How to Repaint a Guitar
- Disassemble the Guitar
- Sand the Existing Finish
- Apply the New Finish
One of the limitations when purchasing a guitar, especially a
low-budget model, is the lack of color choices available. If you are set
on having a specific color, or simply want to try your hand at
refinishing an old or cheap guitar, you can learn how to repaint a
guitar yourself. This process is not much more difficult than
refinishing any other wood object (such as furniture), but note that a
large amount of careful effort is required to achieve a smooth, factory
appearance.
Be prepared to take your time. Custom-painting and finishing a guitar body properly is a process that can take weeks. Don't rush. There may be a tendency to get it done so you can play it: the solution to that is to acquire a finished, ready-to-go body. If you're doing your own paint job, you'll want to do it by the book and get it right-- or the rush-job will definitely show (badly) in the final results.
Be prepared to take your time. Custom-painting and finishing a guitar body properly is a process that can take weeks. Don't rush. There may be a tendency to get it done so you can play it: the solution to that is to acquire a finished, ready-to-go body. If you're doing your own paint job, you'll want to do it by the book and get it right-- or the rush-job will definitely show (badly) in the final results.
Things You'll Need
- Guitar
- Orbital sander
- Sanding sponge
- Coarse, medium, and fine-grit sandpaper
- Vacuum cleaner
- Compressed air (optional)
- Cloths
- Mineral spirits
- Primer
- Paint or stain
- Clear coat
- Buffer and buffing compound, or ultra-fine sandpaper pads
- Dust mask or respirator
- Wire cutters to remove the strings
- Screwdriver and allen wrenches to remove the hardware
- Soldering iron and solder
Method 1
Disassemble the Guitar
1- Remove the guitar's strings. You can clip the strings
away using your usual pair of string clippers. Unfortunately, there is
no way to repaint a guitar with its strings on, so note that you will
likely need to readjust your truss rod once you reassemble the guitar.
2- Remove the guitar's neck. Bolt-on guitar necks are
fairly easy to remove - simply unscrew the bolts at the back of the neck
joint and wiggle the neck free. Glued necks cannot be removed, but most
glued necks are painted to match the guitar body anyway, so you'll want
to leave it on so that you can repaint it.
3-
Remove all of the guitar hardware. The output jack,
pickups, bridge, knobs, strap buttons, and pickguard can usually be
removed using a screwdriver or Allen wrench. On some models, the output
jack and knobs will be wired to the pickups through holes between each
cavity, and so you'll need to snip the wires to remove each piece. Make
sure to record how they where wired so that you can put it back together
correctly.
4- Pull out the bridge studs. This can be difficult
because they're pounded into the wood. You can use a soldering iron to
heat them up so they expand, and then when they cool down they will
contract and be easier to remove. You can use pliers to pull them out,
but this can scar the finish and ruin their appearance.
5- Set all of the fasteners and hardware aside and label them.
The refinishing process can take a few weeks to a few months, so make
sure each screw or bolt is labeled. This will prevent confusion when you
try to reassemble the guitar
Method 2
Sand the Existing Finish
1- You have two options. Sand away the existing finish
completely, or just rough up the existing finish to allow a fresh coat
of paint to stick. If you're going with a stain, translucent paint, or
if the original finish is much darker than the color of paint your
using, then you need to completely remove the existing finish.
Otherwise, if you're using a solid paint, then you only need to rough up
the surface. Please be aware that most guitar builders agree that a
thick coat of paint is tonally inferior to a thin coat of paint.
2- Use an orbital sander to remove the bulk of the finish.
Fit an orbital sander with coarse-grit sandpaper and work over the
entire guitar body using smooth, circular strokes. This technique should
allow you to remove most of the lacquer and paint on the guitar's body.
You may be tempted to use paint stripper. However, this is a very messy
and toxic process, and most paint strippers are not capable of removing
the rock-hard polyurethane that modern guitar manufacturers use.
3- Use sandpaper or a sanding sponge to remove the remaining finish.
For curved areas that are difficult to reach with the orbital sander,
use loose sandpaper wrapped around a large dowel, or you can use a small
sanding sponge. Coarse-grit sandpaper is best for removing the paint
and lacquer.
4- Smooth the guitar's body. After using coarse-grit
sandpaper to remove the finish, you'll want to smooth out the wood using
progressively finer grains of sandpaper. Work the entire body over with
medium-grit sandpaper (such as 120-grit), and then go over it again
using fine-grit sandpaper (such as 200-grit).
5- Remove all sanding dust. A vacuum cleaner with a hose
attachment can remove most of the sanding dust. To remove additional
dust, you can use a can of compressed air to spray it away or wipe it
away with a moistened cloth or tack cloth.
6- Apply grain filler. Unless you are going for the
unfilled look, an option you have when working with mahogany or other
porous woods, then you will need to fill in the grain with a filler or
putty. Choose a water or oil based filler that will match the paint or
finish you are using.
