Airbrushing my Ibanez S520EX to black/candy apple burst

arjunmenon

I woke up this morning and decided that i'm gonna give the whole guitar re-paint thing a try. So i've e-mailed a guy named Peiter at Tools And Professional Services in Rumisig to quote me prices for the following:

1.Iwata Hp-C Plusor HP-B, Micron airbrush for detail work
2.Badger 100, 100LG airbrush for detail work
3.Iwata Eclipse BCS airbrush for larger areas
4.Sata Minijet HVLP spray gun for base coating/clear coating.
5.Iwata Power jet compressor.
6.Masking Material (Transfer tape, 3M tape, fine line tape, stretch mask & art mask frisk film, transfer paper and paint mask)
7.ProEdge Hobby knife/scalpel & 5-piece replacement pack.
8.Airbrush manifold, regulator, filters & gauges, holder and a respirator.
9.Delivery to #50 Riebeek Street, Goodwood, Cape Town.

While i wait for him to get back to me on the above, i thought i might as well try to get the candy burst colour mixing info and the technique involved information. Any suggestions you can give me will be greatly appreciated (i.e. with regards to base coating, masking, techniques for getting the burst/translucent, info on clearcoats etc). Also, i was wondering, as my Ibanez S520EX is an all mahogany body, in your opinion, would a black to translucent candy apple finish look good? Or would i need to consider the grain of the wood once i've taken of all the existing paintwork? Speaking of which, since sanding is an important aspect of getting the finish right, would you be able to point me in the right direction with reference to the kind of paper i should use? Also, since the guitar isn't a flat top and has a lot of contours, should i go with a sanding block, rather than a machine? I was thinking sanding block, because i feel that would reduce the chance of accidentally taking off too much. Also, looking at paints and finishes, and given the porous looking grain of mahogany, what should i get? I'd love to hear what you have to say. I hope you don't mind me taxing your time and knowledge like this.
Much appreciated.

arjunmenon

Ok, great news. Pieter at TOPS just e-mailed me with the prices. They are as follows:

1.Iwata Hp-C Plus (R1 800) or HP-B (R 1 500), Custom Micron CMC + (R 3650)airbrush for detail work
2.Badger 100, 100LG airbrush for detail work The CMC+ noted above is world class for detail work
3.Iwata Eclipse BCS airbrush for larger areas BCS not currently in stock, will be in +- 2 weeks. The Revolution BCR is just as good (R 860,00)
4.Sata Minijet HVLP spray gun for base coating/clear coating. The BCR is fine for larger areas, no need to double up. We have contractors using the Rev BCR for posters and the areas are quite large)
5.Iwata Power jet compressor. We stock a specially designed Puma portable compressor, water trap, regulator, auto on/off, 6L tank, super value at R 2 500
6.Masking Material (Transfer tape, 3M tape, fine line tape, stretch mask & art mask frisk film, transfer paper and paint mask) this you can get at auto refinishers
7.ProEdge Hobby knife/scalpel & 5-piece replacement pack. We stock Excel, which offers a wider range and similar prices. A knife/blades will be under R 100 www.hobby-exporter.com
8.Airbrush manifold, regulator, filters & gauges, holder and a respirator. Mostly on compressor already. Holder R 450, respirator at hardware shops.
9.Delivery to Goodwood, Cape Town. By courier, depends on what you take but budget R 300 at most.

Any other takers can contact Pieter at pieter@toolandprof.co.za and tel: 011 955 1234
All above prices are Ex VAT and P&P

Cheers

AlanRatcliffe

Phew! Where to begin? The best advise I can give you is read up and learn as much as you can first before doing anything. Visit Guitar Reranch, who have most of what you need to know about the techniques and tools. Read everything repeatedly. Then read it again. ? Consider getting a book or two from Stewmac too.

A big gun is actually good enough to do everything - an airbrush is more for fine detail or artwork and is much more difficult to use in larger areas where you want to get an even colour - especially for a beginner at this. HLVP (high volume low pressure) is ideally the way to go as you waste less finish and don't end up with 3/4 of the solvents in the air.

Candy finishes are not translucent, they are solid opaque finishes. They are also tricky to do, so not the best choice for your first ever finish. It's a multi-layer approach and if you screw up anywhere in the proceedure it's strip down to wood and start completely from scratch. Here's a guy who documents a candy orange finish.

Chances are that even though your mahogany body is a decent piece of wood, it won't be the best looking piece for any kind of transparent finish - manufacturers are pretty good at saving the best looking pieces for their transparent models. It may be quite good, but don't expect any laminates to match each other perfectly.

