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I'm just about ready to apply finish to this Tele-style guitar I was commissioned for, but I need some advice/suggestions on finishing. I've been reading up on a lot of the spray finishing threads here, and as usual, there are more opinions than there are members. I think I have it just about decided on, but wanted to throw it out there for confirmation from those of you with actual experience.

My current plan is to pore-fill with Z-Poxy, then spray EM6000 through an HVLP gun of some sort. I haven't purchased any of those things yet. Consensus seems to be that KTM-9 is too soft and prone to denting/scratching. Is there any reason that this combination of things would be a problem? And if not, does anyone have a recommendation for a relatively inexpensive HVLP gun setup that's easy for a first-timer?

Here's the guitar: walnut top, ash body

As always, thanks to everyone here!

Z-poxy works fine under EM6000, although I found that the HSF5100 from target coatings to work really well, and is easier to work with than the epoxy's. You just need to follow the instrctions on the HSF5100, and it might take a couple of coats. I have tried 2 different epoxy's, Z-poxy and System 3, the both work, Z is more forgiving in the mixture but has the yellow tint to it which I don't always want. Those reasons are why I tried the HSF5100 and was pleased. But, what ever floats your boat.

_________________
John Thiessen
http://www.iszacguitars.com

you can buy an inexpensive hvlp gun at harbor freight, it is certainly not the highest quality gun out there but get the settings right and it will get the job done. I am pretty much always spraying nitro, which is very forgiving, and the harbor freight gun works fine for that.

_________________
~shad peters

http://www.flickr.com/photos/petersinstruments/
http://petersinstruments.blogspot.com/
http://petersinstruments.com/

Gabby, that looks great!
My 2 cents here though.......
I sprayed about 7 coats on a walnut top job similar to that,
and I didn't like the way the waterbased finish looked on it.
I think they don't bring out the grain on dark woods.
So, i scraped it off, sanded it back down to bare wood,
and tried a finish a good luthier recommended, said a lot of builders are using .
I am now building layers, which takes time.......
Totally different, darker color than the water based.
General Arm-R-Seal, wipe on polyurethane.
No spraying, dust isn't as big a problem.
I'll try to get pics up by this weekend.
I have the back coverplate of the same wood, with the waterbased to compare.
Think about it!

See what I mean?
The cover was cut from the edge cutoffs from the cap,
so not as dark.
Look at the difference though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used the sealer they make first, then the gloss clear.
Still building coats!
About 5 there now.

Whoa, that is a huge difference, Alan. Finishing is such an overwhelming aspect, and it seems like nobody is totally satisfied with any method or material.

A friend of mine works in a body shop and offered that I could finish my guitar in their spray booth. They have a professional setup and spray urethane. I may end up doing that, at least for this guitar. Urethane seems like a good choice, with the only downside being the expense of the equipment to spray it. But since I wouldn't have to buy all the gear, I think it's a good bet.

Gabby, since you can spray, definitely go with the poly, IMO.
It's hard, and has a slight yellow that I like.
My fav for an electric.
I'm trying 2 different brands of varnish, on acoustics,
and they are totally different from each other.
Ya never know till ya try!
Good luck!

Yeah, having access to a top notch facility is hard to beat. And I know that urethane finishes are widely accepted in the guitar community. Pretty sure PRS uses urethane with something else.

Should I still Z-Poxy it or will the urethane be sufficient as a pore-filler?

Nice to see that walnut-topped beauty you've been hiding, Alan! I was wondering what happened to it.