Official Luthiers Forum!

I've never painted a guitar so I'd like to ask what the correct procedures
would be.

The body has binding on the top and back. It will be gold on top black on sides and back.
The recommended sealer/primer is white. (ReRanch nitro clear and paints- 3m vinyl tape)

I should have asked first (lol to keep a positive attitude).
I followed what I thought was the right instructions and it's been a very trying first attempt.
I may have to start over so having some (new) perspectives would surely help.

I do not use tinted sealers or auto type pigmented primers under my finishes. Aside from metallics I mix most of my own colors right here. Basic schedule for what you want to do would go something like....

1, sand out.
2, two coats sanding sealer, vinyl or sterated as required.
3, sand sealer at 400
4, mask bindings and sides, shoot color on top, let dry.
5, mask top, unmask sides, leave bindings masked
6, shoot color on body/neck, let dry.
7, remove all masking, carefully scrape any bleed from bindings.
8, shoot clear, let dry
9, level and buff.

This is a very rough outline and there are many little things to each step. This is not an easy finish to put down for your first. Do you have any prior finishing experience like auto or furniture?

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Brian, thank you.

The only finishing I have done is Tru-oil and on the guitars I've built.

This is an attempt at restoring my first electric guitar. A '63 Harmony Stratotone Mercury.
It was in pieces so thought maybe I could get it playing again and do some learning too. My first attempt at binding and painting.
( the binding turned out very nice to my surprise....on the body, didn't attempt the neck- it was my first refret on a bound fretboard)

The biggest problem has been getting a nice transition from the binding to the paint. When I scraped the binding the white sealer would show. Not everywhere but even small areas showup easily.
I sanded the sealer back a little away from the binding and shot again...then I could see the area "in" the paint that wasn't primed.
Just really confused...doing a great job at scraping the binding so why am I seeing little edges of white primer?

Had this been a job without the binding I think it would have been worth clearcoating.

If you are not masking the bindings you should scrape the bindings after the color coats but before the clear. Sounds like what you are doing. No matter if you mask or scrape, the colored primer is going to be a problem as it will always be peeking out at spots, that's why I don't use it.

Don't know why any one , especially a company supposedly centered around custom finish and repair, would recommend a white primer under a dark color????? When I do tint my sealers to use as a "primer" I generally tint them very close to the actual color, just a bit lighter so I can see that I get coverage. But as I said I shoot colors right over sealer all the time. Just shot this one yesterday, three coats Inca silver metallic right over clear sealer then the clear coats.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I did mask the bindings and scrape after giving the paint a little time to set. - thought I'd add; I thought by leaving a very small amount of paint on the binding I could easily scrape it off and would also insure that all the wood was covered.

"the colored primer is going to be a problem as it will always be peeking out at spots, that's why I don't use it." - "Don't know why any one , especially a company supposedly centered around custom finish and repair, would recommend a white primer under a dark color?????" - I was wondering if I would hear those statements. Thank you Brian...and the Strat looks great. I've always favored the silver and have one that is themed "Silver Surfer"- one of my favorite comic books when I was a kid.

There is a world of difference in painting metal automobiles and finishing wood. What works well for one is not necessarily good for the other. I have learned to do both over the years but cars and motorcycles were always a hobby. Finishing wood has always been more. Some metals need etched before they can have a surfacer /primer applied. Most auto primers still come in a very basic selection of 6-7 hues designed to maximize coverage of more expensive finish materials. And sometimes it is best to have a good bit of contrast between the two. Prime a bike frame in black to save a coat of actual black paint and at the end you find spots that are not covered very well. Shoot black over red primer and there will be no doubt about coverage. If your primer affects your final hue, you didn't get enough coverage.

Wood does not need a primer, unless we are talking solid color exterior finishes, it needs a sealer. This is a functional difference, wood is hygroscopic and metal is not. Once sealed, shooting a color over it is no different than shooting it over a primer of the same approximate color (pore filling is something entirely different and optional). Tie coats /bond coats are something else. They can be used at various stages in the finish matrix for different reasons. They are generally used to tie dissimilar materials or to provide an "even surface". For example, if I wish to use a vinyl sealer under my high build nitro it must be done as a bond coat with the first coat of lacquer laid in medium thick while the vinyl is open. This is because of the difference in plasticizers. Not a recommended practice by the MFG., but doable according to the lab guys (not my practice, I use a different sealer). A common place for a bond coat is the first coat of a candy over a metallic or pearl. Try and hang a full wet coat over it and it will either be lots of sags or it will be splotchy, either of which will ruin the finish and require starting over with he base coat. The "primer" under more than a few of those solid custom color 60's factory Stratocasters was actually a burst finish that had gone badly.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

It sure hasn't been easy.

I stripped it back to the wood and started over.

ReRanch paint and clearcoat combined with my determination and lack of talent has made this a pretty expensive lesson. The sentimental value and desire to learn makes it worth it.
I finished clear-coating it and it is what it is- not a very good job but I had to draw the line and move on. I'll see how the rest goes after I let it set for about a month.

Not so. Just trying to clarify the differences. In hindsight there was no need to quote you in the post. Apologies. No offense meant. These type of conversations can be tough in bits and snipits.....

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/