# Official: All things finishing thread



## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

general finishing thread :food-smiley-004:

Sticky pending


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

xuthal said:


> Sticky pending


If it's sticky it ain't :sport-smiley-002:dry yet....


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

shoretyus said:


> If it's sticky it ain't :sport-smiley-002:dry yet....


Excellent information to have at the beginning of this specific sticky.:bow:

you could also add..... *"so don't touch it.......again*...couldn't resist could you"

Dave


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## martyb1 (Aug 5, 2007)

*Tinted TruOil*

OK
I have heard that over at ReRanch,it was said not to do this but........
I have a friend in Texas that contacted the makers of TruOil to see if this could be done.The guy he talked to actually looked at the chemical makeup of TruOil and said he could not see any reason why it would not,but would not guarantee anything.
The two necks I did it on were not to be real dark,just not fish belly white.
The tele neck is a Allparts.Allparts puts a sealer on their necks so I wasn't sure how this would work,but thought I would give it a try.I did one coat of untinted,just to be safe,in case I needed to try to remove it.Then I did one coat of tinted TruOil.I used ColorFX Amber and Yellow-R,3 drops of amber and one of yellow.I just used a small disposable cup to mix it up in
I saved what I didn't use in case I needed to make it darker.
Here is the result of 2 tinted coats and 4 regular coats with light steel wool in between.Thats a piece of swamp ash beside it to compare it to.








I think 2 more coats of TruOil and we will be good to go.This stuff feels amazing on a neck:smile:

The other neck is a Musikraft Birdseye bass neck.I didn't want it as yellow so I just went with the amber.Same process.There is 2 coats of tinted and 5 coats of untinted on this.










It seems to work fine.Not any issues at all.Just thought I would post it


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

*accoustic guitars*

little tid bit on stripping.........first try methyl hydrate straight....0000 steel wool into a small container, I use a tuna size can ...few soft rags handy.....if no luck start adding laquor thinners to the mix until you end up with more laquor than methyl......depending on the age of the guitar, older ones were shellac based finish........when you find your mixture you will see the finish literally melt/wash off....newer guitars with a poly finish and/or painted finishes will require a paint stripper instead...if so, you can use either methyl or laquor afterwards as a wash.........always wear some eye protection and get a pair of rubber gloves...the ones for doing dishes are cheap and nice and fine....


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

*Stripping*

I have a late 1970's Ibanez Concord acoustic that has developed long "cracks" in the top finish. I like the feel of the guitar but always wondered if the rather thick looking finish affected the sound at all. Now that it also looks crappy I'd like to try refinishing it. Any suggestions on what the original material might have been, as well as removing and replacing it, would be greatly appreciated. :thanks5qx: John


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

Hey john,you could try the ibanez guitar forum.There might be someone there who knows.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

ibanez, late seventies, long cracks- id say polyurethane- they used polyester as well, but its a thinner finish and ive not seen those long cracks in it- could do though.
my guess is a poly anyway.
i wouldnt touch it with a heat gun, probably loosen braces and other glue joints- 
id try some chemical remover, like citrustrip, keeping it away from binding, and any other plastic, as well as the frets. then lots of sanding.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Neat trick for testing stain matches. Spray stain on a piece of glass and place it on the guitar to test match.


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## guitaristgibson (Dec 23, 2008)

if i only have access to canadian tire and walmart what is the best way to get that super smooth high gloss finish? steb by step?


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## Lowtones (Mar 21, 2006)

guitaristgibson said:


> if i only have access to canadian tire and walmart what is the best way to get that super smooth high gloss finish? steb by step?


