streamer finish - need advice, please see pix

yooloo · #1 05-06-2006, 05:39 AM

hi all,
i've got this streamer, which came with (bloody tough!) sunburst finish, lots of schratcher, bubbling, knocks and stuff...
took me a few days to sand the original finish down to bare wood, not much to see there - nice flatsawn maple, but nothing worth showing.
then i've applied three layers of graphite paint, and this is what it looks like now. the color is something between gun metal blue and brushed dark aluminium.
when finished, it's supposed to have satin chrome hardware (have the bridge, waiting for knobs and tuners), W wenge / ebony fretless neck, set of barts, and Noll TCM2 preamp.
i'd love to hear what do you guys think about the finish and color, before i get into putting it all together - still plenty of time to do the sanding bit all over again...
thanks for your time, cheers,
zoran

62bass · #2 05-06-2006, 06:32 AM

That looks pretty nice from what I can see in your pictures. be aware that the preparatin of the base coats will affect how nice the finished look is. Just go over it by eye very closely and take care of any flaws now while you can.

Do you plan to put a clear coat over the paint?

I think the chrome hardware will look very nice.

Those factory finishes are tough to sand off aren't they?

yooloo · #3 05-06-2006, 06:47 AM

2 62bass: heh, started sanding with 400, and did nothing to the finish... moved to 200, still nothing. ended up on 120 going through four layers of clear / clear / paint / something else to get to the wood. and then went up to 600, in 200 grades.
i am not sure what to do next. i quite like the look right now, but don't know what would happen if i go for another layer of something clear over the paint. any suggestions?
before i started this adventure i was thinking about TruOil, but not sure if that would do any good anymore.
thanks for your time,
cheers,
z

62bass · #4 05-06-2006, 08:30 AM

Man, I had to go down to a ceramic 36 grit to get the sealer off my P bass. I got the paint off with a heat gun. Then worked all the way back up. It was worth it though. Yours will be too.

I wouldn't use Truoil as a clear coat. It's a bit too soft and will yellow too much. Maybe a good quality acrylic clear. That won't yellow and will polish up to a high gloss when allowed to harden a week or so.