I watch for the general painting advice, as I don't paint guitars, but I do paint odds and ends here and there. The reason I watch you instead of looking for someone else is because of how amazing your work is
+Neato Electro Thanks. I’m glad you like my stuff. I try to put out some general painting advice like this when I can, but most of the concepts are fairly universal.
I've learned so much from you, Brad. Thank you. I'm in the middle of building my first guitar and your content has been an absolute a gold mine for a novice luthier, particularly around finishing. I've still made mistakes, but I can almost always find a video on how to fix/prevent it. Thanks heaps.
This is the most useful short tutorial relating to paint finishes ever! I've been struggling with this should you /shouldn't you question for some time but watching your earlier videos I just about got it sorted in my head. This video draws things together nicely. Thanks!
Excellent video you gave me the inspiration to repaint my guitar. Had some difficulties trying to get it right but what I experienced is some blemishes in my finish so sanding with a higher grit 600 ,1200 gave me better results and even better when not sanding at all.
Painting a Steinway grand piano and although I'm using waterborne lacquer (Mowhawk) your video was very informative...they recommend 320 grit between coats but I like 600, so far....the following coats seem to look smooth. I love your distinction between "melting " of solvent based lacquer and "mechanical " bond achieved by sanding. I have decided to allow 4 hours between coats to allow moisture to evaporate, but I'm hoping for molecular bonding instead of layering which can show up and necessitate more coats. Unlike solvent based lacquer, the waterborne lacquer (according to Mowhawk ) has a limit of coats....I believe he said 8 is plenty and more is possibly problematic
Thanks Brad for the this information. I decided to spray lacquer instead of poly for this Billy Bo project. I want to get used to my new R500 gun and compressor, then I will try poly. I have sprayed Mohawk lacquer spraypaint on my first guitar project and it turned out great except for slight cracking around the pickguard holes due to the wet sanding water expanding I have learned. Therefore I want less issues or sanding between coats on this project. Thanks again for the words of wisdom.
You said it 1 million times I think, but I can’t keep it straight. What kind of paint should you or should you not use over poly, And does it or does it not necessarily need to be primed before painting? I am thoroughly enjoying your channel, it seems like when I have a question, it frequently gets answered if I watch a little bit longer. Thanks for everything
If you let poly dry fully it works with most paints. You’re probably thinking of lacquer and how it can’t go over oil based paints like enamels. It does not necessarily need to be primed. Just prepped.
Thank you very much for your professional and confident advice. I am painting my motorcycle wheels and I'm letting the paint dry for a day then going to apply the lacquer over the top. The can says to sand it down and clean with warm water then no grease etc which i think would literally destroy my work xD so imma just lay it over the top of the gloss base coat as it's pretty good as it is now :)
Clear. To the point. Thank you! One final question; satin polyurethane (rattle cans) - should it be treated the same as gloss with regards to coating, drying, sanding, except for the final coat?
I'm the type of guy who sands lacquer between coats. I usually do a 800-1000 grit before doing my 3rd base coat just to make the surface smooth and easier to clean dirt and stains. I paint motorcycles parts and make sure to make surfaces smooth to make it easier to clean
This shit is helping RIGHT NOW Brad thanks once again. Been doing poly sealer with a black lack. That laq had to be sanded way too much without the sealer. Obviously using the poly sealer now and almost have this body 💯 smooth.
I really wish you would do an episode on spraying a transparent lacquer paint onto a body. I've been searching around your webpage and I have found one where you take a guitar from scratch and paint a transparent color onto it.
Hello Brad, great video. I'll explain my project and then ask a question about sanding at the end: Cube-shaped coffee table, dark brown. Already 2 coats of water-based satin finish Kelly Moore Durapoxy HP (DuraPoxy HP is a high performance acrylic urethane enamel) It needs at least one more (I'll probably do two more) coats of paint, last one applied 4 days ago. It has self-leveled nicely and no roller marks, but there are some nubs and nibs and I want smoother. I was thinking of trying this on one of the 5 sides as a test (bottom side doesn't count, obviously): wet sand (which grit?), wipe, apply another coat, let it cure 3 days, wet sand again (which grit?), apply final coat. If this works, repeat on other 4 sides, let cure, then (maybe) buff it / polish it. What do you think? Overkill?
Sand at 400 grit between coats. Then decide if you need it smoother/glossier at the end. If so you can got through the color sanding and polishing process.
