How to Clear Coat A Guitar With Solarez UV Cured Polyester Gloss Resin 

This came out great , beautiful finish! I appreciate the tip about the sanding prep , I know how true that is!

I have many guitars, some custom, mostly off the store shelf. The finishing process you applied to the "Red" is great. Excellent process for a fast, durable, and high gloss finish.

That vivid red color is beautiful

Fantastic video!!! Thank you for walking through all those steps so thoroughly. I am just getting into finishing and your videos on all of these various styles and methods have been incredibly helpful.

that guitar looks amazing. awesome job.

Great video. I’ve used these steps on a few projects several times now. 👍🏼

One of the best finishes I have seen on You Tube and I have looked at many.

wow..!! thank you so much for your time, expertise, what a great video. its great that you mentioned all the products you used.asome.

exellent job done,....perfect explained , one of the most usefull vid's about guitar-surfaces , thanks a lot

Beautiful, Gotta Love that body shape too

I'm using this now on a Tele build, thanks for the tips.

Thanks so much for making this tutorial.

That looks beautiful

Good stuff. I specially liked the video where you explain the "slushing" method with PU+ mineral spirits. I might try that, since I have no access to proper spraying equipment.

Thanks for the information, i like to mention that when i use polyester finish I don't fill grain at all , polyester coating fills it however it may bubble due to air trap in the open pores of the grain , i spray it on medium about 8 to 12 cotes with 10 minutes in between then it fills all grain and even nail holes , thanks you

I have learned a lot from you. I plan on using your techniques on some raw ash drum shells i am having built for me.

Very cool. I will be trying that out on my next build. Thanks.

Hey man, thank you for posting this vid. I'm refinishing a drum kit right now and many of the techniques and products will translate beautifully. Great, highly informative video!

Great video. Thank you for taking your time to make this video

Awesome video and beautiful guitar. I may try this.

This really gives me hope for my upcoming project. I ordered Aqua Coat Grain Filler and glossy clear coat. I assume my best friend will be patience and elbow grease.

Great job. Thanks so much for the helpful tips.

Nicely done.

thanks for sharing. A whole lot of useful info in a well produced video. well done.

I would also mention wet sanding is only usefull after you completely level the surface, and only go for it on 1000-2000 grit or more. If you have any inconsistency on the surface, wet sand will create white deposits, which are very hard to remove specially in sections with small pore-like holes.

Well done video. Makes me want to build another guitar!!

great tutorial. I am going to be trying this soon!

Just discovered your channel. U have some very informative vids. The solarez product is one i will definitely try. Thanks

Cool video. Surfboard shaper here. The bubbles you're fighting are called "gas out" and it's air escaping from the wood as the ambient temperature rises and the gasses inside expand. So, if you apply only as the temperature is going down, the resin will be sucked into pours rather than gassing out. =]

wow...you sir are the master....

That came out great!

I used this method on four guitar bodies and it works really well. They buff up VERY shiny - almost like a polished granite. I strayed slightly from these directions in that I used a single coat of grain sealer on a maple body, but used three coats of Solarez vinyl ester finish. This helped prevent sand-through which I found problematic with only one coat. Thanks for the great instructions and videos, Chris!

Hugely helpful, thanks!

Great info Man. Got a Tele and a Precision Bass as my guinea pigs for your excellent technique... in Crimson Red Transparent (Fender color palette #38). I have a USA Strat in this color, so I've decided to make a matching set of surfin' guitz!

Ahhh! This is beautiful! I have a guitar that needs a coat like this

Thanks for the instructions. I wish I'd watched this before I started applying the gloss coat. I made a total mess of it and will have to sand it off completely.

