Nitro finish on neck pocket and bottom of Neck

[jackthehack]

Re-read the replies to this and the other related thread you have going. At least 3 people with near a century of cumulative experience applying nitro lacquer to guitars/wood have told you that you can not apply this sort of finish as quickly as you think, regardless of what it might say on the side of the can.

 

[dmraco]

I have many times...mine and other threads.  I just want to make sure I am getting this right...it looks too good to screw it up now. 

I get the idea of no more than three coats a day....I spread those three coats over a 9-10 hour period so I am not rushing.
But I am still unsure on how long to let it cure before sanding and moving on with additional coats...days...weeks??  I gather it is more than 24 hours.  Is there a way to tell.

Beleive me< I take every word you guys tell me as gospel...the m experience on the board is fantastic.  Please do not read my ignorance as offensive. 

Thanks

 

[-CB-]

since I have 3 cans of nitro, I am considering using a can day, letting completely dry, sanding  to smooth any possible orange peel, and repeating with the other two cans over the next few weeks.


does this sound OK???

No

can you elaborate or give me some suggestions??  Thanks

A can per day... one can in one day.  How about one can in six weeks? or eight?   Let it dry a good week or even two between coats.  This is especially true of rattle-can lacquer which has more solvent so it "flows" better from the spray-bomb.  Aerosol lacquer also has added flowout and anti haze and stuff... you need to let this dry longer than spray gun grade lacquer.   THIN coats dry better.  THICK coats take forever, and dont get as hard and tough as they should be.  Spray a coat so that it gets "just wet", or think of it as a step beyond "dusting".  Then let it go... put it away to dry and dont go back for two weeks.  This is ESPECIALLY true of the coats you apply later on, because the solvent seeps into, and swells the finish UNDER it too.   THIN is the way to go.

And, unless you waste the lacquer, you can probably get by with 2 cans of it, possibly 3, but remember - you're not leveling the grain in the finish.  That must be level and smooth FIRST, then when you apply the finish, all you are leveling is the finish, not the wood texture.  Hence, you dont need a finish that is thick.  You just need one that is thick enough to level and provide a little durability - very thin that is.

 

[dmraco]

[/quote]
can you elaborate or give me some suggestions??  Thanks
[/quote]

A can per day... one can in one day.  How about one can in six weeks? or eight?   Let it dry a good week or even two between coats.  This is especially true of rattle-can lacquer which has more solvent so it "flows" better from the spray-bomb.  Aerosol lacquer also has added flowout and anti haze and stuff... you need to let this dry longer than spray gun grade lacquer.   THIN coats dry better.  THICK coats take forever, and dont get as hard and tough as they should be.  Spray a coat so that it gets "just wet", or think of it as a step beyond "dusting".  Then let it go... put it away to dry and dont go back for two weeks.  This is ESPECIALLY true of the coats you apply later on, because the solvent seeps into, and swells the finish UNDER it too.   THIN is the way to go.

And, unless you waste the lacquer, you can probably get by with 2 cans of it, possibly 3, but remember - you're not leveling the grain in the finish.  That must be level and smooth FIRST, then when you apply the finish, all you are leveling is the finish, not the wood texture.  Hence, you dont need a finish that is thick.  You just need one that is thick enough to level and provide a little durability - very thin that is.

[/quote]

Thank you.  It make sence to now.  The coatings I did yesterday were very light...dusting as you stated.  It will let this dry a good week or two.  Thank god the humidity is gone here in Philly!!

This is certainly an adjustment for me.  I am so used to keeping a careful eye on automotive paint flash times and checking the "tack" of a test panel every 15-20 minutes this seems like well....watching paint dry!!!!!!!!  If you let automotive go too long, the subsequent coats will not stick.

 

[GUNSNGUITARS]

Now I'm really confused too.  Every thing I've read says 3 coats a day, books, threads, and even directions on the cans.  I've put on 9 coats the last 3 days, fairly heavy also because of the Flakes added at coats 3 and 4. I was actually going to level sand today and spray my final flow coats. Now I'm wondering if I should wait a couple weeks before level sanding again. I too value the knowledge and experience on here and really appreciate you guys sharing your knowledge, but this stuff just seems confusing. I have read that applying too much laquer can cause it to crack. Is this also true

 

[Tonar8352]

I still say if you ask three painters how to do it you are going to get 5 opinions.

There are so many variables to the questions and statements made in this thread all of which are valid. So many things impact the finish. When I go on job failures for lacquer complaints these are the questions that I ask before we get the lab involved.
1. How was it thinned?
2. What type of thinners was used?
3. What was the temperature and humidity?
4. How heavy of a coat was applied?
5. What was your spray system and application methods?
6. What was the stain system?
7. What kind of sealer was used?
8.   How much sealer was used?
9. How much between coats sanding was done?

So what is the best advise for someone that is spraying lacquer for the first time.
1. Follow the directions on the can.
2. Let the finish tell you want to do next.
a. If it is ready to sand it will powder
b. If it has too much orange peel it needs to be thinned or your spray application needs to be adjusted.
c. If it to dry and hairy feeling you need to get closer to the surface, or add retarder.
d. If your getting runs you need to adjust the way you are spraying or your material needs to be thinned.
e. If it is not flowing level add some retarder.
f.    If it is not drying you have to much retarder or bad material.

3. I wet sand and rub them out after two weeks but have done it with in a week with out problems.  I have also done it after six weeks because of scheduling and it was fine also.  BUT; you need to make the decision about your finish when the time is right.  Generally the smell of the solvents will be gone by the time it is ready to rub out.  

The bottom line is to use your material and learn from your mistakes.  Lacquer is easy to fix if you mess it up.  And if it is not perfect you have an  excuse to do another guitar!   :hello2: