with no internets for guidance. You need your wood finish to be good, well-sanded etc.

Isocyanates aren't banned S, they're a component in the activator in two-pack. Not something to take chances with health-wise but it's easily available.

Tabbycat two-pack (the normal clearcoat & sometimes colour used on guitars) can be quite forgiving, I reckon that's why some guitars have thick coats; less wood prep. It doesn't need to be laid on thick though. Gloss black shows absolutely every tiny imperfection so you're still best putting the graft into the prep of the body.

Sporky

Sambostar said:

completely safe, apart from the stuff they add to make meths

Methanol is a fair way from completely safe - it's an alcohol, but it's not ethanol. Isopropanol is worse, certainly, but I wouldn't want meths on or in me.

GuitarMonkey

Isopropanol is nowhere near as toxic as methanol.

Sporky

Ah, bugger, got them the wrong way 'round as usual.

Sorry!

Sarge

Sporky;1031369" said:

I wouldn't want meths on or in me.

Still better than buckfast, tastes better too!