So I finished staining the body and I really like the color that came out. I sprayed a few thin coats of satin clear and it has dried.

The satin clear finish has left a somewhat "grainy" texture to the body. Not grainy as in the wood grain. Grainy like a sandpaper type feel. Nothing visible, just a feel thing.

Any idea why this is or how to smooth it out?

Maybe you can put a few more coats and then sand them down taking care not to go through the first coats. You would need to use eally fine sandpaper. That would be my shot but I'm sure more skilled people will join in here and give you their opinions.

So I finished staining the body and I really like the color that came out. I sprayed a few thin coats of satin clear and it has dried.

The satin clear finish has left a somewhat "grainy" texture to the body. Not grainy as in the wood grain. Grainy like a sandpaper type feel. Nothing visible, just a feel thing.

Any idea why this is or how to smooth it out?


From your desription, it sounds like your lacquer is drying too fast from a multitude of reasons. If you are using rattle cans, there is not much you can do about it except make sure you are spraying close enough to the surface so the lacquer is not drying before it gets there, but not close enough to cause puddles. And, maybe warm the cans (don't heat!) by placing them in warm water. Temperature and humidity also play a big role. If your are using spray gear, add a tad more retarder and maybe less pressure.

Wet sand starting at 400-600gr....working your way up to 2000-2500gr will take care of your "grainy" surface. Then buff with veryfine buffing compounds.

I hope this helps. There may be more to your situation than I'm aware of, so just use this as a starting point. Shoot some lacquer on a piece of scrap and experiment with distance and pressure. Lacquer can be tricky at times. With a little experience, you'll be able to troubleshoot these sorts of problems easily.

by the way, here is a pic of the body. The pickups are Fralin Bassbuckers. Volume/Volume/Tone-RS GuitarWorks vintage wiring kit.

The process is called "Rubbing Out" a finish. Here's a link to an excellent tutorial:

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/rubbingout.htm

Lemme know if you have questions after you've had a chance to read it thoroughly.