Fresh wood or buffing up an old guitar, paint or clear coat or both? 
Also don't be so fast to assume that you only have access to Walmart and Canadian Tire. Any Body shops in your area. Willing to bet you can get small amounts of material from a body guy. They all have left over paint and clear coat. Also they can order in material for you. Any Paint stores? They carry grain filler and sanding sealer. You have a computer, you can order on line, lee Valley, Wood essence etc. You don't need a credit card in most cases you can alway email them. Most will take a money order in the mail and ship the goods when the receive it. So check out your options. let me know what you want to do exactly and I will tell you how I would go about it. No matter what you choose to do it will involve a lot of hand sanding if you want a truely good finish.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

guitaristgibson said:


> if i only have access to canadian tire and walmart what is the best way to get that super smooth high gloss finish? steb by step?


Drive to Oakville
http://www.exotic-woods.com/misc/finishes.aspx


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## guitaristgibson (Dec 23, 2008)

in reply to lowtones i meant like food that hasnt been sanded or anything, im getting better at the glossy finish under AJC's help but havent got tha superb shine, im doing a pickguard out of wood for and its pretty shiney (not cut into shape yet) but it has lots of wavy bumps (it's not warping cause there not that big) just minor bumps here and there


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I'm no finishing expert by any means, but I'm willing to bet that if wood still has bumps, it needs more sanding.


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## guitaristgibson (Dec 23, 2008)

also if i laminate any other wood then completely flat wood like lacewood which is really bumpy it comes out looking really bad with a really bad finish


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## Lowtones (Mar 21, 2006)

guitaristgibson said:


> also if i laminate any other wood then completely flat wood like lacewood which is really bumpy it comes out looking really bad with a really bad finish


Sanding, sanding, sanding, Try using a sanding block to smooth it all out, if you can get a flexible rubber one even better. Once you have it sanded a good as you think you can get it, then apply sanding sealer or grain filler to even everything up. Sanding sealer is soft, very easy to sand and will give you a nice smooth level finish to work with.

Remember you don't need luck you need patience to get that glossy finish.


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

if your lookin for nitrocelluose lacquer in canada try watco lacquer
which you can buy locally at most castle,rona store's like that i have used it alot in the last 3 years with great results high gloss results ,all i did was replaced deft lacquer with watco and much better results, quicker drying time you can buy it almost anywhere >>.>><<<IT IS NITRO LACQUER


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## Darrel Friesen (Feb 22, 2009)

I buy Mohawk Classic Instrument Lacquer from Mohawk in Vancouver. This is for acoustics however. Solidbodies are more forgiving and can use other lacquers intended for furniture that doesn't have the slight flexibility that instrument lacquers have. The instrument lacquer will however work very well on a solidbody.


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## UntitledProject (Jul 13, 2010)

Hey I'm new here.

Which is more preferable urethane finish or nitro lacquer?


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## Alain Moisan (Jan 16, 2010)

It depends on different things. You might hear/read that lacquer is better on tone, but I don't believe this to be true. I think at the end of the day, what is most important is that the final film must be as thin as possible, regardless of what type of finish was used.

Also, if you intend to apply your finish with a brush, forget about lacquer, while urethane (or polyurethane) is a breeze with a brush. Also lacquer fumes are terrible, while urethane/polyurethane fumes are less irritating, although you will need good ventilation anyway.

One last thing, you will need to seal with shellac if you want to use urethane/polyurethane on most rosewoods. The oils in rosewood act as an anti-catalyst and prevent the finish from curing properly. A couple of coats of shellac and you'll be OK.

Hope this helps!


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## blacktooth (Jul 3, 2010)

Does anyone have experience finishing with Tung Oil? What kind of drying time does it have? how much does it alter the color of the wood?

do maple and poplar require grain filler to get that super smooth finish? they are so tight-grained, I think maybe they could do without, but I'm quite new to this... also, are most grain fillers and sanding sealers compatible with Tung Oil?


