Help! Can someone give me advice on lacquer

[Golgi]

Thanks for reading,
I have a Warmoth semi hollow strat body I'm trying to finish.  I put two coats of regular brushing gloss lacquer on the guitar from home depot.  Now finding out that you should really use intrument specific nitrocellulose or waterbased lacquer,  my question is;  Will the lacquer I put on  have a negative effect on the sound?  Also, If I get the right stuff and finish it will it be O.K.?
Thanks

 

[jackthehack]

What brand of "brushing lacquer" are you using, Deft? I've experimented with both the gloss and satin. The satin seems to work OK, but the gloss has been problematic for me, i.e., if you try to buff/wet sand it to get a "mirror-like" finish, it has a propensity to "lift" off the wood in very small to quarter sized pieces and then you have to strip the whole finish back off to fix it.

 

[Watershed]

Yea, I messed around with some brushing lacquer too.
The body ultimately met with an acetone bath.
I wouldn't loose any sleep over it.
I think the only thing you are out is time.

It won't hurt your tone any, and the body will be fine.
You could probably sand it smooth and spray/finish over that.
Sanding down a body is sort of labor intensive though, so I generally opt for chemical means of removal.
Obviously, try not to inhale the acetone.

 

[-CB-]

I have a Warmoth semi hollow strat body I'm trying to finish.  I put two coats of regular brushing gloss lacquer on the guitar from home depot. 

Home Depot has guitars? 

There are many types of lacquer.  Name the brand and type, and we can fix ya up.

If it was Deft, you can brush on a lot of coats - say six or so.  Then you can let it sit for a few months, or a year.  Then you can level sand it, and buff it out.

Brushing lacquers go on thicker than spray and take FOREVER to get really solid enough to sand out without having "after shrinkage" as it continues to evaporate solvents.

I've got shelves that I lacquered three years ago, and they still give off enough solvents that candles will get gooey, even on a doily.  I gotta keep a small coaster under each.

 

[Golgi]

The brand was minwax clear brushing lacquer, clear gloss.  Another problem for me is the solvent smell.  Is it possible at this point to use something waterbased over it?  Such as a Colortone waterbased product?
Thanks again

 

[-CB-]

You're pretty much on lacquer till its one, water base needs to go UNDER for color, not over.

What I'd do.... let it dry a good long while.  Weeks.  Try sanding it.  If you use best quality premium paper and the lacquer turns to dust, you're good.  From then on out, after you level it, use a spray lacquer - Cabots is good, Deft is good.  But... THIN THIN THIN is word of the day.  Just "wet" the finish, and leave it.  After it dries for two days, give it another shot till you build up 4 coats or so, then re-level it.  If it looks good, buff.  If not, shoot a few more coats, relevel... etc.

Any good finish takes time, and patience.