Rattle Can Refinish Club

[fretter]

Welp, another day another problem. I've been trying to finalize my color coat, but the last few coats I've tried have ended up really rough, and I'm not sure why. Its like a bunch of little fuzzballs stuck to a sweater.

I haven't done anything differently. Any sanding has all been at the same grit. The temperature hasn't really dropped here yet.

Any ideas what could've caused this or how to fix it?
View attachment 3998968

Cool color. Not knowing anything about painting a bass, I would suggest a fine sandpaper.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Love it. I did a guitar and a few things almost identical to that. Is it a Roth or the Krylon Glitter blast? Excited to see the final finish.

Apologies for not answering....Couldn't remember where I'd seen your post..........

Anyway.....

It was going to be Roth all in 1 blue something....

Test spray on a piece of scrap.....No flake.....

I always give my rattlecans about 90 secs on my reciprocating saw attachment but I gave it a full two more minutes shake but still no flake.....Typical.......

Changed plan and went with Glitter blast.....Went on nicely......small problem with one can being mis-labled....but that turned out happily as I think it looks kinda nice....

 

[deff]

Apologies for not answering....Couldn't remember where I'd seen your post..........

Anyway.....

It was going to be Roth all in 1 blue something....

Test spray on a piece of scrap.....No flake.....

I always give my rattlecans about 90 secs on my reciprocating saw attachment but I gave it a full two more minutes shake but still no flake.....Typical.......

Changed plan and went with Glitter blast.....Went on nicely......small problem with one can being mis-labled....but that turned out happily as I think it looks kinda nice....

Awesome. I like the GB colors. It's good stuff. As with any flake I get concerned as the can empties with spitting, but in general it goes on well and cures up well too. I have generally stuck with their Fusion clear when using GB. That works well too.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Awesome. I like the GB colors. It's good stuff. As with any flake I get concerned as the can empties with spitting, but in general it goes on well and cures up well too. I have generally stuck with their Fusion clear when using GB. That works well too.

Fusion on mine.....

 

[bigthemat]

I want to join the club. Here's a refinish I did with my dad on my old squier vm jazz fiver. Used Krylon Satin Seaglass and some spray lacquer. We originally got the wrong type of clear coat that didn't harden right... and then when I tried to buff out some fingerprints it caused more issues, and then trying to fix those issued turned into us just starting over so we didn't have such thick paint haha. Live and learn.

Anyway, here it is all finished. I also swapped out the pickguard for white pearloid and got some white knobs. Overall really happy with the result, and especially the small price tag.

Now do I keep it as is... or do I add more vintage stylings like a chrome pickup guard, bridge cover, thumb rest....

 

[Doctor Morbius]

^^^ Looks great!

 

[marko138]

I want to join the club. Here's a refinish I did with my dad on my old squier vm jazz fiver. Used Krylon Satin Seaglass and some spray lacquer. We originally got the wrong type of clear coat that didn't harden right... and then when I tried to buff out some fingerprints it caused more issues, and then trying to fix those issued turned into us just starting over so we didn't have such thick paint haha. Live and learn.

Anyway, here it is all finished. I also swapped out the pickguard for white pearloid and got some white knobs. Overall really happy with the result, and especially the small price tag.

Now do I keep it as is... or do I add more vintage stylings like a chrome pickup guard, bridge cover, thumb rest....

View attachment 4001197

Gorgeous!

 

[C Stone]

Welp, another day another problem. I've been trying to finalize my color coat, but the last few coats I've tried have ended up really rough, and I'm not sure why. Its like a bunch of little fuzzballs stuck to a sweater.

I haven't done anything differently. Any sanding has all been at the same grit. The temperature hasn't really dropped here yet.

Any ideas what could've caused this or how to fix it?
View attachment 3998968

Hey whats up man somehow I stopped getting notified on thread. It looks like it was sprayed at too far a distance so paint somewhat dried by the time it hit surface then a couple closer or wetter passes "locked it in" then more build up as you applied coats, warmer day? humidity? That is what it looks like to me, think your gonna have to knock it down again. Make sense?

