Mirror finish with dulux on guitar body

[old_picker]

hi all
My queston is what product should i use to finish coat a guitar body with?
I have grain filled, primed and coated [4 color coats] with dulux interior hi gloss [oil base] and am about ready to put the final coats on. Traditionally guitars are color coated and then finished with clear nitro lacquer. I would like to use polyurethane or some other product. Nitro fumes do weird stuff to my head and lungs, even with respirators. I already have a pretty fine surface and have been wet sanding between colour coats with 800 wet'n'dry. When the current coat is dry i will rub back with 1200 or 1500 ready for clear coating. I have a tin of Bondall Ultra Gloss i was hoping to use for the job. I need something that can withstand a bit of wear. as you can imagine a guitar is subject to knocks and dings etc.

Hopefully someone can give me a tip or two.

Thanks in advance.

[Harry72]

A 2pac clear should do the job as its a lot hardier finish than normal, Id try it out with the current paint on some scrap before going the whole hog...
If paints are doing weird things to your head and lungs, your either using a inadequate respirator or the respirator doesnt fit your face and is leaking(are you clean shaved before fitting respirator?)

[old_picker]

I have a teenager who uses auto spray and it stinks the whole neighborhood up. Even inside the house with doors and windows shut it upsets my asthma. We also have a lady bext door with advanced emphesemia so i dont want to add to the fumes at all. I know all this stuff has fumes but that nitro stuff is diabolical. I probably will use water based with my next one.

BTW can you spray 2 pack?
The main thing i am concerned about is the clear lifting the dulux colour coat.

Many thanks for your reply

[Chris Parks]

I have a teenager who uses auto spray and it stinks the whole neighborhood up. Even inside the house with doors and windows shut it upsets my asthma. We also have a lady bext door with advanced emphesemia so i dont want to add to the fumes at all. I know all this stuff has fumes but that nitro stuff is diabolical. I probably will use water based with my next one.

I am about to spray a car and took some advice from a Tech teacher acquaintance. Two pack automotive sprays are carcenagenic and present real user and health issues. It is absorbed through the skin and eyes as well as the lungs. I have seen guys in disposable suits spraying and now know why. Apparently these paints are banned in Europe due to the health risks (so I am led to believe). I cannot comment on furniture two packs but they most probably are not good. I have since decided to use acrylic. I can also see why the authorities insist on spray booths to contain the airborne spray. Do a search, there is lots of stuff on the net about paint and health issues.

[Cliff Rogers]

G'day Picker.

Did you make it yourself or is a reno?

Is it a family heirloom or a collectors item?

If so, stick with the trad or you will devalue it.

Is it an Acoustic of a plank?

I've been picking for 34 years now & I've never been tempted to make my own but if I did & it was acoustic, I'd stick with the tried & tested.

[old_picker]

This is a plank "partocaster" tele. I got the bits from Warmoth in the states including the loiusianna swamp ash body and maple/rosewood neck. It will stand on its own merits as a guitar and am not that concerned about using traditional tecniques. If i sell it i will be just trying get some of my money back to help finance the next one. Making guitars is very addictive and totally fun. You can buy fully serviced Martin accoustic guitar kits from around US$220.00
see: http://www.martinguitar.com/1833/cat...%20%26%20Tools
Be carefull you can get bitten by the guitar building bug very easily.

[kiwigeo]

Hi there old-picker,

Im another woodie bitten by the luthiery bug. If you havent already done so check out Luthier Mercantile (LMI), Stewmac and the Guild of American Luthiers for information, tools and materials.

Im doing the acoustic thing down here in Adelaide...building steel strings and classicals.

Re traditional techniques...youll probably get away with not being concerned with same if youre knocking up electrics but if you start building acoustics dont ignore the wealth of information and expertise that comes from studying the building techniques of the "traditional" luthiers...what they were doing was the end result of many years of trial and error and learning from them can save you alot of time. No point re-inventing the wheel I say.

Happy luthiering

Martin (no relation to CF Martin)

[kiwigeo]

I've been picking for 34 years now & I've never been tempted to make my own but if I did & it was acoustic, I'd stick with the tried & tested.

Hi there Cliff,

Tried and tested is good but there are some recent new products available for finishing acoustics. KTM is my favourite....a water based finish available from the states (see Stewmac website for details). On my acoustics I start with a couple of coats of shellac (brushed) and then follow up with 4-5 coats of KTM lightly sanded to 400 grade W and D in between coats. Last coat of KTM is sanded back to 2000 grade W and D and then polished with 3M or Mguires car polish.

If not going for KTM my second choice of finish for acoustic guitars is french polished shellac. Laquer is nice and durable but putting it on is a pain in the veritable and there are more safety issues to consider than with shellac.

Cheers

Martin

[Harry72]

BTW can you spray 2 pack?
The main thing i am concerned about is the clear lifting the dulux colour coat.

I wouldnt do any thing else with 2 pac but spray it on!
Contact Dulux and ask what top coats are compatible.

Mini, all paint is dangerous to your health when sprayed and most are also when brushed on... going by the experts everything is detrimental to our health in some way.