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## shizno (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi, i was wondering if some one here could give me an estamet on re painting my guitar i have striped her down to her NGR state and was wondering if there was anyone brave enough to paint it black and air brush a pin up girl on it and how much it would cost me, perferably some where in souther ontario tyvm


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## Supersonic1 (May 9, 2011)

Hey guys, a few questions here:

1 - How do I wear down a poly finish to give it that vintage-style satin look?
2 - What's the best way to get past the finish/paint to get straight to the wood? (I was thinking sanding)
3 - What's the best thing to finish a neck with (preferably with that vintage-style satin feel)

Thanks in advance. =)


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

1- steel wool but guitars wear shiny ,Not really dull think highway 1 
2- elbow grease/sweat
3- super glue -I hear


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## Supersonic1 (May 9, 2011)

1 - I was thinking a finish kinda like this one
2 - Elbow grease/sweat with sanding?
3 - Wouldn't that make my hand stick to it while playing?


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## House Guitars (Jan 4, 2010)

Supersonic,

1. Steel wool might work or some really fine sandpaper. When I want to take a gloss finish to a satin I start with a really fine paper and work my way backwards until I get the finish I'm looking for. Right now I sand my satin necks with 1200 wet/dry paper and call it good. If you start with 2000 and work your way back (1500, 1200, 1000) you should be able to find something that you like. 

2.I would say chemical finish remover is the best way to get to the wood. Scraping and sanding does work, but you want to be carful not to accidently remove wood in the process. A good chemical stripper will lift the finish right off the wood. Then all that is needed is a light sanding to remove any residue. If you are not famiiar with the use of chemical strippers then procede with caution. Follow all directions and make sure you have the right protection. Also beware that once the stripper is on the finish there is no turning back. 

3. Satin lacquer or some other type of satin finish feels great on a neck. The most natural feeling finishes I have ever used have been oil. A few coats of danish oil for a neck finish feels real nice. However oil finishes do not provide the same amount of protection for the wood and may need some additional coats once and a while to keep them nice. 

Josh


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## Supersonic1 (May 9, 2011)

Wow House Guitars, thanks! That helps a bunch! =D


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## Puguglybonehead (May 14, 2008)

OK, anybody here have much experience with spraying on water-based cross-linking laquers? I'm using one from Target Coatings that is a blend of acrylic and urethane. It does dry with a slightly amber hue, as promised, but it is still giving me problems to work with.

It seems to take forever to dry between coats, (maybe it's this summer humidity) and it seems to blush and turn cloudy very easily. I'm using a cheap airbrush, but I'm trying to be careful. Lots of light coats, and lots of breaks in between. I've used brush-on water-based stuff before (both the stuff from Stew-Mac and the stuff from LMI) and I never had these kind of problems. I wanted to go airbrush, so I could get a thinner, more even finish.

I'm worried that, with the blushing, this stuff won't cure to a proper clear finish. I'm also finding that I'm using most of a litre can, just to do one guitar. (solidbody: maple neck/maple & poplar body) It is also giving me much more pronounced orange-peel surface than nitro ever did. I'd really like to embrace water-based finish, but this stuff is frustrating me. I might have to go back to using the old spray cans of noxious nitro.


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## Puguglybonehead (May 14, 2008)

OK, no advice from anybody? The product I was using was Emtech 6000, by the way. Seems to be popular in the industry, but my experience was terrible. I am going back to using KTM-9 for now. Have only used it as a brush-on so far, but will try spraying it when I order a new can. The stuff Stew-Mac sells as a brush-on waterbase is apparently another Target product. Explains my less than stellar experience with that stuff as well. Had the same problem with turning cloudy. The Stew-Mac stuff also had poor burn-in properties and was prone to peeling like rubber if you missed the re-coat time window. (I think because it was probably mostly urethane) 

I found that the KTM-9 was much harder than the Stew-Mac stuff. I'm expecting it is probably harder than the Emtech 6000 as well. (which, I suspect, is also mostly urethane) Anybody know of a Canadian source for KTM-9? Or do I have to get it exclusively from LMI? 

If the KTM-9 doesn't work well in spraying, then I will definitely be going back to nitro.


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