 

[primussucks9126]

At the risk of sounding pedantic, you have to start with an 'ideal' spaying situation and work backwards to make clear what isn't working for your DIY finish. Ideally, a successful pro spray job has to do with control, consistency, paint formula and technique. A pro-guitar finisher, body-shop auto sprayer and/or a furniture/door/cabinet (home application) sprayer have all this under control as they are making money by being successful/efficient in this service. A dust-free spray booth/room with an exhaust fan, temperature/humidity within a specific range, a professional spray gun that is clean, adjustable/fully-operational, the correct paint in the spray-can thinned to a specific consistency, a rotatable device to be able to spray the entire body on all sides, and a heated curing space once done. Then there is wet-sanding followed by buffing-wheels with the appropriate buffing compounds.

A DIY job can come close to 'ideal' spray-job done outside under a tree with rattle can spray paint, etc, but it will never be the same as a pro job (as illustrated above) ... but it can be pretty good if one understands the limitations of not being ideal which will explain why something is less than ideal along the way.

I appreciate the input!

I'm definitely not expecting perfection. I'm brand new at this. I'd just like to figure out what I can do to improve my end result as much as possible.

Hey whats up man somehow I stopped getting notified on thread. It looks like it was sprayed at too far a distance so paint somewhat dried by the time it hit surface then a couple closer or wetter passes "locked it in" then more build up as you applied coats, warmer day? humidity? That is what it looks like to me, think your gonna have to knock it down again. Make sense?

No worries! I appreciate you taking the time to give your thoughts.

Humidity (or lack thereof) seems to be a likely culprit. I'll get to sandin'!

 

[C Stone]

@primussucks9126
"I'd just like to figure out what I can do to improve my end result as much as possible"

There are lots of variables with prep/paint what you are doing is EXACTLY what it takes to improve your end result. Trial AND error.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I finally got around to putting my Squier Jag back together. Unfortunately, the EMG Geezer Butler J pickup is faulty and buzzes like crazy. I understand that was a common problem a while back so I've contacted EMG to see if they can repair/replace it. Haven't heard back from them yet.

Also, the pickguard sits a little too snug around the control plate and the P pickup, so I'm going to have to file it down just a skosh. And I put a shim under the neck in order to raise the bridge saddles so the bridge saddle screws wouldn't scrape against the side of my hand while playing. I may have put too large of one in there, so I'll address that too. Some of the screws were stripped, so when I reassembled everything I used the ol' toothpicks and wood glue trick to give the screws something to chew on when I put them back in.

After I took these pictures, I put some LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass strings on it and did a bit of a setup and played it the rest of the day. Sounds great, except for that faulty J pickup that screams like a banshee.

This is my first refinish project and it's definitely NOT a professional quality job. It will suffice, however. The tort guard looks reddish in these pictures, but it's brown in person.

 

[murphy]

I finally got around to putting my Squier Jag back together. Unfortunately, the EMG Geezer Butler J pickup is faulty and buzzes like crazy. I understand that was a common problem a while back so I've contacted EMG to see if they can repair/replace it. Haven't heard back from them yet.

Also, the pickguard sits a little too snug around the control plate and the P pickup, so I'm going to have to file it down just a skosh. And I put a shim under the neck in order to raise the bridge saddles so they wouldn't scrape against the side of my hand while playing. I may have put too large of one in there, so I'll address that too. Some of the screws were stripped, so when I reassembled everything I used the ol' toothpicks and wood glue trick to give the screws something to chew on when I put them back in.

After I took these pictures, I put some LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass strings on it and did a bit of a setup and played it the rest of the day. Sounds great, except for that faulty J pickup that screams like a banshee.

This is my first refinish project and it's definitely NOT a professional quality job. It will suffice, however. The tort guard looks reddish in these pictures, but it's brown in person.

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That is a real beauty...Great work

 

[Fat Freddy]

I finally got around to putting my Squier Jag back together. Unfortunately, the EMG Geezer Butler J pickup is faulty and buzzes like crazy. I understand that was a common problem a while back so I've contacted EMG to see if they can repair/replace it. Haven't heard back from them yet.

Also, the pickguard sits a little too snug around the control plate and the P pickup, so I'm going to have to file it down just a skosh. And I put a shim under the neck in order to raise the bridge saddles so the bridge saddle screws wouldn't scrape against the side of my hand while playing. I may have put too large of one in there, so I'll address that too. Some of the screws were stripped, so when I reassembled everything I used the ol' toothpicks and wood glue trick to give the screws something to chew on when I put them back in.