I been a Painter/Finisher since 1973 and I've done this Professionally since 1980. Try Oslong Sandpaper. It has a special latex backing which feels kind of like those imitation leather tags on the back of Levi's that you know they felt like leather but they're not that's kind of what it feels like. As I say I've done this full time professionally since 1980. It's not just my job it's my life I've not had any other kind of job but a Professional Painter/Finisher/Restorer my entire life. Is the essence of who I am. Oslong Sandpaper is hands-down the best there is, light years ahead of anything else I've ever used and I've used them all. It almost doesn't wear out and it doesn't clog unless you have something sticky like heart Pine in which case you can use those natural rubber blocks on your electric power Sanders and even on your hand sandpaper erase whatever's sticking to it. the grit doesn't come off even when you crease it and then roll it like back and forth you know trying to make the grit come off it still won't come off. I've never seen the same paper do this. Yes I know all sandpaper eventually wears out but Oslong Sandpaper Outlast and outperforms any sandpaper I've ever used. I get mine from John at Marine now on eBay. Try the assortment pack it starts at 80 grit and goes up to 2000 Grit two full size 9 by 11 sheets of each Grit for like $15-$20 bucks. Now for fast and easy removal of raw wood I use 3M Resinite Floor Paper. it's what the hardwood floor people use for sanding down hardwood floors. It cuts Like No other What's the sharpest fastest would removing sandpaper you can get and it's highly durable as well. It's so stiff when you fold it it's cracks the paper. is specifically made for grinding Darrell quick removal of raw wood it's made just for that purpose only you'll never use anything else once you tried. It comes in grits from 60 to 150. There may be some other grits but those are the only ones I've seen. I normally use the 80 grit and I can remove real wood faster by hand no machine then you normally can with something like a palm sander it's just super super fast and by doing it with your hand especially if you're trying to just you know you don't want to take a chance on moving too much so quickly it's the way to go it doesn't require a lot of hand sanding you can just a few strokes and you can see the woods is coming off but you can control it because you're doing it by hand if you're doing something delicate now if you were trying to say remove the planer mark off of a guitar top, back or any flat surface you could definitely use a palm sander but I just use a block of wood in my hand because it's so fast and I can control it so easily like that. When I first started painting I work for a man who was old school and I did nothing buts and and putty raw wood with the little soft you know painter's putty for two solid years. Nothing but sandpaper my two hands 4O hours to 60 hours per week. I like hand sanding I just don't like having to spend forever on one spot that's why I say that resonate floor paper is the way to go on bare wood it's made specifically for wood removal. For polishing I realize you have buffing equipment but for someone who doesn't or if you just want to do something like polishing nut or even polish a fretboard I use 3M Tri-M-ite Polishing Paper. I get mine from Rio Grande jewelry supply because they're assortment pack has two sheets of each of the six Colour Coded Grits that's 12 grits total for the same price everybody else charges for one sheet of six grits silk sheets total. Last I bought was like $15. I have been able to get a finish that's really high gloss nearly as glossy as a buffing wheel just doing it by hand. When polishing a Rosewood or ebony fretboard I can polish the Frets and the fretboard at the same time without having to tape anything up or worried about the dust from steel wool because I've rubbed the Frets and the fretboard at the same time working my way up through the grits the six different color coded grits that they have and by the time I get to the last Grit the fretboard looks like lacquered maple I'm speaking of an Unfinished raw wood looking like lacquer maple and the Frets look like Chrome. People always are amazed when they get their guitar back after having the Frets leveled and polished and the Frets look like Chrome in the fretboard looks like the lacquered Maple and there's no finish on it. Much simpler than taping up a fretboard you accomplish two birds with one stone. If I had a buffing wheel like you then I would use the Menzerna bar they have a black one which is perfect for dark hardwood fretboards because it won't leave a white residue in the pores of the wood. Menzerna also has a great liquid guitar polish it comes in a small 4oz to put in your guitar case or a larger 22oz size with a slightly different name something like paint polish paint swirl polish but menzerna says it's the same product. Lastly use bore doctor from doctors products for oiling your fretboards. This is hands-down the best product on the market there's nothing else like it. It's a blend of tropical hardwood oils and antioxidants. It replaces the natural oil found in tropical hardwoods without clogging or sealing the pores. All other fretboard oils are either mineral oil or linseed oil. Lemon oil is just lemon scented mineral oil.pure lemon oil is highly acidic and highly corrosive. Mineral oil clog the pores of your Hardwood which is terrible. Linseed oil seals the pores of your Hardwood which is even worse. Bore Doctor was originally designed as a clarinet bore oil which it which are made from Grenadilla wood and they have to be oiled with something specifically that allows the wood to breathe without clogging the pores and anyway. A friend of the inventor dr. Lloyd Henderson was a guitarist and upon seeing how well the Bore Doctor performed on a clarinet he tried it on his unfinished fretboards and the rest is history. This product the only product I have seen that will penetrate all the way through an unfinished fretboard from the top to the bottom I have personally witnessed this myself. Google it and you'll be able to find it for $20 in the 60 ml / 2 oz size. Perfect size to try it out and the fit down in your guitar case. If you go to doctor products you can get larger sizes for less money the bigger the size the less per ounce. Once you use bore doctor you won't ever use anything else again I've never seen any kind of finish that can penetrate the way it can. I'm sorry for such a long post but I really hope this helps you, your videos have really helped me. I'm going to try the Solarez per your recommendations on my next project. I would just like to add 1 comment on your removing the Solarez with a credit card on the sealer pore filler. You might try removing it with a dry foam brush or one of those dry natural bristle chip brushes I I saw you using in your video. I've had great success and doing this to remove excess paint or varnish while the Finish is wet. This would work great I believe on like a carved Top guitar or something with a lot of contours where a credit card just wouldn't work. It's just a suggestion. I like your credit card idea but then I though how would that work if you were trying to do it on highly contoured surface like a carved Top guitar. I was thinking you could use the credit card on the back and sides and the brush foam or natural chip bristle on the contoured carved top. If you try the brush removal. method let me know how it works. God Bless 🙏😇 You and Your Family!! Jimmy in NC.... (910)-818-3279 thepainter.198094@gmail.com P.S. If you don't mind me asking how much did you pay for your CNC machine? I'd Love to own one. Thanks again for all your help. You're a great service to the Guitar Building/Luthier community.

