One of the main reasons I've stuck with hand-applied finishes instead of spray has to do with safety. With two little guys in the house, ventilation is a huge concern and building out a spray booth with ducting and venting is a must-have...something that wasn't worth the investment to me as I only do a couple basses a year right now. Whereas a hand-applied finish requires good airflow, but the biggest safety concern surrounds rag disposal and the need to soak them in water and let them dry flat.
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.
The Hossenfeffer III Build
- Thread starter Gilmourisgod
- Start date
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
I never did.
I've sprayed 7 basses with high gloss finishes using the cheap $15 HVLP gun they sell at Harbor Freight.
I didn't even clean them after the build. (Disposable)
And I was spraying a notoriously hard to lay down material (2K conversion varnish)
Do I recommend them? No. They don't atomize the material well... and you get hella orange peel.
Do they work well enough, to build even coats to be cut & rubbed down flat? Yes. Absolutely.
So... yeah 15 bucks.
I spray outside under a pop-up shade w/screen fly.
But then... it doesn't rain much here.
On my last build (Fusión)... I upgraded to the $100 gun (still Harbor Freight). It works waaay better.
Still cheap... as guns go.
Just saying... a spray rig need not be expensive.
You just have more sanding to do to get a nice polish.
Last edited:
But wait! There's another option... guys that don't have money to blow, but still spend it anyway!
I'd definitely put myself in that camp.I do like high gloss finishes and have done a number of them. They are a ton of work and require a lot of patience to get them completed properly. Having said that, I also like a "close to the wood" finish, with no real pore filling, matte/satin sheen, etc. That's why I chose to do a hard wax finish on the last build and I really like it. I'll likely do more of those in the future.
There's lots of reasons why people don't use a spray rig to apply finish, even if they can afford one.
Me, personally?
I don't use one because I'm a degenerate with low standards who doesn't care if my bass looks like crap.
Me, personally?
I don't use one because I'm a degenerate with low standards who doesn't care if my bass looks like crap.
I sprayed my Hosenfeffer I bass with Varathane Ultimate water base using a cheap HF all-in-one HVLP single stage setup that worked......ok. Heavy orangepeel, and it took forever to level sand and polish up to gloss. I like how sprayed finishes look, but it sucks applying them. As far as easy to use/decent finish quality, Tru Oil is probably ideal, but it's not a particularly durable finish. Ive kinda reached the "pencils down" point on this build after several lengthy setbacks. I think I can probably get a decent gloss finish out of the Minwax with some elbow grease investment. Theres always a "better" finish, but at this point im looking for relatively idiot proof. The Highline guy has a couple good videos on wipe on poly gloss Im using as my guide. If I really wanted to get an Alembic quality finish, id have to spend some money on gear i dont plan on using much,.and probably using some kind of hideously toxic 2k finish like polyester. Meh.
Last edited:
This is a lie. dude cut his headstock ears off because he wasn't happy with the way the taper was going.
#FakeNews
Second coat of shellac, thinned about 1/3 with denatured alcohol. No lap marks this time.
And here's two coats of wipe-on poly out in the sun this morning. I must have the iPhone camera on some wacky color setting, the previous shellac photos are a better color rendition of what it looks like. The purpleheart is nowhere near this pink looking in person, nor is the Mahogany and Cococbolo so "orange" . About 10 more coats to go.
You can see I have some streaks on the headstock face where I tried to go over it a second time, that doesn't work with this stuff. No worries, I'm getting the technique for using this down.
I picked up a suggestion for using makeup sponges someplace on TB, and really like it for wipe-on poly. It leaves a super smooth finish, and you have a lot of control over how much finish lays down by how much pressure you apply. It's also truly "lint free", unlike the rag methods. Surprisingly, a makeup sponge left out overnight is still wet to the touch, the poly doesn't seem to dry down in the sponge, I might actually be able to use these twice If I do two coats a day, or just put the sponges in a ziploc bag.
After the first coat, I had some really fine lap marks in places I tried to go over twice. I'm realizing with this wipe on, you pretty much have to wipe an area and move on, it tacks up quick enough that if you try to "work" an area, it will show lap marks. I tried some 600 grit wet/dry just on the lap marks, which it removes, but I think it's still too aggressive. I de-glossed the rest of it with a grey scotchbrite, which seems like just enough "tooth" for the second coat to adhere (hopefully).
