Official Luthiers Forum!

As I delve ever so deep in this beloved craft I keep coming up with small
solutions to solve.

I am currently building a workshop in my basement. I will have basically
everything I need with the exception of a spray booth.
Living in a residential neighborhood I don't think it's even an option.
My question is, are there any among us who have someone else do their
finish work?

I have a nephew who is an awesome automotive painter. Does that seem
like a viable option to have him do my clearcoat?

Is there someone here in Michigan that you know of who would do the
finish and do a good job?

Thanks

_________________
Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

Chris, yes there are folks who sub out the finish. I think right there in MI.(Lance and folks use him). May be Tony Vines, but not sure. One thing in thinking of sub out, what is your goal, pro, hobbyist etc. $400 or whatever bucks a guitar can be expensive, particularly if a hobby, but that is one's own choice.

I have and know folks who spray in residential area, even nitro and know one really knows. would want to check out ordinance and rules etc.

Spray or brush on waterborne lacquer, poly's, french polishing are possible other approaches. Still use mask and other precautions on whatever you use.

If nephew has shop, maybe you could use your own gun and products and do srpaying in his shop. It would by business standard setup and maybe less dangerous, particularly if using nitro. He could help you with setup and do it when he isn't working.

I also think one should learn and do finish work, and all other stages of building everything (except possible hardware those sort of things, but that may be another topic at another time). It is part of building. Once can do it all well and just for some reason don't want to, then sub out. This is just my own opinion.   

Look at all your options of differing finish's and go for it.

I still think using nephew shop if he would allow it and learning the process is the best. Lots of books and articles on doing it. You would have the gear and someone who understand finish. Note though difference between auto and guitar finish. Bet nephew could look at books and articles and have it down in no time. Practice on some stuff stan thomison39039.6833101852

What Stan said, all good advice and food for thought, there are so many ways of dealing with this, in the end, it's your decision based on whatever suits your needs and what you can afford or want to learn.... i also agree that for your first instrument, you should tackle finishing as well as everything else..

GOOD LUCK!

I will be doing all the work, including finishing and carving my neck on the
first as I am currently using my instructors shop.

As I venture off on my own there will be certain things I will have to have
done for me such as thickness sanding. I also plan on using John Watkins
necks on future builds.

My shop at home will be in my basement and I don't know if it's safe to be
spraying laquer but perhaps there's a safer product out there with equivalent
results?

_________________
Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

Chris,
I live in a little neighborhood on my .25 acre lot, 20 feet from my neighbor and I spray waterbase lacquer for my guitars. You can do it at home. The waterbase lacquers are not all that bad compared to nitro and such, you can spray without worrying about hurting anyone around you. Just make sure you wear a mask.
Go for it.

Homeboy

[QUOTE=Homeboy] Chris,
I live in a little neighborhood on my .25 acre lot, 20 feet from my
neighbor and I spray waterbase lacquer for my guitars. You can do it at
home. The waterbase lacquers are not all that bad compared to nitro and
such, you can spray without worrying about hurting anyone around you.
Just make sure you wear a mask.
Go for it.

Homeboy[/QUOTE]

Homeboy,

Thanks for the tip.
Is it safe for my family inside the house though? I don't really want finish
fumes permeating throughout our living quarters. My little basement
shop will soon be enclosed but only 12' x 15' roughly so it will be a little
cramped.

Thanks

_________________
Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

I guess it is Tony Ferguson sorry. In the shop I am at, it is the basement of family home,in a regular nieghborhood. Over 30 guitars plus repairs etc. a year are built and then sprayed in the booth. Spray nitro only. You cannot smell it nor are there fumes that saturate the home. It is well built and a good exhaust fan and vetilation. Not real high tech or beyond what anyone can do. Regular walls and thick glass window seperate the spray room and rest of shop. Nieghbors know spraying is done, they have never from what I know ever complained and can't smell it outside. Do it right with good exhaust and vetilation no problem. One just has to know how much they are going to do, again pro, hobby and how many a year. A person like Serge noted has knowledge of what they want or can spend and go from there. I think the home booth works, and go that way, but not inexpensive to get it built. Pays for itself once, guitars sold and not paying for it to be done. That is me though. I would rather spend the money on other tools, woods and what need to build the guitars. Others find for health and other reasons better to sub it. Whatever works for you is what you need to do.stan thomison39039.942349537

I would not spray inside the house. I always spray outside off of my back porch. Maybe won't work in the dead of winter. I spray my guitars outside then bring them inside to dry. There is not much smell with bringing the guitars inside (this from someone who can not smell all that well, but my wife doesnt complain.


