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Rattle Can Refinish Club

#541
Just use the duplicolor and a compatible non-nitro clear to keep it looking about the same. And of course, test it on a separate piece of wood to see how well it matches.
Like others are saying, there is no way to predict how it will look in 20 years. And the only way to get a perfect match is to do the body and headstock at the same time. But I bet you'll find that it's close enough.
 
#542
Just finished this last week. It's pictured here with my Yamaha 6er. Can I get a number?
 

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#543
I took on a pretty big finish job for myself . It's a first as I've never really went through the proper steps to prep and shoot a decent finish . While still somewhat entry level and using off the shelf rattle cans I dove right in .
Prepping my new Warmoth Custom T hollow bass.
I used fresh Blonde shellac which was started almost 2 weeks before the body arrived and it took that long to melt down. From there Behlen vinyl sealer . I do think I could have skipped this , a sealer on a sealer but stuck with it as per Behlen's suggestion .I grain filled the Ash back with Stewmac colortone filler and wiped & sanded off the rest since it was sealed it came right off easy. Worked like a Charm . I was hoping to get that orange/red color back of a fine Les Paul so I shot both Behlen Starcast Amber and Stewmac Vintage Amber on the back then Stewmac Cherry over that . I like where it ended up , still very Cherry with a hint of orange . Not bad for wingin it :D I taped the edge first then did something waay of the cuff and bursted the sides like a Jazz box and really dig how it turned out so I left it It only took a few passes with the cherry and laid in there just right for a big old rattle can.I used the Stewmac Vintage Amber for the top with several passes of that it has a nice color that's not too Amber or yellow . lastly Behlen Nitrocellulose Stringed Instrument Lacquer . I have not got a pic of that yet but it really popped the grain and colors nicely but here are some pics up to that point . Also maybe it was great luck or the products are just this good but all of them worked flawlessly , not a drip or spurt or problem from any of them .I heated them in hot water and basically followed the directions on the cans. I would choose again for sure .

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The color test was on Ash , it is Stewmac Cherry , Stewmac Amber & Behlen Starcast Amber

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#548
OK, I have a 2005 American Standard P-Bass coming to me via EBay in a few days. I got a pretty good price on it because it's got some dings and scratches. It's pretty pedestrian black and maple and I would like to spruce it up with a green or blue metal flake. My plan right now is to patch up the dings with Bondo, sand the surface down with 600-grit sandpaper, and then a Duplicolor metal flake for 2-3 coats and then multiple clear coats. My questions are 1) Any better suggestions for patch filling? 2) recommended clear coat? and 3) How much sanding between clear coat layers? and of course the unspoken question: "What did I forget?" The pics below show the two dings I am aware of right now.
 

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#550
Habilis said:
OK, I have a 2005 American Standard P-Bass coming to me via EBay in a few days. I got a pretty good price on it because it's got some dings and scratches. It's pretty pedestrian black and maple and I would like to spruce it up with a green or blue metal flake. My plan right now is to patch up the dings with Bondo, sand the surface down with 600-grit sandpaper, and then a Duplicolor metal flake for 2-3 coats and then multiple clear coats. My questions are 1) Any better suggestions for patch filling? 2) recommended clear coat? and 3) How much sanding between clear coat layers? and of course the unspoken question: "What did I forget?" The pics below show the two dings I am aware of right now.
Click to expand...

Bondo works great for patch/ding filling, but make sure you sand it to where you don't feel any ridges or bumps. It should be as flush with the original finish as you can get it.

Regarding the color, I refinished a bass with Duplicolor Metal Specks last summer, and you'll definitely need a few coats of white primer before you spray color. I used up the majority of a can of color before I was satisfied with the coverage. Make sure to wear a respirator - you do not want to breathe in those metallic flakes.

With the clear, I used Minwax clear gloss lacquer, and there won't be any need to sand between coats unless you get a bad run or object (dust, hair, bug, etc) in the clear. Buy at least 2 cans.
 
#552
Habilis said:
Thanks, Friskinator. Did you use a Duplicolor primer or some other stuff?
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I used BIN primer, but I'm not a fan of it. I'd suggest trying the Duplicolor white primer first. You can find the Minwax clear at most big-box hardware stores, but make sure you get the one labeled "clear gloss."

If this is your first refin, I'd check out reranch.com for some tips. I happened to use the schedule mentioned in the link below and was happy with the results:

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#555
Habilis said:
That right there, with a slightly beefier bridge, is pretty much my dream bass. A couple of questions (and maybe you already answered these and I missed them): Is it a volume knob or a tone knob? What kind of sanding did you do on the various layers?
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:) That is a KTS Titanium bridge they are freaking outstanding pieces of hardware :ninja: I didn't do much sanding , just the basic sanding of the filler and the sealer . I did not sand between coats . Then a final wetsand but it's not a "glass top" it is more on the satin side . It's a volume control with a "vitrual tone pot" it has a cap and resistors going to ground to simulate a tone pot as if it were there . This keeps the extended highs you get without a tone pot under control .

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oh I just tracked it the other day for the first time , check it out :bassist:
 
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#557
Question for the club. Has anyone used the Roth spray bombs?

I'm looking at my next bass build, and I'm planning a neck-thru single coil, slab bodies P-bass. Basically building my own P with my favorite specs.

I'm planning on a blue metal flake, and I want to use the biggest possible flakes for a super gaudy finish. The Roth flakes fit the bill, but I'd like to see examples if possible before I head down that road.

Anyone use the Roth spray bombs?

www.rothmetalflake.com
 
#560
There's a guy over on the Telecaster Forum who does spectacular flake finishes and I am pretty sure he uses a flour sifter to distribute the flake. Here's a link to my favorite of his builds. Invalid Link Removed. Starting on about page 10 (!!!) of this thread is where the flake stuff starts to happen. This guy is AMAZING.

EDIT: I was wrong about the relevant page. The painting seems to actually start on page 11 or so. It's a very VERY long thread… Something like 170 pages. He combines multiple builds, ALL in huge fat metal flake finishes. There's a sparkly red double-headed Tele that is just NUTS. Honestly, it's worth reading the whole thread.
 

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