After I took these pictures, I put some LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass strings on it and did a bit of a setup and played it the rest of the day. Sounds great, except for that faulty J pickup that screams like a banshee.

This is my first refinish project and it's definitely NOT a professional quality job. It will suffice, however. The tort guard looks reddish in these pictures, but it's brown in person.

View attachment 4003925
View attachment 4003926
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View attachment 4003928
View attachment 4003929

Nothin wrong with that....Nice job!.....

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Nothin wrong with that....Nice job!.....

Thank you!

 

[C Stone]

I finally got around to putting my Squier Jag back together. Unfortunately, the EMG Geezer Butler J pickup is faulty and buzzes like crazy. I understand that was a common problem a while back so I've contacted EMG to see if they can repair/replace it. Haven't heard back from them yet.

Also, the pickguard sits a little too snug around the control plate and the P pickup, so I'm going to have to file it down just a skosh. And I put a shim under the neck in order to raise the bridge saddles so the bridge saddle screws wouldn't scrape against the side of my hand while playing. I may have put too large of one in there, so I'll address that too. Some of the screws were stripped, so when I reassembled everything I used the ol' toothpicks and wood glue trick to give the screws something to chew on when I put them back in.

After I took these pictures, I put some LaBella Deep Talkin' Bass strings on it and did a bit of a setup and played it the rest of the day. Sounds great, except for that faulty J pickup that screams like a banshee.

This is my first refinish project and it's definitely NOT a professional quality job. It will suffice, however. The tort guard looks reddish in these pictures, but it's brown in person.

View attachment 4003925
View attachment 4003926
View attachment 4003927
View attachment 4003928
View attachment 4003929

Bummer about the P/U, dark rich looking finger board anyway looks like a fine job. Well done!

 

[DosiYanarchy]

This was a black Squier Bass VI, I used rattle can Sherwood Green Nitro and obviously some replacement hardware.

 

[Dave CALEYRON]

Here's the last refinish I did. Dartford's nitro lacquer, a little bit of sanding and buffing, and I just finished reassembling the beast. It's a 2004 Japan Fender, Fender original 62 pickups, allparts cream cover, 47 orange drop cap, and only 3.7kg (8.7 lbs). (Formerly sunburst)
It's not that shiny, and this is on purpose to match the neck and its scars. Only few coats and no clear coat to let It vibrate and getting naturally reliced.

 

[murphy]

View attachment 4004197 Here's the last refinish I did. Dartford's nitro lacquer, a little bit of sanding and buffing, and I just finished reassembling the beast. It's a 2004 Japan Fender, Fender original 62 pickups, allparts cream cover, 47 orange drop cap, and only 3.7kg (8.7 lbs). (Formerly sunburst)
It's not that shiny, and this is on purpose to match the neck and its scars. Only few coats and no clear coat to let It vibrate and getting naturally reliced.

Mad Skills

 

[Bassist59]

I did forget the before photo. Just another boring MiM jazz. Hipshot bridge, upgraded pots, capacitor, and Lindy Fralin 10%s. View attachment 3987392

I noticed your Hipshot bridge. I just installed one of those on one of my basses. It’s beefy and of good quality but play a Jaco-style harmonic on the G or D string and it produces a loud snap. If you really pull the string to play a harmonic, the little bridge piece comes out and slaps back. Does anybody else have that issue?

I guess I could either stuff some Vaseline in there to quiet it down or cut a guitar pick up and wedge a little shim in between the bridge piece and the base.

 

[marko138]

I finally took the leap to refinish my beloved P bass. The body is just a cheap Squier Affinity. Dark blue poly. I want a lighter metallic blue lacquer and went with DupliColor Bahama blue as someone else did in this thread.

Getting the poly finish off was a bear. It was more difficult than I anticipated. I got all the color and top coat off but getting down to bare wood was difficult. At any rate, it's done. I put 2 cans of white primer, 7 (small) cans of color and 2 full size cans of Mohawk Nitro. I will say, that the Duplicolor and the Mohawk really sprayed nicely. They sprayed much better and laid better than anything I've used from Reranch previously.

Here are a few pics of the progress, in 2 weeks I'll sand and buff and reassemble.
Here's how she started out. My "Steve Harris" build.


Unassembled

This was a PAIN.

First tack coat

Look at that metal flake!


After one can of clear



And how she hangs now in my basement