I read sanding paint with flakes or a metallic look will cause issue's and requires one final coat after sanding to achieve true look. Final coat must not be sanded ?
@@BradAngove Hey Brad. If I sand my clear coat with an 800grit (to correct a mark I made from removing a hair 😔) I'm assuming that will create scuff marks on that layer. Does adding a few more coats of clear hide them marks or do I need to remove them by sanding with a higher grit before applying final coat of clear. I'm using Duplicolour for both the paint and clear. Both are acrylic lacquers so if I'm correct I don't need to worry about mechanical adhesion ?
I LOVE LACQUER!! If you watch it closely, you can see it melting into the layer before it. I use it all the time at work. :) :):) Especially the Lacquer thinner. And thanks for the tips.
Yeah, this question has stumped me before, but common sense and reading the cans seems to work. It would be helpful if Rustoleum products would more clearly identify what they are (acrylic? enamel?). I know what I'm using now but it should be more obvious. You're great with responding to comments, so I'll ask directly: how much dry time should I allow after 4-5 coats of color (one can of the 2X Painter's Touch Rustoleum) before sanding with 800 and spraying the corresponding clear coat? And how many coats of clear? I'm after as high a gloss as possible...
I’d give it at least a couple days, but probably more like a week or two for that many coats. More clear coat doesn’t necessarily mean more gloss. It does however give you more room to sand and polish if you’re planning on doing that. I usually go for 3 or 4 coats.
@@BradAngove Alright, that sounds reasonable. I was tempted to start sanding, as the surface no longer has that rubbery feel in places and there's very little smell coming from the paint. But yeah, a few weeks is no doubt the safest bet. Not like I don't have other Teles to play in the meantime. Thanks as always Brad! Hope it's cool up yonder!
Hey Brad, I asked a few weeks ago about this Dragoncaster I am painting. So, I painted the design last night with acrylic and it looks awesome, but I was curious about getting rid of the imperfections before sealing it. Should I wait a few days and lightly sand and gently wipe clean. My initial plan was to seal with shellac, and I am still heading on that course. I just wanted to know about this lite sanding before sealing. Thanks, it looks awesome even though it's not exact. I made it mine!!
I'm spraying a guitar with metal flake lacquer. I have some tiny dust spots on it. Should I wet sand them out and give it another coat of color before doing the clear coats? I'm thinking that wet sanding will mess up the evenness of the metal flake. This is a great channel, and I've learned a ton from watching. Thanks
If you sand and then flake again it should work ok, but you could also just clear coat and then sand out the bumps after if they aren’t otherwise noticeable.
Nice video usually I dont like sanding between coats and if I've done a mistake I have to correct it respray on these spots of mistakes then give it clear coat , I love spraying wet glossy clear coat but without runs 😄👍 I hope if I can just sand and spray clear but I cant do it cause I feel from my heart this will be bad and I'll hate myself everytime iam watching this piece 😅
I'm a beginner. Whenever I apply a fresh coat of spray paint. Let it cure a day or more. Then sand with 800 paper. The paper dulls the paint and leaves marks on the paint. This is a problem with the final coat of paint, prior to clear coating. Because I doubt CC will make it all better. I really think I'm done with sandpapering to make paint stick better. I seem to be the only one complaining about this. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
@@Frip36 This is what i'm worried about. My painting is done (dark navy) and i feel if i sand final coat with 800 grit it will show thru the clear. Do you remember which video you watched?
That video was ages and ages ago. I think it was called “some information about clear coating”. I’ve also done one on whether you can fill scratches with clear coat I think, and I recently did a livestream about finish sanding that would have given some good info on essentially this topic.
Hey Brad, I just want to thank you for posting some very helpful and instructive videos. I’m so tired of all these amateurs(I*d*ots) just trying to get likes and subscribes, making 20 minute videos to explain one simple task playing their homeboys mixtape and about a million other irrelevant and irritating things they add to an instructional video. Ugh!! I just want to say, keep up the good work and thank you.
