I am in the clearcoat phase of a refinish on a vintage, neck - through bass. I purchased aerosol heritage cherry and clear gloss nitrocellulose lacquer from Reranch (1 can each). I achieved a nice, dark red color with the heritage cherry, and I have applied at least a half dozen or more coats of clearcoat. But now the can (which it said would clearcoat one guitar) is almost empty, and it is not nearly a glossy finish over the bass. From what I have been reading, I thought I would need around dozen coats before I could safely start sanding without sanding into the color. I know it's not supposed to be a perfect, even gloss until I wet sand and polish, but I am not even seeing a nice, even, orange - peel texture yet. It still has spots that are much more glossy than others, and I am afraid that if I try to wet sand it at this point - I may end up sanding into the color! (which makes me wonder about the practice of sanding in between every few coats - wouldn't that just be more likely to sand through to the color - especially if it's fresh!)
So - how do I know if I have enough clear coat on the bass at this point to wet sand (after it sets up for a few weeks)??? Should I order more cans of clear gloss nitro? This is a Guild B301, which is a long - scale, neck - through instrument, so maybe I was naive to think one can would do the job? I unfortunately just discovered that Reranch is currently not shipping (rebuilding inventory, or something), so I may need to look for another source of lacquer. Does it have to be nitrocellulose lacquer? (Sorry to sound so inept, but this is my first refinishing project, and I want to do it right.) Any advice from the wise and experienced would be greatly appreciated!
So - how do I know if I have enough clear coat on the bass at this point to wet sand (after it sets up for a few weeks)??? Should I order more cans of clear gloss nitro? This is a Guild B301, which is a long - scale, neck - through instrument, so maybe I was naive to think one can would do the job? I unfortunately just discovered that Reranch is currently not shipping (rebuilding inventory, or something), so I may need to look for another source of lacquer. Does it have to be nitrocellulose lacquer? (Sorry to sound so inept, but this is my first refinishing project, and I want to do it right.) Any advice from the wise and experienced would be greatly appreciated!
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