The plan now is to keep going with one coat every 24 hours, deglossing it a bit with the scotchbrite between each coat, and keeping any wetsanding to an absolute minimum. I've read about people wetsanding poly with mineral spirts, any advice on good wipe on poly technique appreciated, never used this stuff before. So far I'm liking it. After 10-15 coats I plan on letting it hang to cure for at least 4 weeks, maybe six. Other than a "sniff test", I'm not sure how I'd know if it's fully cured or not. Maybe I should be doing some scrap simultaneous so I can do a "fingernail test" on it?
And here's two coats of wipe-on poly out in the sun this morning. I must have the iPhone camera on some wacky color setting, the previous shellac photos are a better color rendition of what it looks like. The purpleheart is nowhere near this pink looking in person, nor is the Mahogany and Cococbolo so "orange" . About 10 more coats to go.
You can see I have some streaks on the headstock face where I tried to go over it a second time, that doesn't work with this stuff. No worries, I'm getting the technique for using this down.
I picked up a suggestion for using makeup sponges someplace on TB, and really like it for wipe-on poly. It leaves a super smooth finish, and you have a lot of control over how much finish lays down by how much pressure you apply. It's also truly "lint free", unlike the rag methods. Surprisingly, a makeup sponge left out overnight is still wet to the touch, the poly doesn't seem to dry down in the sponge, I might actually be able to use these twice If I do two coats a day, or just put the sponges in a ziploc bag.
After the first coat, I had some really fine lap marks in places I tried to go over twice. I'm realizing with this wipe on, you pretty much have to wipe an area and move on, it tacks up quick enough that if you try to "work" an area, it will show lap marks. I tried some 600 grit wet/dry just on the lap marks, which it removes, but I think it's still too aggressive. I de-glossed the rest of it with a grey scotchbrite, which seems like just enough "tooth" for the second coat to adhere (hopefully).
The plan now is to keep going with one coat every 24 hours, deglossing it a bit with the scotchbrite between each coat, and keeping any wetsanding to an absolute minimum. I've read about people wetsanding poly with mineral spirts, any advice on good wipe on poly technique appreciated, never used this stuff before. So far I'm liking it. After 10-15 coats I plan on letting it hang to cure for at least 4 weeks, maybe six. Other than a "sniff test", I'm not sure how I'd know if it's fully cured or not. Maybe I should be doing some scrap simultaneous so I can do a "fingernail test" on it?
Last edited:
Are the makeup sponges a similar foam to one of those magic eraser sponges? Or are they more soft and open pored?
Somewhat finer-pored and softer. I don't know that I would ever try using a magic eraser sponge because I doubt it's possible to get all the melamine out of it.
They don't look all that different than Magic Erasers, but obviously, no abrasive impregnation, and maybe a little softer. The pores are definitely finer than a decent quality foam brush. They are cheap and available any place that sells makeup. My wife got me a 12-pack.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,011
- 1
- 31,719
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Dude, I have no useful info for you, but just wanted to say my fingers are crossed! I remember the huge amount of effort you went through finishing the HF1….
The "Speedball Black" finishes I've done use Minwax Wipe-on Satin Poly over Speedball India Ink which is shellac-based. I have yet to see a quicker or easier finish demonstrated. I've never attempted to build up a gloss Minwax finish, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out. 
Last edited:
It was that huge amount of effort, basically finishing and refinishing the bass twice, that has put me off spray finishes, at least for a while. I generally like natural oil type finishes better anyway, but the HF1 was a special Nostalgia Trip Case. Of course I had to pick the hardest possible finish for my first one, it HAD to be Jet Black with checker binding
. I'm hoping this dries a lot harder than the water based Varathane Ultimate too, my experience with the VU on the HF1 is that it scratches as easily as Nitro, which was a bit of a disappointment. So far this wipe on stuff is just stupid easy, which suits my overall slacker nature nicely.
This thing continues to look incredible 
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
This thing continues to look incredible
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
This thing continues to look incredible
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
Thank gawd it's not 5 string, don't think I could keep from attempting to acquire it if it were