Hey Brad, thanks for the great videos. I always use your advice as I am learning to paint guitars. Lacquer, acrylic, enamel,......I get confused fairly easily. I have successfully used Duplicolor paints, per your recommendation. What type of paint is Duplicolor? Can it be sanded to smooth out a slight sag in the paint before spraying clear?Thanks
So the moron I just bought this motorcycle from, painted it with a terrible cheap almost seemingly latex paint especially on the fuel tank and as soon as I got gas on it it change color and peeled off immediately. Anyway I've been looking for the right paint to use by watching RU-vid videos, no real success yet what I ended up doing is buying some tractor Implement paint, oil-based enamel and thinning/adding it with a little hardener also some naphtha. I was just wondering what paint you would suggest what kind that is that would be very durable and gasoline resistant? thank you for the video it was very enlightening also!
Hello Brad, new to your channel and your vids have been super helpful so far! I have one question tho- after sanding my top coat down (cus scratches) there's this milky white fog on where I sanded (about 3000 grit) Should I buff it out before applying another gloss PU coat, or should I just put another PU coat above it and that white mily sand mark will go away? Many thanks!
If you buff it the new paint won’t stick. In fact, it probably won’t stick to 3000 either. You should sand it all uniformly with 800, clean it, and then add your next coat.
Brad, Your videos are fantastic!! I'm spraying a guitar headstock that's already had a very nice clear Nitro Lacquer finish on natural maple. Been practicing on a couple pieces of mdf I sealed. I've put 3 coats of Rust-oleum gloss black, 15 min apart then 3 more next day. Had very fine orange peel. 2 days later sanded with 600 dry. It turns to a dark gray after sanding. Next day another 3 coats on it. Do I sand before the clear lacquer or just do the clear? Also, how long between last coat of black & clear? Thanks!!
Hey Brad great channel. My question is, i've just completed my last coating of colour in the 3 stages like you said. Going to leave it dry out thoroughly before laquering. Do I really need to sand the colour before applying the first coat of laquer? Thanks and keep up the great videos!
Ok. I would start by saying be very careful about putting lacquers over other paint types. That being said, if the base isn’t lacquer it likely won’t bond chemically, so yes. You should sand.
I have 2 questions for you, doing a rattle can paint job on plastic harley saddle bags. Just got done with last color coat and will be letting them sit for a few days. My question to you is I should use 800 grit wet sand paper before applying the clear coat ? Then after clear coating apply the polish ? First time in a long time am I trying something like this.
I have a question for you, Brad. Well, two questions, actually. First, what about primer and clear coat? Let's say I was going to spray paint a guitar body. I sand down whatever finish is on the raw wood (doing a mediocre job at best), then apply two coats of primer, two or three coats of paint, then two or three coats of clear, leaving ten or fifteen minutes between each time that I spray. Is this a bad idea, or will it be okay? My second question is, when are you going to work on those kits from SOLO? Been looking forward to that. Thanks! -Brent
+Brent Jones That’s too much paint at once. You can do your primer/sealer, let it dry and sand it, then repeat with colour and then with clear. 4 coats per session max. I’ve started working on the tele kit already. Should start posting this week or next hopefully.
Brad Gr8 videos u have ! Xlnt & logical . Do you recommend sanding spraypaint before applying rustoleum clear enamel ? I have an outdoor steel platform I built for my tow reciever hitch to carry a motorcycle or whatever needed. Do you think clear enamel would last 1 year in the elements? I painted it with rustoleum professional aluminum finish . I wanted to use 2k & a respirator but the chemicals scared me away 😁< Thankyou > kyle rich california
The clear coat should stick better if you sand generally. How long it lasts will depend on how much abuse it takes. Road grit, etc. hitting it will probably chip away at the paint fairly quickly.
What about suing Mineral Spirits instead of water for wet sanding- as that won't swell the wood? And would you sand color coats if there is a light bit of orange peel if using spray Laquer?
How long should I let the Behlen Vinyl Sealer dry before sanding and respraying another coat or two of sealer on the Mahogany guitar back? Instructions say 1 hour dry time before sanding again, but your video has me wondering what's best for Vinyl Sealer, which wasn't specifically mentioned in this video. I'm hoping that my waiting four hours to sand and respray on the second coat of Vinyl Sealer was ok. How long should I wait for the second coat to dry before sanding and applying a third coat. I think you're right about the Mahogany being "kind of thirsty."
Using Rustoleum Enamel for color base coat, but I will wait the 24-48 hours for the final sealer coat to dry unless you tell me otherwise. Hey, thanks again!