Looks fantastic! It's a bit of work, but the results are obviously well worth it. Liked and subbed!

nice. i want to refinish a guitar. maybe this is what i need. very interesting. thank you.

Great video!

Good video you have every tool good for you👌🏻

All i can say, while waiting for my acrylic lacquer on my hand made strat to cure for weeks, is that iam jealous.....wow....a finish that can be done in a day.Excellent stuff and thx for the info.

Tribal tattoo designs wood-burned on to a natural wood guitar body + That product = EPIC! Can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing this tutorial!

very nice

the only well worked clear coat in youtube

Ok. So now that I have FINALLY come across something that is actually a legit professional paint and finish for guitars and not rattle cans or half-assed car finish\paint that's good enough to work. Or hundreds of forums and blogs with everyone saying they did this or that and in the end come to the conclusion that none of these people actually know what they're talking about and just use some answer they saw on another site and sound like they know...it's seriously frustrating trying to get an actual honest to God answer by someone with experience and proof. It's crazy how much there isn't out there... What is needed for an actual guitar. I've been wanting to do this for a while now but have found very little. You've gone over several ways it could be done and ways it should be done. I'm more or less looking for affordable and not high end. Not because I want to go cheap but to keep the average Joes price as minimal as possible yet keeping a beautiful finish and not have to charge alot for something that isn't absolutely necessary if there's an economical way that looks great too. I've building guitars and have had alot of people who want me to make them one and have had my local music store he'd love to put em up for sale and work something out and same with another shop that he does alot of business and trades with too. I have done the whole duplicolor and stewmac products and have come out great. But 2 major issues are...it's way to expensive and does just 1 guitar at a time. I'm now looking at the bigger picture and realize it's time to invest into a professional setup. And 2) these other paints take far to long to fully cure to a point that they can be handled. So I'm just trying to get pointed in the right direction. Paint, spray gun, etc etc. Everything I've seen online I just don't trust. So just looking for some guidance

thanks for the video !!

