Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi folks,

I'm about to spray a couple of electric bodies (my first electrics), a Strat and a Tele - and I want to spray the same color as my car on them.

I know that when I spray a clear color on an acoustic, I just build up enough coats and level etc. until I get the proper thickness.
But this is seemingly different.
When you spray raw metal, you use a primer, but I don't think that's the case with solid colors on wood right?
And I suspect that using the color coats as a way to build up the finish could get expensive instead of using a different color like white under the color coats, right?
Then of course clear coats if that's what you want.

So what is the proper base color for a medium blue metallic? If I go to a paint store, will they be able to advise me?

Is the "metallic" part of the paint something that you add or do they add it?

Also, what would be the proper (approximate) number of coats for base, color, and clear coats?

Any advice from you folks would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Don

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Yes, your paint store SHOULD advise you.

Paint doesn't know what is going on - that's why there isn't car paint, and guitar paint, and so on. Instead of primer, you will use a sealer (and possibly a grain filler), then once the guitar is smooth and sealed you would apply the blue metallic.

If it's a candy color, you would apply a silver metallic base coat, and then the blue tinted color coat. Once the desired blue was applied, you would then apply sufficient clear coats. Of course, sanding every couple coats would be the norm.

Again, your paint supplier should advise you correctly. That's where I learned all my painting info years ago.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

the 'problem' you are going to have with seeking advice from your paint supplier is that the odds of them knowing squat about use of their products on a guitar approaches 0%. they WILL (hopefully...I've gotten both good and terrible advice from suppliers...in fact the best advice I ever got was from a customer in the store who refuted the idiot behind the counter, gave good advice and backed it up with the logic behind it all) be able to give basic methodology of required layering to get candy/3 stage finishes and recommend a compatible primer system (the longest lasting smooth painted finish I've ever done was my pine wood derby car from over 40 years ago...2 part epoxy primer and AeroGloss as the color coats...still glass smooth all this time later).

I'd contact Brian Howard and pick his brain for specifics on color coating (IIRC he uses automotive finishes)

Second on getting in touch with Brian Howard. This subject is his world. I do know you can use automotive paint on guitars.

Don, if you want to drop me a line, I can get you moving in a good direction. The biggest hurdle you are going to experience is finding a clear coat that you are comfortable with that is compatible with the automotive base coat that you choose and yes, there is a big difference in automotive base coat/clear coat systems and wood finishes.

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jw ( o)===:::

Well, great advice by all. I went to the paint store this morning and bought a pint of the paint, along with reducer and a quart of clear-coat and it's required hardener. Fortunately, the guy behind the counter has helped other guitar guys, and had a clue. Oddly enough, he recommended epoxy as a base for the paint (a PPG product) and knew that it had been done successfully by some other builders.
Oh - the paint and clear coat are the same brand and are made to work with each other. But apparently there are some time constraints you have to work within in order to get the clear-coat to bond properly with the color coats. Yikes! Finicky stuff...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Don, before you start shooting let me tell you what a good friend told me. He is one of the best custom motorcycle painters in the world, he has traded paint jobs for vintage guitars (to give you an idea of his prices). Here is a page from his web site, there are a few guitar shown

http://www.trickpaint.com/galleries/helmets.shtml

What he told me he uses is two part automotive finishes, starting with the recommended primer, then color, any of his air brushed graphics and catalyzed clear. He shoots in a full spray booth with a good respirator. He always stays with one brand thru all of the steps and follows the manufacturers recommendations completely. That means pressure, nozzle size, all of those little tricks.

It was interesting that when I built him a guitar he wanted to do the finish - a clown burst in amber and red nitro. He said learning to shoot the nitro was like starting over. Obviously practice with anything that you decide to use, but if you know a hot rod or motorcycle painter it would be worth talking to them.

Agreed! In fact, a good friend has done a lot of that type of work over the years. There is also a guy in the area who is pretty good with guitar finishes who I'm going to talk with as well.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

My ex-paint supplier didn't know the difference between nitro cellulose and pre-catalyzed nitro cellulose. I never trust the people standing behind the counter to give me good advice. Most of them are a third my age or less and have never had a spray gun in their hand.

You weren't buying at Lowe's or Home Depot, were you?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Brilliant..!

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."