You don't need to mask for any kind of burst BTW, it's done freehand.

Stripping poly finishes is a difficult job and even worse on a curved top. The best technique is to use a heat gun to soften it and then scrape it off. Just be careful not to overheat any area as you can make any glue joints soften and then the body falls apart. Otherwise, I usually chip off the old finish slowly and carefully - which is also tricky to do without gouging a carved top. Sanding would likely take you weeks of work by hand.

Once the finish is removed, sanding. Use a rubber block. For a carved top , the smaller the better. It's slower, but more accurate in the long run. Final sanding with each grit should be by hand with no block - just your fingers. Use wet or dry papers, 3M or similar.

I must get some work done, but if you have any questions, ask (preferably one or two at a time ?).

arjunmenon

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your response (i was countin' on it ? ) Sorry about all the Qs ? Here's the plan as of now:
1. Read about the subject like crazy. Get on to Stewmac for their books and a get the relevant ones.
2. After reading that blog about the candy orange G&L bass, i've decided to rather drop the idea of a candy burst and go in for an opaque deep purple burst.
3. Got enough time, so i'll be sanding the body. Looking at starting out with a low grit paper (Alan, appreciate if you could explain the difference between wet & dry paper. Thanks), a 1000 grit between finishes and lastly a 1200 grit with final sanding by hand. In your opinion, is this the right way to go?
4. And like you said, i need to read more. And i need to get info on the number of coats i should apply between clear finishes etc etc. Feel free to chip in with your ideas here. Thanks.

And i finally feel like there's some purpose to life..he he ?

AlanRatcliffe

explain the difference between wet & dry paper

Wet & Dry (or "waterpaper") has a backing that lasts much longer than regular cabinet paper. It also cuts smoother and is more regular in grit size. Normally a dark grey colour.

starting out with a low grit paper, a 1000 grit between finishes and lastly a 1200 grit

A 180 or 220 should be your staple for wood sanding. I like to go finer (up to about 400) if I'm staining, as a stain has a tendency to make the small scratches stand out. Sand with 400 or 600 between coats (finer and it will clog up too quickly). The rule of three: Three coats of three passes each and then a quick scuff sand (doesn't have to be perfect until your last coat) the next day before the next three coats do that for three days. Leave for 30 days (depending on weather) then do your final sanding from 800 up to 1200.

Buff with medium polishing compound, then fine, then mirror glaze. Use a different pad for each. Machine buffing is best as it gets hot enough to heat the finish enough to melt i and move it around a little. If you use a pad in a drill, be very aware that if you are not careful the guitar will stick to the pad and get flung halfway across the room.

arjunmenon

Hi Alan,

Wet & Dry (or "waterpaper") has a backing that lasts much longer than regular cabinet paper. It also cuts smoother and is more regular in grit size. Normally a dark grey colour.

Just checked out the 3M website. Will be hitting Builder's Warehouse tomorrow morning. I also read on Guitar Reranch that wet sanding is the key to getting a high quality consistent finish. Am i glad you're on this forum!!?? ?

A 180 or 220 should be your staple for wood sanding. I like to go finer (up to about 400) if I'm staining, as a stain has a tendency to make the small scratches stand out. Sand with 400 or 600 between coats (finer and it will clog up too quickly). The rule of three: Three coats of three passes each and then a quick scuff sand (doesn't have to be perfect until your last coat) the next day before the next three coats do that for three days. Leave for 30 days (depending on weather) then do your final sanding from 800 up to 1200.
Buff with medium polishing compound, then fine, then mirror glaze. Use a different pad for each. Machine buffing is best as it gets hot enough to heat the finish enough to melt i and move it around a little. If you use a pad in a drill, be very aware that if you are not careful the guitar will stick to the pad and get flung halfway across the room.

Excellent advise. Thank you sir! Will watch out for flying guitars ?

Cheers.

AlanRatcliffe

wet sanding is the key to getting a high quality consistent finish

Actually, I prefer working dry up until I reach 1000, then I change to wet - dry gives me a better idea of what's going on. You use much more paper, but you can see any shiny spots or deeper scratches which otherwise you only realise are still there at buffing stage.

BTW, you can also go up to 2000 grit paper and then start with the fine buffing compound. The grits above 1200 tend to be harder to find locally though.

Am i glad you're on this forum!!??

Well if I wasn't, you might not have had the crazy idea in the first place. Blame where blame is due. ?