Hey Brad- love your channel. Super helpful and the content is fantastic. I have a general question for you: if I lay shellac on a bare wood guitar to seal it, and I sand with 220 between coats, on my final coat before paint, can I use 400 or should I go with 220 to have more tooth on it? Is it necessary to sand through different grits (220, 320, 400)? Many thanks in advance. - Vince
Hey Brad! when using nitrocellulose lacquer, Do you recommend sanding the last coat of color if it's not even and adding the last wet coat of color after it before applying the clear? or should I continue building clear coats, level it by sanding, and then add the last coat of clear?
Sorry if this is basic, but i'm confused now. Do you sand between your last coat of spray paint and your first coat of clear coat? Or do you not sand again from your last coat of spray paint until after you have already put down a coat of clear coat?
Hi Brad, i've sprayed my Tele kit with Krylon colormaster paint+ primer, which i think is acrylic enamel... I already have a Rustoleum 2k clear coat, an oil based Poly and a Rustoleum acrylic Lacquer can. What clear should i use with this type of paint? Btw I don't mind about the yellowing effect on oil poly. Thanks!
@@BradAngove i've read on many forums that their clear stuff is incompatible with the acrylic enamels. The other thing is i can't buy another can at the moment
Hey Brad, great channel & great videos. Question - I’m using an acrylic based lacquer on my guitar. It’s been drying for a week now as I’ve been busy. Should I sand or just apply the clear coat as it is? Will it just melt in?
Please help, so I've painted a cabinet with pasti-kote (enamel?), now I wanna apply a clear (plasti-kote again), do I need to scuff the colour before I do??
Brad, what's your opinion on sanding metallics? There's a lot of people that say you shouldn't sand metallics because the flakes will lose the shine. I'm concerned about one of my projects. I've let it cure for nearly a week and was planning to hit it with 2k clear.
That is sometimes an issue. I occasionally seal in my metallics with a coat of clear right after spraying them. Then I have something to sand. Anyway, you can probably go ahead and spray the 2K over it as long as it isn’t glossy right now.
Good advice as usual. Thanks Brad. Do you have any thoughts on using Danish oil as the base coat and then top coating it with Truoil for the final finish on bare wood?
haha, i thought my pc was reading my headphones as a mic again... it sometimes does that on startup due to the way my particular motherboard's built in audio features are setup, and i have to reconfig. enthusiast grade pc issues... haha
Hey man, I am new to painting and customizing guitars. I am having trouble with a soft finish. I did a galaxy blue paint job and used Spray Maxx 2k clear can. I went straight from paint to clear after fash time without curing. Now its been 3 days and it is soft, i laid it down on some foam and it left an impression. So, is there a way to harden this? Or do have to start over?
Brad Angove I’ve used it before on another project. I made a wood guitar hanger with automotive grade spray paint and used the same clear coat. It hardened very well and looks great.
Hi Brad. Right now I'm staining a rosewood neck black with india ink. It looks good, but I feel as though I want to protect it and maybe make it shine a little more. Should I use true oil and gunstock wax like I did on the back of the neck? Or should i varnish it? Should I compound and polish it out, being mindful of the frets of course? Or something else...? Thanks.
People thing that fretboard finishes are really complex, but really there’s less magic to it than you would think. You can lacquer, tru-oil, or poly it if you want. Keeping it consistent with the back of the neck makes sense. It’s up to you whether you feel the need to polish or not. If you keep the finish thin you likely won’t need it.
I have a huge cabinet I sprayed with rustoleum about 2 weeks ago. Was my first time spraying out of an hlpv gun. I got terrible orange peel and mega runs. 2 questions, I need to ad more coats still. Should I just ad the extra coat, and then color sand and work out the runs? If so do I need to sand the existing coat first for the next coat to stick? Or should I just sand the orange peel and runs down now, then paint and color sand again for the final step?
If I put a couple coats of stain on the top of my guitar body so far (after sanding of course), would I need to sand a bit again before I add another coat or two of stain, if it's been a while since the first couple coats? I'm wanting to go a bit darker, plus I felt I didn't sand all the surface exactly evenly since the stain seemed to soak in on parts of the top more than others.
i have a jackson randy rhoads FSR (came with natural wood grain from the factory) i applied white primer and 3 coats of paint.. and the wood grain is still visible??! what would i have to do to make the grain disappear and only have a nice white gloss finish?? THANKS YOU!
Hi brad, i put 3 lagers of clear coat on my guitar. Its nice but there is some dust and a hair clogged up. So i think i sand it out and go for another 3 layers of clear. What grid size shall i use?
