Thread: Wanted: thin, hardwearing, glossy finish for solidbody guitars

Thanks China, will certainly be checking that one out. Did a Google on Rustins Plastic Coating and looks impressive.
Can it be thinned to spray?...not too keen on brush strokes unless it is self-levelling.

Bingo! First Monday morning phonecall was a success. Rang Wattyl who gave me another contact number where they sell Stylwood Lacquer (NC) at 95% gloss @ $50 for a 4lt tin.
Thats good enough for me and will get a decent sized container of thinners which together, should be enough to spray a heap of items.

Thanks for your help all...

Yes Rustins can be thinned for spraying

nitrocelluose is the standard guitar finish that does what u want.
There r some water based ones avilable from www.lmii.com

Gday all.. just found this thread.. Just some info for those interested - the SP610 I had ordered in over the counter from Autobarn on Elizabeth St (near corner of Victoria st) in the city. Was about $16.. I've done some tests which looked ok, but I sourced it for my acoustic, then ended up going with Rustin's Danish oil and a wax buffed in after which has come up absolutely beautifully (for me) .. Plenty of steel wool in between coats after i messed up using a sanding sealer, and its actually come out with quite a nice lustre.. not mirror finish or anything, but very nice none the less with tiger eye like effect on the grain..

cheers,
Paul.

Originally Posted by JupiterCreek

Hi all

Well for the past few months I've been using K&H's acrylic gloss clear spray for my funny little solidbody electric guitars, but now that winter is upon us I'm having problems with lots of bloom and clouding of the finish (especially over solid colours!) even after using IXL-Tastic heat lamps in my workshop to warm the bodies first. The acrylic is great for a clear finish over timber, but it does need about a week to harden enough to avoid fine scratches to the finish, and Crash Supplies where I buy the stuff have suggested a month for hardening would be a better idea!

I'm at the point where I'm thinking of farming out the finishing to someone else who's set up with spray gear to do the job. I'm guessing people who make furniture don't leave their stock out to dry for a month... they'd have a workshop full of pieces and nowhere to work. What's the industry standard for a thin glossy clear coat that resists scratching?

Also... I've thought about using a tung oil type product. At the timber and working with wood show there was a guy doing demos with an oil product, maybe Organoil. He was applying it with an oscillating orbital sander. I asked him how it would work for guitar bodies with cutaways and he said it would be too hard to work with in those areas. In the US people rave about Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil. Has anyone here used it with good results? Would something like a car polisher for the flat areas and lots of elbow grease for the cutaways actually work?

Thanks in anticipation!

I finished a few pieces with tung oil and did not realize that sun light would really mess it up fast. The pieces looked great until they turned into a mess!

A Ressurrection.... except it's Christmas, not Easter! :eek:

I'm now using the K&H clear acrylic if the weather's not too hot nor too cold, and Mirotone's Miralac nitro at other times. The Miralac comes in semi-gloss and satin for under $10 per 300g spray can. I buy in carton lots so it's $7 plus GST, and at the moment the satin is on special for $2.40 plus GST per can, so I'm doing most of my coats in satin and then the final couple in the semi-gloss. Unfortunately they don't do a full gloss.

another thought.. try protec at gilman they will put yuo onto a guy called john mac( somethin) they are an industrial paint manufacturer from automotive to who knows what im sure john will be able to give yuo some helpfull advice as he did me