# quickest and easiest way to finish a electric guitar



## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

we are going to build a explorer style guitar this spring for my cousin when he comes home to visit for two weeks we wont have time to do the traditional nitro spray lacquer .it will be all mahogany i was wondering what would be the best way to finish it maybe a wipe on oil ? wipe on poly ?
any suggestions


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Get a big bucket full o' paint and dunk the guitar.

That's quick and easy. hwopv

If you want it to look good you could try Tung Oil and wax. Not the most durable finish, but it looks great and is fairly easy to apply. The secret to any wood finish is whitewood preparation. For tung oi you'll want to sand down to about 150 grit, 200 even. After the first coat, you'll wet sand with the oil using 600 grit paper. Do about 6 coats - very thin. Finish with floor wax applied with cheesecloth and/or a rag. Cheap and easy, but labour intensive and time consuming.

matt


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

huh? Why can't you do nitro?


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

easiest in my experience would be to finish it in birchwood-casey tru-oil. you dont need any equipment, nowhere special to spray-
you wipe it on with your fingertips. you can do this on your couch in front of the tv. bieng mahogany itll look real nice- really makes the grain pop out.
then you just wetsand and buff- buy it any gun shop or many outdoor stores-
if you can spray outdoors, or in some kinda environment thats safe for your lungs- nitro is easy
here is a pine body i did- 1 can shellac, wait a day, 2 cans nitro, wetsand next day and done- just wore a resperator and sprayed outside- in the summer- 
easy peasy- no need to wait weeks for it to cure really-


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

and if it helps, this neck was done in tru-oil
its a hard finish, feels good, its weatherproof, but goes on really light and wears well-
although tru-oil does impart a slight amber hue, this neck was tinted first
i applied the oil in my apartment while watching a hockey game


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

well i have all the spray equipment but we will only have a few days


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

copperhead said:


> well i have all the spray equipment but we will only have a few days


Overtime is in order.... :sport-smiley-002:


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## BrianA (Mar 1, 2009)

I've done a bunch of guitars and I normally use nitro because it's so forgiving. But given your short time, I agree, there's no hope with nitro.

I once used water-based poly that I sprayed on a neck that worked out well. Something you'll want to try on a scrap first. I've done some body repairs and a number of cabinets using a foam brush with water-based poly. If you're prepared to do several coats and a lot of sanding, you can get a pretty decent finish. YMMV

Hope that helps!

Cheers, Brian



copperhead said:


> well i have all the spray equipment but we will only have a few days


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