Rattle Can Refinish Club

[JIO]

I think this happened to some of my refinishing in years gone...
If I had known it was Kool...I would have left it..

I LOVE it!!

Thanks! There's a fine line between 'an accident/mistake' and a deliberate tact in doing something, and this type of finish is a good example. Being an A+B =C process it is only somewhat controllable, but if you accept that and work with it - you can have a successful result. Part of the that is being open/not afraid to make mistakes and allow them as potential unexpected discoveries to capitalize on.

 

[Instagator]

Here’s my Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird that I refinished in Nitro Dakota Red a few weeks ago.The paint is from ReRanch and the clear coat is McFaddens.
Neck through paints are always a bit more challenging.It started as a white bird.I sanded down to primer and left it just rough enough for the paint to stick..wet sanded down to 2000 and buffed out after it gassed off for 60 days.
The "inlays" are stickers from Creative cuts..They look authentic from a foot away.Sort of a nod to the Gibson Firebird necks. I traced over the black thunderbird logo on the pick guard with red and blue paint. It ties into the color scheme. Picked up some bird knobs from Ebay..Put on a Hipshot BT1 drop D tuner for low work. The truss rod cover was cut out of an old pick guard..I have some other ideas about a logo but I'll run with the skull and cross bones for now.

I've done Dakota Red before but it seems appropriate for a Thunderbird...Cheers!

 

[PaulS]

Look at that shine! Beautiful job

 

[JIO]

Here’s my Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird that I refinished in Nitro Dakota Red a few weeks ago.The paint is from ReRanch and the clear coat is McFaddens.
Neck through paints are always a bit more challenging.It started as a white bird.I sanded down to primer and left it just rough enough for the paint to stick..wet sanded down to 2000 and buffed out after it gassed off for 60 days.
The "inlays" are stickers from Creative cuts..They look authentic from a foot away.Sort of a nod to the Gibson Firebird necks. I traced over the black thunderbird logo on the pick guard with red and blue paint. It ties into the color scheme. Picked up some bird knobs from Ebay..Put on a Hipshot BT1 drop D tuner for low work. The truss rod cover was cut out of an old pick guard..I have some other ideas about a logo but I'll run with the skull and cross bones for now.

I've done Dakota Red before but it seems appropriate for a Thunderbird...Cheers!

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Nice job! I think a white pearl tr cover to play off the mock pearloid inlays would look good.

 

[deff]

I know this is an old post, but I'm in the process of doing a Glitter Blast refin and I have a question. I'm using Minwax clear spray lacquer for my top coat, and after 2.5 cans, the finish still feels bumpy after drying. I'm planning on spraying another can, but I'm skeptical about achieving a smooth-ish finish I can ultimately wet sand and polish. Any advice?

Just keep going until you're past the point where the lowest point us at least above the highest glitter. 3 cans or more isn't uncommon.

 

[friskinator]

Just keep going until you're past the point where the lowest point us at least above the highest glitter. 3 cans or more isn't uncommon.

I level sanded as best I could to get it a bit more flat, then put on 2 more coats. That's 3.5 cans total. Should I do another can to be safe?

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I level sanded as best I could to get it a bit more flat, then put on 2 more coats. That's 3.5 cans total. Should I do another can to be safe?

Glitter / flake takes a lot of material to bury. Bear in mind it may take several weeks for it to cure, and even then it may shrink. There is a reason the pros charge 400 for a flake job. It's time consuming and labor intensive.

 

[friskinator]

Glitter / flake takes a lot of material to bury. Bear in mind it may take several weeks for it to cure, and even then it may shrink. There is a reason the pros charge 400 for a flake job. It's time consuming and labor intensive.

Yup, I can see why! Makes me wish I could have gotten the Solarez to work for me.

 

[deff]

I level sanded as best I could to get it a bit more flat, then put on 2 more coats. That's 3.5 cans total. Should I do another can to be safe?

I would at least finish the half can. It impossible for anyone to tell if you've sprayed enough over the internet. But... you probably have. Also, never level sand between coats, never.

 

[friskinator]

I would at least finish the half can. It impossible for anyone to tell if you've sprayed enough over the internet. But... you probably have. Also, never level sand between coats, never.

I know - I usually don't. But it was so incredibly bumpy, even after 3 cans of clear. I was afraid the final result would still look like that. It's pretty smooth now after spraying 2 coats over that, so I'll likely start letting it cure now.

 

[Reedt2000]

If you're gonna cut and buff, more coats isn't gonna hurt anything and might prevent disaster... when in doubt

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Yep, put on as many clear coats as you think you need......then put on a couple more. It's SO easy to burn through it level sanding. Use a white rag (assuming a dark paint color) to wipe off the sanding slurry. If you see even a hint of color on the rag......add more clear coats.

 

[murphy]

I wish to God I had all this information years ago when I busted my ass refinishing past instruments...and could have spared myself much of the work

 

[Gilmourisgod]

You are in good company, I find finishing basses WAY harder than building them. There doesn’t seem to be any shortcut through painfully acquired skills, unless you are doing something really simple like Tru-Oil.

 

[fretno]

Fin
we did Watco oil on all the bare wood . I dyed the top of the one piece Maple body with JE Moser alcohol powered "Lemon" a few coats of that and then went back and finished with Watco . The watco really helped the dye , made it deep and rich and brought out the chatoyance . I finished the neck off with a few coats of the watco then waxed it but the body and the headstock got a few spray passes of zinsser shellac spray to seal all that in with a final few coats of Mohawk instrument lacquer . It was all done very rushed in 3 days but it came out great I think. Here she is
It's a 30" 8 string made by my buddy Endres Guitars

1 piece Maple ( light too the completed bass weighs in at just over 8 lbs. )
Wenge Neck with Maple stringers & Rosewood board . Gold Jescar frets . Tuners are resolites and gtr tuners

I had a hard time deciding to dye such an amazing 1 piece so I made a compromise , I left the back natural

I used 3m vinyl tape to mask off the top

the neck is a Hard V

and she sounds like
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[JIO]

and she sounds like
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Nice looking axe - makes some crazy noise!

 

[fretno]

Thanks Dude!

 

[friskinator]

Squier Affinity Jazz in Krylon Colormaxx Matte Aqua with Minwax satin clear lacquer. Looks really nice even with no sanding or polishing. I'd like to keep the matte look and just smooth out the little bumps left over from spraying clear. Any advice on how to achieve that with a final sanding? 0000 Steel wool, Micromesh, wet/dry paper?

 

[JIO]

Squier Affinity Jazz in Krylon Colormaxx Matte Aqua with Minwax satin clear lacquer. Looks really nice even with no sanding or polishing. I'd like to keep the matte look and just smooth out the little bumps left over from spraying clear. Any advice on how to achieve that with a final sanding? 0000 Steel wool, Micromesh, wet/dry paper?

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Unless you want it to amber over time due to the lacquer 'aging' you can just leave it as is. (matte) Clear satin in lacquer has more of a sheen than the matte. With matte finishes, there's no buffing/sanding or polishing after the final coat.

 

[friskinator]

Unless you want it to amber over time due to the lacquer 'aging' you can just leave it as is. (matte) Clear satin in lacquer has more of a sheen than the matte. With matte finishes, there's no buffing/sanding or polishing after the final coat.

I’d like the finish to be a bit smoother, though. Is there anything I can do to remove the imperfections without turning it into a gloss?