Thanks tsar nicholas.
This is the 1st time I tried the wet sanding process and I'm amazed how it really shines up the lacquer for that deep glossy look. WW
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Rattle Can Refinish Club
- Thread starter redlikejazz
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
Thanks tsar nicholas.
This is the 1st time I tried the wet sanding process and I'm amazed how it really shines up the lacquer for that deep glossy look. WW
So, I am close to finishing my Squier Jag upgrade and refinish in Reranch Ice Blue Metallic. When I'm done I'll put it up here, warts and all, for your amusement. My next project is going to be new pickups, maybe a forearm cutaway, and a paint job for a Squier Vintage Mod Telecaster Bass (one of those new 32" scale ones). I love the Ice Blue Metallic but I would like to do this bass in a red metallic or flake. Reranch doesn't offer such a thing and I am hoping someone here can recommend a good rattle-can metallic/glitter/flake red.
Some cool pics in this thread. Some great work, everyone. Kudos. Here are a few I have either built or just refinished, and all are spray can colors with spray can lacquer clear coats...and a lot of elbow grease...and patience.
See if Gracey's Finish has what you want. Sold by Madison Music Store.
http://www.madisonsmusicstore.net/finishes.asp
Have done one in Taos Turquoise, and will be starting another in Sherwood Green. Sprays on well, covers well, and looks good.
Can also buy it from eBay and Amazon.
It is what I call a "Reclamation" bass in that it is one I did not build from scratch. It is a Squier Jazz body with a reworked neck pocket to fight a slightly thinner profile Jaguar neck. Glued in neck shims about 1/32" on each side, then feathered into the body so you can't tell. Finished in gold with clear lacquer on top...all spray can paint. And despite all the naysayers out there...it is an enamel color coat with lacquer over top. It works if you are patient and apply first coats of lacquer very thin. The neck came to me with a bad truss rod so I removed the skunk stripe, repaired, reinstalled the stripe and refinished. EMG actives with a simple passive tone control, and that's about it. Thanks for asking, and taking a look.
Thanks buftfan! I love that bass! I am most interested in the countersunk bridge and slots for the strings and those cream jazz pups!
Yeah, the bridge recess is something I have started doing because I am really picky about the distance between the strings and any body sans pickguard. And for me, the only way to get that distance, and get low action, is to lower the bridge. I have never been a fan of the ubiquitous heel shim that Fender put in so many of their basses to get the neck tilt enough to get the bridge saddles where you want them. And for me, lowering the bridge just works better. The caveat: sometimes you have to provide string ball recesses to keep from dinging the paint when changing strings. And I ding the paint plenty myself...I don't need the strings to do it for me LOL!
Habilis...for what it's worth, my experience is that it does not have to be a lacquer base coat necessarily. All of the metallic colors you see in my pics are spray enamels I got from big box hardware stores. A couple of tips: make sure that you have a good prime coat first and that can be enamel as well. I use gray a lot because it makes it easy on my less-than-stellar eyesight to see imperfections. Heat your spray cans in warm water for about 1/2 an hour. Or, like me, you can set them in front of a ceramic heater but ensure they aren't too close...I usually leave about 18" between the heater and the cans. However you CAREFULLY do it, the warm spray cans atomize much better and cover much better. Finally, once you get your metallic base coat where you want it, LIGHTLY apply your first couple of clear lacquer top coats...you are trying to seal your color coat only. Once you have a few coats applied, you can start being a little more gracious in top coat application. Oh, and give in between coats at least 30 min to set, allowing at least a week or two for your final coat to set before trying to wet sand and buff out. And if you use a buffer, be careful at edges and corners...don't hold the buffer on any one spot too long. Lacquer melts when it gets hot. Oh, and one more thing. When you get done buffing a side, let the whole thing set for about 40 minutes before handling or turning over to do the opposite side. The lacquer needs to cool down, and re-harden. Otherwise you risk fingerprints in your shiny new finish. Sorry for the dissertation...trying to help if I can.
Duplicolor makes a metallic red in their "Metal Specks" line that would probably work. I just refinished a bass with the metallic orange and was really pleased with the results. You should be able to find it at most auto parts stores, but if not, Amazon has it.
I just did a bass with Duplicolor metallic, too. I went with Pacific Green, followed by Duplicolor clear. It's presently curing, I'm figuring on wet sanding sometime next week.
It didn't come out perfect, but it's good enough that I'm gonna accept it and finish her up.
This is the finished product. Sanded the poly to scuff it up, then used BIN primer, Duplicolor Metal Specks "Burnt Orange," then Minwax clear lacquer, all in rattle cans. And a lot of wet sanding/polishing, of course.
- Jul 11, 2005
- 3,113
- 1,456
- Disclosures
- Gecko Leatherworks
Chrysler had a pretty nice red metallic in their Firemist lineup for a few model years that also shows up in Duplicolor aerosol cans.
Sebring Red Metallic seems to come to mind.
