Done with guitars

J

jond4

Junior Member
Messages
51
Hey all, just wanted to drop in and say thanks for the help I received here during the times my warmoth builds didn't go so well. I truly appreciated that.

But, this weekend I was trying for the first time the solarez 'i can't believe it's not lacquer' product on a warmoth body  and I didn't know you can't use that over paint (nor does their website say it's incompatible) and it utterly ruined an $80 house of kolor paint job. I was frustrated to say the least, wrote them and said so. Which is something I never do.

And they were assho*** in their reply to me, first sentence to me was 'who in the world uses lacquer over paint'. And it went downhill from there.

And ya know, that's all I ever got in all the guitar groups, snide remarks and the like. So I'm through, no more guitars.

But you guys were nice here and I wanted to say so.

Thanks,
Jon

 
If you're good for lacquer you can be good what color underneath it take a look at Mohawk refinishing on the web.
 
They were correct, but they didn't have to be harsh. It's not the end of the world. Consider it an education.
 
Don't give up!

BTW, that stuff is pure trash. It ruined two projects of mine, and not parts builds, full builds from scratch with about a hundred hours committed to each. If it only cost you $80 (plus the cost of that crap product) you got off light.

Also, let this thread be a PSA to stay away from "I can't believe it's not lacquer."
 
I can kind of relate, I decided a couple years ago that I was done with (or at least taking a nice long break from) doing finish work after a couple of near disasters. But don’t let a bad procedural experience or a snide e-mail drag you away from the parts of this hobby that you enjoy.
 
It seems disheartening right now but don't be a stranger. Keep looking in. When you're ready to tackle another one (here's hoping you do) we'll be here for support. Heck, we've all paid for some lessons along the way, you didn't invent anything new, there. I'm about to start correcting one myself.
 
Well if you really are done then that is your decision.

Step back from it for a while and if it is something you want to do. Then ask questions on here, do research, and for finishes, there is always scrap wood to test on before committing.

And, if you still want to assemble guitars but find finishing is not your thing, farm it out or get a finished body.
 
I know it sucks, but finishes can be sanded off and started over.  Not the end of the world.  You can do it yourself.  First neck I would do maple with nothing but tru-oil.
Second neck, I would do with dye with top coat of tru-oil, maple neck, rosewood fretboard.
Third neck, clear mahogany filling in the pores
Just keep going and getting progressively difficult.
It can be done!
Or no finish, just get an exotic neck.
It'll be alright, just need time to regroup.
 
jond4 said:
And they were assho*** in their reply to me, first sentence to me was 'who in the world uses lacquer over paint'.
Click to expand...

https://www.reranch.com/products.htm

Isn't it very common to apply some clear coats of lacquer over lacquer based paint?

I was refinishing an old Strat of mine and was originally planning on doing just that (Ocean Turquoise), but the wood under the old paint was nice enough that I chose a stain instead.


That said. DON'T quit something because of a failure.

Failure is just as good (if not better) a learning experience as success.

I was an art major in college. One thing professors would say is the worst thing that can happen to students is early success--as later failures (which WILL happen) become more devastating.

Sounds like everything that happened is reversible (except the loss of $$ and time).
 
Yo, I think my homie Samuel Beckett said it best:

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Now that's a dank nug of knowledge.
 
Hey all, thank you very much for the positive replies. I'm feeling better about it now (not as defeated as earlier) I talked with my wife and she also said don't quit, step back and think about what's been going wrong and fix that stuff and that I should at least get this one completed since I have all the parts for it already.

Yes, $80 isn't much but it was just the recent step backwards, this is the second time I'm sanding it back and really at a total of $120 worth of paint, plus that solarez crap was $40 (I threw it away).

I had been trying to use the house of kolor aerosol cans and they are expensive but the color is super nice. But, they are still aerosol and are limited in those ways. I do have an HLVP spray gun still in the box I got a few months back, it's the $60 one from Harbor Freight but I didn't have a suitable air compressor yet (why I was trying to use aerosol), and have decided I'm picking up a 21 gallon compressor today and will use the spray gun from now on with proper clear coating. Besides, I could use a bigger compressor for other stuff.

I'm also going to call TCP Global and talk to those guys about painting, etc., and no more aerosol cans. I've emailed them and they seem very friendly and willing to help out in that regard.

So, hopefully, fingers crossed I can get this thing painted and looking halfway decent because I'm really just building it for myself but like anyone would, I still want it to look good to me.

At that point afterwards, yes, I'm going to take a break from trying to make guitars (I'll still play them) for the rest of the year and consider it again next January or so. And, yeah....probably will just consider letting Warmoth do the finish work at that point :)

Jon
 
Glad to hear it, Jon. That new compressor should work great. I look forward to seeing what you choose for a finish.
 
Before you drop money on a 21 gal compressor, you may want to do a little more research on the gun you have and its requirements vs. the compressor's ability to satisfy them. I would be very skeptical that a compressor that small could provide as much air as an HVLP gun needs to operate properly. In particular, the The "HV" part of that means "High Volume", which is not something a compressor like that is usually good for.

For example, in my HVLP setup, the air pressure never goes above I think about 4-5 psi, but it supplies that air at 40cfm. That's a LOT of air. Your typical consumer 21 gal unit might be 3-5hp and develop pressures as high as 130psi, but only at 4-5 cfm. In other words, high pressure, low volume, which isn't going to help you much with a gun designed to operate with high volume, low pressure. It'll be air-starved very quickly, and you'll start spitting paint instead of atomizing/spraying it. No fun at all, really.

Most HVLP rigs don't even use a compressor. They use a turbine air supply, sorta like a shop vac running backwards. LOTSA air, but not a great deal of pressure, and no reservoir tank.
 
I should add that given the above, it doesn't mean a traditional HP compressor won't work. They can, and they're good for a lotta things, while HVLP compressors are not, outside of painting and leaf blowing. But, it does mean you need a unit with a much larger air reservoir tank that won't exhaust so quickly when its ports are open.
 
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