Top coat over HWY 1 finish

[htharp]

Has anyone ever put a gloss top coat over the factory HWY 1 nitro finish? Any reason this would be a problem?

[htharp]

Anyone with paint experience want to chime in?

[62bass]

Originally Posted by htharp

Anyone with paint experience want to chime in?

I haven't put a finish on top of the Highway One's factory finish, but if it is really a nitro lacquer, then the best top coat would be a new nitro finish sprayed on. The new nitro will patially dissolve the old finish and fuse together giving a perfect bond. Other top coats wouldn't be as strong a bond.

There will be a fair bit of prep work involved of course and this can make or break your final results. And the final top coats will have to be levelled out with sanding and polished to a mirror shine if that's what you want. You can spray on a gloss coat of nitro and it will look shiny but for a superior look you will have to do the levelling and polishing after, but that's normal for pretty well any refinish job.

I believe the first Highway One basses had a satin water based lacquer finish rather than the nitro that's advertised for the newer ones, so you'll want to check that out to make sure yours is truly nitro.

[htharp]

Thanks for the note. You answered my question with the comment about the lacquer finish. I probably would be dealing with this type finish since the one I had in mind was a 2004 model. I was considering spraying clear top coats after prepping or possibly even spraying a solid color over the original. It's Honey Blonde and I've got a thing for Shoreline Gold right now.

I have sprayed some clear finishes on old acoustics I refinished and done the polishing that goes with them. It is a lot of work, but enjoyable.

[62bass]

Great. Just choose a compatible water based clear finish that rubs out well and you're all set.