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I've noticed lately that my finishes are getting thicker and thicker. I think it is because of the new spray gun. It lays down a nice coat with no runs. That means less sanding and the coat stays thick. Maybe I should be spraying less coats. (old habits are hard to break)

On the top I just did I measured .012". That sounds heavy to me.

What do you shoot for on your guitars?

I use KTM 9 whick should be about the same thickness as Nitro.

Thanks for the reply

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

You want to aim for under 0.005" on the top - personally, I would try and get about 0.003". The back can go a few thousands more and the sides and neck really don't matter a great deal. But 0.012" is definitely to thick - I would do some heavy leveling if you can and try and get the finish thickness at least half of what you currently have.

Best of Luck!!!

Agree with simon,.012 much to thick for top.here we try for no thicker then .005 on new finish.That will thin out a bit more with age but have never tried to measure. Besides being bad for tone,too thick a finish will chip easier. Thin more or fewer coats.

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Sounds like it's back to the sand paper for me

Thanks for the info

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Joe, I spray spray on .006ish of smooth coats prior to sanding flat. I hit the edges with a little extra however. I measure at the sound hole with a mic. I finish out at .004-.005 near as I can tell.
.012 is too thick IMO

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Well, I'm not as bad off as I thought. Seems that I miss read the caliper. I forgot to reset the zero when I used the bottom feeler gauge thing. Once I set the dial to zero it now reads from .07 to .08 around the bridge and .05 to .06 at the fingerboard extension. Time it finishes curing and I sand it out I'm thinking it will be a little heavy but all right.

Thanks guys for the reality check. I'll go a few less coats next time.

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust