Finishing with no spray equipment

[ragamuffin]

I'm in the midst of a spray can finish and so far it's been time consuming but looks great.

This is what 8 coats of clear spray shellac look like on a Swamp Ash body.

No stain. No grain filler. Took one can and just a little bit of another.

Sanded lightly between each coat with 1000 grit paper soaked in water with a few drops of dish soap as a lubricant.

With each coat the color keeps deepening and looking more even.

I'm going to let it sit now or a few days and then spray it with StewMac gloss lacquer.

You might wonder what is keeping the guitar from rubbing on the closet door. There's an apple stuck in the tremolo cavity that's keeping it off of the door.

Looks great!

 

[rauchman]

Thanks for your time and response Ragamuffin - I've decided not to go down the spray route and have opted for a wipe-on polyurethane finish - but that still needs polish ingredients and buffing and I have a 7" rotary car buffer ready. What polishing medium did you use please?

I've used car polishes and they've worked terrific

 

[scottmosesmurray]

I’ll add here… I’m considering paying someone to finish a guitar I’m building with my dad. I want it to look classic, hence the reluctance to do it myself.

I’m considering an open grain pearl finish. I don’t mind paying at all, but I can see the cost of this guitar going up quickly.

Can a super high quality DIY open grain finish be achieved with spray can?

 

[NedRyerson]

Can a super high quality DIY open grain finish be achieved with spray can?

Yes, but....

The "but" is dependent upon prep work and patience. Here's one of my from-scratch Teles with a hardware store blue sparkle spray can paint job (not open-grain, of course but you get the idea).

 

[teleme01]

How bad can you really mess up a body? Its a piece of wood, sand and redo until you are happy. My biggest problem is cat hair

 

[Spud]

Yes, but....

The "but" is dependent upon prep work and patience. Here's one of my from-scratch Teles with a hardware store blue sparkle spray can paint job (not open-grain, of course but you get the idea).

View attachment 61341

Is that bridge a little wonky? The screws look all bent but could be the angle?

 

[rauchman]

How bad can you really mess up a body? Its a piece of wood, sand and redo until you are happy. My biggest problem is cat hair

Everyone of my 3 W's, have a little bit of cat essence from my 3 cats built into them. Yup, can totally relate to this

 

[bagman67]

An apple a day keeps the... door-dings?... away.