Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

[zeegler]

I will be trying my hand at a camo graphic, and could use some advice from anyone with experience.

First off, let's assume this is a winter camo. Should I start by laying down a base of white over the whole guitar, and then add my grey patches, and finally my black?

What is the best way to do the grey and black areas? Should I mask using masking tape, or would it be best to paint it by hand with a brush?

If I use masking tape or some other method to mask off the areas I'm not painting, will I get ridges at the edges of the painted area? If so, how do I get rid of them?

[deviltronix]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Always start with the lightest color and then gradually darker. I used automotive masking tape (blue) that I cut with scissors to sculpt the lines like in camo or a bengal. Never had a problem with ridges, because you will be sanding the paint before the clearcoat. (400 - 800 grit).

<br><br>I don't know how experienced you are so forgive me if I am telling you stuff you allready know, but it is almost impossible to not get a good paint job if you put the time in and sand properly.

Once all my colors are down, I start with 400 then move on to 600 & finally 800 to even out the finish and any imperfections. Then I polish the shit out of it with 3M Finess It II. The colors will look flat and dull, but your clearcoat will bring it back to life. The 3M Finess It II is a miracle product for home painting.. I wouldn't dream of doing any finish without it. When you do your final clearcoat, sand from 400 - 2000 and then spend alot of time with the Finess it. It will look great.


BTW, all sanding above should be WET SANDING.

Rich

[deviltronix]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

OH yeah.. don't use a brush. Use the spray cans. Don't worry about drips, dust or Orange peel. You will sand all that out.

Rich

[zeegler]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Thanks Rich. One more question. How many coats should I do of the grey and black colours to ensure that I dont sand through them?

[desmauler]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

what style guitar are you doing this job on?

[zeegler]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Originally posted by desmauler:
what style guitar are you doing this job on?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">What difference does that make? [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] It's a secret [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[deviltronix]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

This is a good question. I am always afraid of this so I go way overboard with at least 8 coats. I can never judge beforehand, so I make sure I'm not gonna sand through by making it really thick.

Rich

Thanks Rich. One more question. How many coats should I do of the grey and black colours to ensure that I dont sand through them?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[KongaMan]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

You know, if your camo job is that good, you'll never find your guitar again. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[zeegler]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Originally posted by KongaMan:
You know, if your camo job is that good, you'll never find your guitar again. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">6 posts, and already he thinks he's a comedian. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[deviltronix]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Also, try to stick with same brand for all colors and clear coat. I recommend against using Nitro, because it takes awhile to fully dry and be reading for sanding.

Rich

[slash]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

This is good stuff [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] What brand of spray paint do you recommend?

[zeegler]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

I was going to do it flat or satin finish originally, but after seeing your Gunslinger Rich, I just might clearcoat it after all.

[deviltronix]

Re: Painting question - specifically: camouflage.

Slash: I recommend Plasti-kote because they have a huge line of colors available at any pep boys. They even have a clearcoat with metal flake in it, so you can metal flake colors that don't come like that. For Nitro paint, I recommend reranch. Good stuff, and they're sanding pack is cheap and the perfect grits.


Zeegler: Go for it man!! Would love to see another camo around here. I always recommend clear coating a home job. This way you can sand the solid colors to your hearts content, and not have to worry about their appearance. As long as the clear looks good, the colors are gonna look good.

BTW, I rarely paint bodies anymore. IT takes me 3 weeks to paint a headstock because of how anal I am so you can imagine how long a body takes me. I've got 3 stripped bodies right now waiting for me to get ambitious.

I also recommend building a cheap jig so you can paint the body horizontally, and rotate it.

Rich