Clear-coat finish ... ?

[Jim Shine]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

None of my Jacksons (1983-1992) have a lacquer finish. I would love to see one that is factory.

Anyhow, you CAN use nitro with acrylic if you allow the Duplicolor acrylic a good 2 weeks to a month of curing time before top coating. The fresh paint smell should be totally gone before clearing. The incompatibility between the two finishes is in the retarders. Once the retarder is dried out, they work together 99% of the time.

Another tip. When top coating metallics, NEVER spray a full coat on the uncleared flakes! That will run the flakes and kill the look. You should spray a light mist very dry clear coat to seal the flakes. Infact I prefer to spray 4 or 5 dry coats before going to full clear coats. If you want an extra brilliant finish, spray out a uniform flake layer, seal with dry clear, mist on a very light metallic coat, reseal, and repeat for three coats. This will seperate some flakes from the color coat and let them sparkle as they are suspended in the clear.

[ June 16, 2004, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: Jim Shine ]

[delt]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

hey (: thanks for the advice!

i'm back from 2 hardware stores, both of them recommended that i use an oil-based clear on top of this particular acrylic lacquer - apply the included clear first, allow it to dry completely, then several layers of oil-based clear coat.

and i think the main problem i'm having is adherence of the entire finish to the guitar's surface. I sanded off (most of) the original paint, but left the white primer/sealer underneath. Some bare wood was showing in a few small areas where i did some heavier modifications. Maybe i should completely sand down the wood and re-seal it, then re-do the paint job..... ?

... and what's a "retarder" ?

[Jim Shine]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

The retarders are the chemicals used in the finish that control the way the paint goes on and cures. As an example, most do-it-yourself paints made for the regular guy has a formula that allows the paint to go on smoother and dry faster to the touch. However, that formula doesn't dry completely in a fast time. It takes much longer.

If the finish is not smooth right now, go ahead and strip it. If you sand into metallic flakes and try to recoat them with new flakes, you can get some crinkling of the finish. Take it down to the old primer, seal it with some polyurethane. Wetsand after a few coats with 220. Retop with two more poly coats. Spray one coat every three hours. Allow that to dry a week, scuff sand with 400 and start your finishing like before. If you are using Duplicolor again for the flakes, spray on light mists of the metallic and allow a few hours between covering coats. After the flakes are on, allow them some solid curing time before topcoating.

Before I started spraying guitars as a job, I did them for myself and friends with spray bombs. At the end they became just as good as my spray gun finishes. It just took alot of patience as the spray can grades always need more drying time. Another thing I learned is because all of the thinner used in a spray can to get it to spray out of the tip, you need to figure one shot with the spray gun of lacquer equals about 3 shots of the spray bomb.

[delt]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

> If the finish is not smooth right now, go ahead and strip it.

it would be smooth if i sanded it..... ?

polyurethane sealer/primer, right? then duplicolor basecoat and flip flop, then clear coat - what should i use as clear coat, which was my question to begin with... ?

thanks for your help, man!!

[Rikrok]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

Just use the clear that goes with it. It does dry to touch but will scratch easy(as with all lacquers). It is also very forgiving as if ya scratch it..you can just buff it out. Pics of the guitar I told you about are on the way. They are old pics, but all I can do till I figure out the new cam!

Rik

[Jim Shine]

Re: Clear-coat finish ... ?

No problem. The reason I didn't suggest sanding is because for some reason sanded metallic flakes often crinkle when oversprayed with new flakes. I didn't want to suggest spraying over sanded flakes and for you to have an issue arise and get pissed at me.