(Beginner) Satin Red Wine

[Glenn De Loor]

Hello MIMF,

As an amateur guitar builder, I was looking for a place on the internet that united some experienced guitar builders. MIMF really looks like a useful forum for the beginning guitar builder. I really hope some more experienced people can help me out. I also hope that my post is 'complete' enough to sketch my situation and needs.

So, the thing is...
I recently bought a DIY guitar kit. It's a mahogany flying V guitar, and I really like the looks of it. As mentioned before, I am a complete beginner at this kind of stuff. My question is about getting help to paint it.

The guitar I'm basing it all on:
http://static.musicbusiness.fr/media/ca ... -red-3.jpg
http://static.musicbusiness.fr/media/ca ... -red-1.jpg


As you can see, the guitar has a Satin Red Wine finish. My dream guitar is a flying V with the same finish. Therefore, I'd like some help and information on how I should paint and finish my guitar exactly like it. Does anyone here have any experience with this kind of work? Is it hard for a beginner, or rather doable?

I appreciate ANY kind of help or response I get, people.
Thanks!

[Barry Daniels]

Do you have spray equipment?

[Glenn De Loor]

Do you have spray equipment?

Not exactly.
Is it impossible to do without professional spray equipment?

[Barry Daniels]

You might be able to do this with rattle cans that contain lacquers and stains specially formulated for guitars. Check with Stew-Mac and ReRanch.

[Glenn De Loor]

You might be able to do this with rattle cans that contain lacquers and stains specially formulated for guitars. Check with Stew-Mac and ReRanch.

Aight, seems like a good place to get supplies Thanks!

I'm in need of more help though.

[Michael Lewis]

First you need to know about finish work. I suggest you begin by reading what you can find in the LIBRARY.

The specific color is unimportant at this point until you know what to use and how to use it. What I'm saying is you need to understand the process first, THEN get your colors and practice doing the finish. The style of finish you have chosen is a transparent color, and this can be problematic for a beginner until you gain some skill in applying the finish evenly. The issue with transparent colored finish is it shows darker where it is thicker, and consequently lighter where it is thinner.

What medium are you going to use? Nitrocellulose lacquer is the "traditional" stuff, but there are other finishes like oil varnish, water based lacquer, water based varnish, polyurethane, polyester, catalyzed lacquer, etc.

One way is to spray the color on the wood and then add coats of clear finish over that.

A satin finish will generally wear shiny areas where it gets rubbed and touched. This is a difficult finish to keep looking 'satin', and it's much easier to keep a gloss finish looking good.

Probably the easiest finish for a beginner is a rubbed oil varnish like TruOil gun stock finish. It takes many many coats but makes a decent finish.

The key is to get the surface absolutely perfect before you apply any finishing material.

[Glenn De Loor]

What medium are you going to use? Nitrocellulose lacquer is the "traditional" stuff, but there are other finishes like oil varnish, water based lacquer, water based varnish, polyurethane, polyester, catalyzed lacquer, etc.

Haven't really bought anything yet. It's my first guitar; I'm a complete beginner

I suggest you begin by reading what you can find in the LIBRARY.

Been browsing it a bit Thanks for the good tips.

[Peter Wilcox]

The key is to get the surface absolutely perfect before you apply any finishing material.

In my limited experience, this is the most crucial, and most difficult, part of finishing.