Homeboy

[QUOTE=stan thomison] I guess it is Tony Ferguson sorry. In the shop I
am at, it is the basement of family home,in a regular nieghborhood. Over
30 guitars plus repairs etc. a year are built and then sprayed in the booth.
Spray nitro only. You cannot smell it nor are there fumes that saturate the
home. It is well built and a good exhaust fan and vetilation. Not real high
tech or beyond what anyone can do. Regular walls and thick glass window
seperate the spray room and rest of shop. Nieghbors know spraying is
done, they have never from what I know ever complained and can't smell
it outside. Do it right with good exhaust and vetilation no problem. One
just has to know how much they are going to do, again pro, hobby and
how many a year. A person like Serge noted has knowledge of what they
want or can spend and go from there. I think the home booth works, and
go that way, but not inexpensive to get it built. Pays for itself once,
guitars sold and not paying for it to be done. That is me though. I would
rather spend the money on other tools, woods and what need to build the
guitars. Others find for health and other reasons better to sub it.
Whatever works for you is what you need to do.[/QUOTE]

Stan
Do you have a pic of your spray booth you could post or some directions
on building one?

Thanks,
Chris

_________________
Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

Hesh,
I hear ya buddy. Nitro is bad stuff. All of my posts on this guy only apply to waterbased lacquer. I would have to have a proper spraybooth to even consider nitro. Thanks for the reminder.

Homeboy

Hesh and others are right, spraying nitro, but for that matter, anything can be dangerous. One must have all the necessary equipment, and take the proper precautions. I assumed when said ventilation, all would know I meant that. I forgot the assume rule.
I was also looking at it on a economic basis also.

Spraying nitro, if doing all the above is no more dangerous to people, environment, or anything else at home in a nieghborhood, in commercial area, out in the country wherever. Tony and others spray somewhere, they just do what it takes to do it right and safe as possible.

I think it depends on what one is doing. If building a few a year, and want to spend the money to sub it, that is up to them. Same if a person wants to do it at home and save those funds for other things. Same for business builders, they may upcharge the client for the service, or work it out some other way.

To me if building 5-15 guitars a year, and not selling them, but donating, giving to relatives, keeping them, whatever, and this is a hobby,that turns out to be a lot of money. This is just based on the $400.00 I have seen as a standard fee (this may be higher or lower, just based on hearsay, and what seen) for subbing out, and no return on the money. If one can afford that, great, go for it. For that money though, one could build a really, really good booth with the proper equipment and precautions. Point is what are your goals in the long term, and what are you willing to spend on finish work.

As far as spraying in home, I can only go by my experience. Over the last bunch of years, the shop I am at now (not been there all the years) there have been several hundred guitars built, repaired and other things sprayed in our booth. Nitro is what is sprayed on instruments. The boss and myself, are in the camp that thinks it is the best of finish, for various reasons. The booth has the proper ventilation equpiment, fire precausions the whole thing. Time and money was put in doing it right. But less money than would have been spent subbing it out. Do the math. Hardly ever if at all is the smell outside the booth. We may at times open a window, but we do that for lots of reasons anyway. the nieghbors have been told and asked if ever a problem, let the boss know. Not one nieghbor has complained and when asked never knew when sparying was going on. We have most of the time 5-10 guitars in the booth. Like said, wherever, or whatever one sprays or finishes, the fumes go somewhere and then dissipated in envionment.

There is the issue also, some just don't know how to spray and don't want to learn, or they are not good at it and don't want to get better. I am in the camp that says learn and do it and learn to do it well. If then for health or other issues ensue while learning no matter what materials are used, then sub it out. Most can do some sort of finish without health issues though.stan thomison39040.7362268519

I've sprayed nitro both indoors as well as outside with success. Indoors without the proper setup is dangerous and unhealthy. As an alternative, I've sprayed and brushed 2 waterborne finishes successfully as well as doing one guitar in French polish.

After looking at the alternatives, I feel that nitro is my best option. One possibility that I will now explore is to contact local body shops to see if they will allow for me to use their spray booth and spray with my equipment and my nitro. I'm assuming the following protocol:
1) spray 6 coats in one day
2) cure in my home for 2 weeks
3) drop fill and wet sand to level
4) Spray 6 more coats at the body shop
5) cure out for 4 weeks
6) final wet sand and buff

If anyone has some suggestions when talking to body shop owners, I'd appreciate the feedback. Of course, I plan to pay them for their consideration...I just don't know what amount would be appropriate.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com