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Rattle Can Refinish Club

#1,203
Quick check in... I was staining a guitar, and I don't like the way the back came out, so I want to rattle can the back. It's an LP with binding. Is there anything special I need to do to the stained wood, or can i just press on with the usual paint prep?

What I did before when painting was:
  • Sand, grain filler, sand
  • sanding sealer, sand
  • Primer, sand
  • color coat, sand
  • clear coat
  • cure
  • sand, sand, sand, buff, buff, buff
The body is basswood.

Follow-up question. I was going to finish the stained guitar with Danish Oil. If I'm clear coating with poly on the back, should I still use danish oil on the (nicely stained) front, or use the same poly clear coat on the whole thing?
 
#1,204
TwinDad said:
Quick check in... I was staining a guitar, and I don't like the way the back came out, so I want to rattle can the back. It's an LP with binding. Is there anything special I need to do to the stained wood, or can i just press on with the usual paint prep?

What I did before when painting was:
  • Sand, grain filler, sand
  • sanding sealer, sand
  • Primer, sand
  • color coat, sand
  • clear coat
  • cure
  • sand, sand, sand, buff, buff, buff
The body is basswood.

Follow-up question. I was going to finish the stained guitar with Danish Oil. If I'm clear coating with poly on the back, should I still use danish oil on the (nicely stained) front, or use the same poly clear coat on the whole thing?
Click to expand...

A bit confusing - but if you have clear-coated the satin section (back) you can sand (400) to reduce the buffed gloss and spray your color right over it. And if most of the guitar is clear poly - seems like the whole guitar should follow suite. You can do satin for more of a natural wood look.
 
#1,205
JIO said:
A bit confusing - but if you have clear-coated the satin section (back) you can sand (400) to reduce the buffed gloss and spray your color right over it. And if most of the guitar is clear poly - seems like the whole guitar should follow suite. You can do satin for more of a natural wood look.
Click to expand...

Sorry... probably should have provided more detail. It's a kit, so it's basically bare sanded wood that I've stained, but not done anything else to. Flamed maple top (which looks nice with the stain), basswood body (which looks... not so nice). The plan would be to leave the top stained, and paint the body black over the stain. The question is whether I need to do anything to the stained wood before prepping it for paint, or if I can just ignore the stain and prep for painting as I would with bare wood.

Then there's the question of how to clear coat it... I was going to use Danish Oil on the whole thing, but that won't work with the paint, so I will use poly on the painted part and ... here's the second question ... Danish oil or poly?? on the top...
 
#1,206
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#1,208
TwinDad said:
Sorry... probably should have provided more detail. It's a kit, so it's basically bare sanded wood that I've stained, but not done anything else to. Flamed maple top (which looks nice with the stain), basswood body (which looks... not so nice). The plan would be to leave the top stained, and paint the body black over the stain. The question is whether I need to do anything to the stained wood before prepping it for paint, or if I can just ignore the stain and prep for painting as I would with bare wood.

Then there's the question of how to clear coat it... I was going to use Danish Oil on the whole thing, but that won't work with the paint, so I will use poly on the painted part and ... here's the second question ... Danish oil or poly?? on the top...
Click to expand...

Like I said - if it has a buffed poly clear over it (as your step-by-step illustrated) then sand it matte and paint away. If not, you need to stabilize the stain first. And also like I offered - poly the whole bass.
 
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#1,211
BassGreaser said:
View attachment 3414356

I got around to top coating the color sample today. Used Deft semi-gloss lacquer.

I like how it deepened the color.
Click to expand...

Satin and semi-gloss are so much more user friendly for DIY'rs and look and feel great! It's the obsessive shiny-finish that's the hardest to do and requires more equipment/experience and financial involvement.
 
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#1,212
JIO said:
Satin and semi-gloss are so much more user friendly for DIY'rs and look and feel great! It's the obsessive shiny-finish that's the hardest to do and requires more equipment/experience and financial involvement.
Click to expand...

That does make sense as this semi-gloss went on very smooth for this first time sprayer.

If everything goes as planned when shooting the body, I’ll be buffing out the Semi-gloss to a near gloss like shine.
 
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#1,213
JIO said:
Like I said - if it has a buffed poly clear over it (as your step-by-step illustrated) then sand it matte and paint away. If not, you need to stabilize the stain first. And also like I offered - poly the whole bass.
Click to expand...

As I said before, There’s nothing but stain on the bare sanded wood right now, and that is now a couple of days dry. The step by step is my usual process when painting solid but I haven’t done any of that to this guitar because until yesterday I wasn’t planning to paint.

So how exactly do I stabilize the stain prior to starting the paint prep? Just make sure it’s good and dry? Sand it off? Apply some treatment or coating?
 
#1,214
TwinDad said:
As I said before, There’s nothing but stain on the bare sanded wood right now, and that is now a couple of days dry. The step by step is my usual process when painting solid but I haven’t done any of that to this guitar because until yesterday I wasn’t planning to paint.

So how exactly do I stabilize the stain prior to starting the paint prep? Just make sure it’s good and dry? Sand it off? Apply some treatment or coating?
Click to expand...


I would sand as much of the stain off as possible then do your usual steps you mentioned above for spraying a solid color.
 
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#1,218
TwinDad said:
As I said before, There’s nothing but stain on the bare sanded wood right now, and that is now a couple of days dry. The step by step is my usual process when painting solid but I haven’t done any of that to this guitar because until yesterday I wasn’t planning to paint.

So how exactly do I stabilize the stain prior to starting the paint prep? Just make sure it’s good and dry? Sand it off? Apply some treatment or coating?
Click to expand...

By stabilize I mean you will have to shoot a sealer over it. This can be anywhere from a thin coat of sealer/stain killer/primer (white or whatever colour) or even clear. You want something to arrest the stain, as in - stop it from affecting your colour coating. No need to attempt to sand it off - it's already partially seeped into the wood.
 
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#1,219
bdplaid said:
Has anyone ever metalflaked an open pore body without grain filling first? Wondering how the grain looked with flake over it.
Click to expand...

Depending on size, the flake and appropriate clear vehicle to encapsulate it tends to build up. So a textured surface would get 'softer' but still would not be smooth unless a following clear-coat and level-sanding was next.
 
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