Method 3
Apply the New Finish
1- Be sure to paint in a dust-free environment. There
are numerous air particles in the great outdoors even on a clear day
that will seriously mar your finish-- including bugs that will be drawn
to the odor!
2- If painting indoors, be sure to use a quality air mask. Always wear goggles.
3- Don't paint in an area where overspray will affect furniture or floors. A workshop, garage or similar enclosed area will suffice.
4-
Placing the guitar body inside a large box on top of a
portable worktable (such as a TV tray) will greatly reduce overspray and
will protect other items in the area. The opening of the box should
be to the side so that the paint is contained within the box and the
guitar can be slid in and out. Putting newspapers inside the box
provides an easily-replaceable painting surface.
5- Choose the paint or stain you want to use. For solid
color finishes, use a paint that is very durable, such as polyurethane
or nitrocellulose. Nitrocellulose is the gold standard and can be found
in auto parts stores or online, but it dries very slowly. For a
stained finish, use a water based stain and a nitrocellulose or
polyurethane clear coat OR an oil based stain with an oil based finish
such as Tru-Oil. Sprayed on finishes will prevent unsightly brush marks
6- Apply a few coats of primer/sealer. Use a primer that
matches the type of paint you are using. Aim to apply 2 or 3 thin coats
rather than 1 thick one, as this helps the primer to dry properly and
prevents drips.
7- If using a solid color, apply the coats of paint.
Apply two thin coats of paint, allowing the manufacturer's recommended
drying time in between. Wait one week for the paint to completely dry
before applying the clear coat.
8- If using a stain, wipe on the stain. First, wet the
guitar body with a little bit of moisture to ease the application of the
stain and prevent blemishes. Apply the stain following manufacturer
instructions, and apply as many coats as needed to achieve the look
you're after.
9- Apply a clear coat to the guitar. Again,
nitrocellulose is recommended. Apply each coat as thin as possible,
building up a clear, protective finish on the guitar. You may need to
apply as many as a dozen thin coats to achieve a factory finish. Apply
them in sets of three thin coats with a few hours in between coats and a
week in between sets. The first set of coats need to be very, very
thin. After that you can apply them on a little thicker but make sure to
avoid runs.
10- Wait. If you chose a nitrocellulose or polyurethane
finish, wait 3 to 4 weeks for the paint to harden. If you chose an oil
based finish, such as Tru-Oil, you only need to wait a few days!
11- Polish the finish. Wet-sand the hardened finish
starting with 400 grit, then 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and finally
2000. Do not skip any steps or else tiny pits, scratches, ans swirls
will be in the finish and will be impossible to get out. Do not sand
through the clear coat and into the color coat especially on the edges
of the body where the clear coat may be thinner; this is the reason why
the clear coat requires so many coats. Stop here for a satin finish. For
a mirror-like shine, use a buffing wheel and buffing compound such as
3M "Finesse It". Alternatively, you can use "Micro Mesh Finishing
Pads"—a set of fine grit sanding sponges with #1500, 1800, 2400, 3200,
3600, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000 grits—that can be used to give a
high-gloss finish without needing an expensive buffing tool.
12- Reassemble the guitar. Screw or bolt together the
guitar's hardware. If you had to snip any wires to disassemble the
guitar, you'll have to solder them back together. This is now also a
good time to replace the cheap factory components, namely the
potentiometers, with high quality ones. You can even buy a new pick
guard or make a custom one. Once assembled, the guitar can be cleaned
and shined using your usual guitar polish. Now just string it, tune it,
and enjoy your beautiful new instrument!
12
Reassemble the guitar. Screw or bolt together the
guitar's hardware. If you had to snip any wires to disassemble the
guitar, you'll have to solder them back together. This is now also a
good time to replace the cheap factory components, namely the
potentiometers, with high quality ones. You can even buy a new pick
guard or make a custom one. Once assembled, the guitar can be cleaned
and shined using your usual guitar polish. Now just string it, tune it,
and enjoy your beautiful new instrument!
Tips
- If the neck is removable, you can attach a long piece of wood to the body, where the neck would bolt to it, so that you can easily handle the guitar without touching the unfinished paint.
- Latex-based finishes clean up with soap and water, which makes it easy to keep your work area clean.
- For a completely custom touch, you can apply "water slide" decals under the clear coat.
- For an extra smooth finish, you can apply a grain filler to the wood after sanding away the existing finish. Grain filler helps to smooth out the surface of opened-pored woods so that the paint and clear coat look better.
Warnings
- If removing the old paint with paint-stripper, be extremely cautious. Use a quality paint respirator and do this outside. Paint-stripper is toxic and carcinogenic.
- Always wear a dust mask and eye goggles when sanding, and work in a well-ventilated area.
- Also use a paint mask or respirator when spray painting the guitar.
source :www.wikihow.com
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