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How I do Small Flake/Glitter finish using spray cans

Harry Cahyadi

Harry Cahyadi

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Commercial User
Apr 11, 2013
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Clayton, VIC, Australia
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C Basses Owner & Builder
#1
Recently, I aquired a Yamaha RBX760A from a friend for free. It is 4 string active bass from Yamaha.

The bass has been unplayed for years and accumulating a thick layer of dust.

I have been wanting to try a sparkle finish for a while, but couldn't justify spending money to do the experiment. Since I have got the bass for free, so I thought it is a great candidate to try the finish on. If it goes well I'll keep it, otherwise chuck it to the bin :D

The catch is, I don't have spraying equipment, so this has to be done using spray cans. The challenge was, many people said that it is almost impossible to get a good result with spray can, especially on this type of finish.

I was intrigued to prove that incorrect.

The project is almost comes to an end. I just need to buff the body to mirror gloss.

I'll try to put as much details as possible.

I hope this post can be beneficial for all of you, especially for those who haven't got a proper spray equipments.

Enough of me talking, lets get down to work.

First of, below are the spray cans that I have been using

20150524_104934_zpsaum9uw2p.jpg


From left to right: Black base coat, Silver glitter coat, Gloss clear coat, 2K Clear Top coat.

You dont need to use the exact same brands. Any brands will do as long as they are compatible with each other.

TEST PIECE:
Before attempting to spray the real thing, I tried the combination of all products I wanted to use on a scrap MDF piece, just to make sure there are no compatibility issues.

The result:

20150505_193719_zpsyanr3qmp.jpg


Initially I wanted to do a candy red finish, so on the test piece I added a transparent red colour.

Although the result was pretty good, the red colour ended up not what I wanted, so I decided to go with no transparent colour.

Just in case you are curious, below is the transparent red can that I used

20150524_180151_zpsizouyun7.jpg
 
#2
STEPS:
1. I filled all the dents and deep scratches with super glue drops

2. I dry sanded everything down with 600 grit paper until smooth. I replaced my sand paper frequently to prevent clogging, which can scratch the existing finish.

3. Using a soft lint-free cloth, I wiped down the body with mineral spirit to remove all sanding dust. I repeated the wiping process 3 times to make sure the dust is removed thoroughly.

4. Once the surfaces were completely dry, I sprayed the black base coat.
Do a light coat with even strokes. I didn't do a heavy coat, because it would be covered by the glitter coat.

The result:

20150505_211135_zps3gkyczkv.jpg

20150506_223534_zpslzaoeq8o.jpg

20150506_223607_zpsavonqevl.jpg


Don't worry about tiny imperfections, because the glitter coat will fix those.

5. I waited 1 hour for the black base coat to dry then I did the glitter coat

The result:

20150505_215200_zpsulejutno.jpg

20150506_230516_zpssxdqjvzv.jpg

20150506_230628_zpsle6ao9lj.jpg


I let the first glitter coat to dry for 1 hour and did another coat.

Don't do an overlap spray because you will get an uneven look when it dries up. It is quite hard to notice when wet. As long as you shake the can regularly and do even strokes, it will be fine.

6. I waited around 1 hour for the second glitter coat to dry, and began spraying the clear coat (the 3rd can from the left). The reason for not using 2K clear all the way was to cut cost.

I sprayed 3 wet coats (not mist coats) before doing a level sanding. The reason was because to make sure that I didn't sand off the glitters.

7. I let it dried overnight, and wet sand it with 800 grit to remove runs and drips. I was quite careful so I didn't get too many of those.

8. Once satisfied with the surface, I wiped the surface to remove the sanding residue. It is crucial at this point to triple check that the surfaces are thoroughly cleaned. You don't want to spoil the finish with some white specks which will ruin everything.

9. I did 2 coats of 2K clear gloss with 10 minutes between coats. The can says 2 minutes between coats, but it was cold so I waited a little bit longer.

10. I waited for 3 days for the finish to harden properly. Again, the can says 24 hours for fully dry, but due to a low temperature, I waited 2 more days.

11. I wet sanded the headstock with 1500 grit to remove orange peels, which I was very fortunate for only getting some light orange peels. I wiped the surfaces clean, then wet sanded with 2000 grit.

12. Once all sanding residue were wiped clean, I applied a little bit of Meguiar Ultimate Compound, a hand rubbed the surface with a micro fibre cloth.

13. I applied more of Meguiar Ultimate Compound, and use the stewmac buffing pad (Invalid Link Removed on my hand drill to buff it.

The result:

20150523_203907_zpsaf83oylj.jpg


So far, I'm really happy with how the headstock turns out. It has a deep mirror gloss, without the plasticy looking.

I'm looking forward to buff the body.

I will post the result shortly.
 
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#6
Jonny5bass said:
Awesome!! That looks great and thanks for putting this up! Always curious about rattle can techniques since I can't afford spray equipment.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm glad the stuff I'm sharing is useful. I can't afford it either, at least for now. There are so many other priorities that need money. A decent spray equipment is quite expensive, especially here in Australia. Everything is expensive.
 
#9
It looks good, but it seems like you got the flake populated much better on your scrap piece, I would have went with at least 4 flake coats. I don't know how those cans spray, but if they have a fan pattern, I think you would have been better with an overlap, as long as its even. If they spray in a conical pattern then you probably did it the best way possible.
 
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#10
Very nice! I did something similar to an Ibanez EDA905 that a previous owner made a mess of. They painted a space scene on the front and slopped dark green paint over everything else except the fretboard. I left the space scene alone and stripped the rest. I sprayed clear on the back of the neck and painted the headstock and back and sides of the body. Because the body is plastic, I used a base coat of Krylon Fusion, then Rustoleum Textured Metallic (Galaxy, to go with the space scene), and finished with clear lacquer.
Ibanez EDA905 Space3.JPG
Ibanez EDA905 Space4.JPG
 
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#11
Hopkins said:
It looks good, but it seems like you got the flake populated much better on your scrap piece, I would have went with at least 4 flake coats. I don't know how those cans spray, but if they have a fan pattern, I think you would have been better with an overlap, as long as its even. If they spray in a conical pattern then you probably did it the best way possible.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it.

I agree. I did more than 2 coats on the test piece. I think 3 or 4 coats.
I only do 2 coats for the bass because I think 4 coats looks too sparkly/girly to me... :laugh::laugh:

If I sprayed the colour then it would've been fine, but on black it looks very "glamorous"

By the way, what does it mean by conical spray, and how do I know that the can has it?
 
Last edited:
#13
Harry Cahyadi said:
Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it.

I agree. I did more than 2 coats on the test piece. I think 3 or 4 coats.
I only do 2 coats for the bass because I think 4 coats looks too sparkly/girly to me... :laugh::laugh:

If I sprayed the colour then it would've been fine, but on black it looks very "glamorous"

By the way, what does it mean by conical spray, and how do I know that the can has it?
Click to expand...


Some spray cans spray in a fan pattern, some spray in a cone shaped pattern. You have alot more control over a fan pattern, doing an overlap will give you the most consistent coverage, but with a conical pattern you will usually lay to much paint down and you can get runs.
 
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#16
Hopkins said:
Some spray cans spray in a fan pattern, some spray in a cone shaped pattern. You have alot more control over a fan pattern, doing an overlap will give you the most consistent coverage, but with a conical pattern you will usually lay to much paint down and you can get runs.
Click to expand...

After googling around, I found that apparently all of my cans have the fan pattern sprayer. It means that I should have done more overlapping sprays.

I think I would try that next time.
 

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