So I sprayed some interior trim but on the 3rd coat attempted to reposition the item and got a small finger print in it. If I let it dry then wet sand can i get this out. If so what grit would be recommended as I would also need to achieve mechanical adhesion as it would be to dry. Will add one more final coat after ?
I have a harley benton cst 24 kit I am looking forward to completing. I am currently planning on grain filling, and using India Ink on the face, then finishing with a satin or matte clear coat finish. Any recommendations on how to best achieve this, with an India ink paint?
I'm using a HVLP sprayer for a cheap kids boat, I will finish in a matte black......my question. Do I need to sand between coats?? Its an enamel marine paint. Im not looking for a perfect finish. I just want to make sure it gets three coats.Thanks
Wait.. so. I got confused with lots of info.. If i want to have a glossy finish on my guitar but with a thin layer of protection so the guitar can breathe what should I put on in? And how? Thanks in advance .
There aren’t really any glossy finishes that allow the guitar to “breathe”, but dead wood doesn’t breathe anyway. Regardless, the type of finish you’re probably looking for is a thin coat of nitrocellulose lacquer or oil.
Hey Brad ! Love your tutorials. Question : I’m doing an EVH frankenstrat tribute (black n white) I’ve done like 6 coats of black and I’m not thrilled with the finish.... do you recommend wet sanding the black down before I tape it off and apply the white ? I’ll be clear coating it as well, just not sure if the clear coat will mask the orange peel ??? Thanks in advance brother 👍🏻
Hey question for you, why would certain spots on my 2nd coat start wrinkling? For info I sanded off old coat before starting and I’m using rustoleom I’ve been waiting 30 mins to let each coat dry before applying the next. Is this a weather issue? I have to spray outdoors due to no garage unfortunately.
Rustoleum 2x ultra cover ENAMEL....got a light coat of primer and a base coat. Do I need to sand that orange peel off before 2nd coat? Should I use 400 grit if I do? Thanks for all your help so far, Brad.
I ended up using a white scotchbrite pad. Also, I figured out that if your paint job ends up with hairs or fibers on it, those with just fall right off during the scotchbrite session. Now onto the next coat, the morning after the base coat.
You don’t necessarily need take out the orange peel, but you do need to sand with something if you’re waiting that day in between. I would stick with the grey scotchbrite. White is a bit too fine to give the finish the tooth it needs so to speak.
I used a dupli color perfect match on a pc case but the textur came out like sand paper? Is there a way I can fix this I’m trying to get a smooth service before I use my clear cloat?
Not sure what you mean about sealant, but the catalyzed polyurethanes (automotive) have great gloss and don’t yellow. See my video in the difference between 1k, 2k, and 2x paints.
@@BradAngove I am going to paint my wooden table with a stain called unicorn spit, which is water based and so I will need a sealer that is oil based and pretty durable since it's my kitchen table.
If you sand a small spot after your first 3 clear coats, can you clearcoat just the small spot or is it best to do the whole thing again and just pay more attention to that small spot?
Hi brad really need your help for.my case, I used rattle can for painting my diecast car. The problem is the paint very easy to peel. This is what i did. I sand the diecast first and than spray the primer paint. After the primer i already try both sand it and not sand it before the next coat. I wait the previous coat completely dry before start the next coat (try dry it with fan or just let it dry)and also try a thin coat for each layer. FYI i work at night and use acrylic paint. Pardon my bad English. Thank you
Its peeling off the metal..also try without primer,same result. Already try different brand of paint. Is it change the result if i make a box of metal with lamp for drying (like an oven process)?
Its just regular multi purpose grey primer. Just found out from you there is primer for metal.. first i use paint removal and clean it with soap. Then sand it with 1000 paper then wash it with water, and dry it. Not use anything for polish
Only if you are outside the recoat window. Generally you would want to seal those in with some clear during the normal recoat time to avoid messing up your metallic.
Only if you are outside the recoat window. Generally you would want to seal those in with some clear during the normal recoat time to avoid messing up your metallic.
Im using Color Tone guitar lacquer, silver metallic. It seems to not feel very smooth after painting so wondering what I should sand/use (800 grit?) prior to clear coating?
@@BradAngove Would you recommend heating the can up in warm water prior to spraying? Wondering if that would improve the feel of the paint after it dries?