Awesome thanks

Hi! I just discovered your great video, and a very welcome new gloss technique! I'm wondering about how many coats of the gloss resin did you apply for this guitar? I've got a bass that I'm going to re-do (strip it go this route). I've subscribed and have been watching your videos all afternoon.

Cool. I've been playing around with brushing some of the water based polys and I like their workability but haven't found anything that gets quite as hard as I like. I think I'll give this a shot.

Thanks and subbed!

So I just watched your other video on this product, and I see you have been using it for a while. It definitely seems like a good product. Thanks for the content.

Can you finish the top and sides and do the back after the top cures? Great work!

That's a nice surfboard! A little small, but nice!

Fantastic video! Have you tired over top of anything else other than a stain?

Wow Solarez looks awesome thanks for making this video and turning me onto this product. Q. Any thoughts on using Solarez UV sunlight-cured polyester gloss resin on top of Pacer's Z-poxy? I like the warm amber coloring effect from grain filling with zpoxy, will solarez UV bond? Thanks

Came across this video re: the SOLAREZ Product so I picked up the Grain filler . . . I just applied the Grain Filler to bare wood . . . cured in about 3-5 minutes . . it's still a little bit tacky though . . when does that go away . . . thanks in advance . . great how to videos across the board

What an awesome work! I have an older grand piano that is currently finished in lacquer, I've been wanting to get it refinished in something more durable and up-to-date, do you think Solarez would fit the bill, it's a 9 foot grand, in high-gloss black. Thanks!

That looks amazing...

5:00 - Wife comes home, hits opener, wrecks project. Kidding - awesome finish!!! (I forgot to ask, did it sound any better?) First I have heard of this product. I've worked with regular air dry epoxy on large areas, but not this. Price be damned, going to try it!

Can you tint Solarez? If so, what type of stains can you use?? Love your videos.

very cool

nice vid, thanx....did you sand down the grain filler?....i assume you did but you didn't mention it....

What about apply some low temperature heat to speed the process of the finish laying out? Would heat also help with off gasing? Have you tried that? Maybe with a heat gun?

could you apply a decal on the neck after you lay the grain sealer? I am wanting to do this on the headstock, but I wasnt sure if I should do a waterslide decal before I put the resin down or at the very end after everything has been buffed. I want to "bury" the decal, but since you put the resin on early in the video I thought that would really be the only opportunity to put the decal on (Assuming the compound would rub the decal off without being sealed. Thanks for the reply.

Thank you for this video tutorial ! Would you give us some information on the PVC tubing that you are using to hold the guitar to the vise? Also, could you give us some information on the peg board "box" that you are sanding on? If you have answered these questions in previous videos, forgive me for asking. I'm new to your RU-vid channel and haven't gone through all the videos yet.

Well, I just applied the Solarez and before the body could level, the Sun went down.

Can the grain filler/sealer be used on closed pore wood like maple? Also, can the first coat (or two) be thinned slightly to better penetrate a softer wood?

Do you sand between the coats of the grain sealer ? I plan to use this product on balsa wood model airplane(s) - will test it on a sample project first. Please advise - Thank you very much - Charles.

Great video. Thanks! When I tried this stuff, it refused to flatten out at all. It was difficult to sand off, which makes me think that if I can get it to behave, it might make a good finish. Solarez makes a product they sell as a solvent/cleaner for this. They also say it can be used as a thinner. So, I am going to see if I can thin it and get it to flatten out.

hi, I want to use the solarez gloss, but on top of a solid colour , so do I still need to use the grain filler fo adhesion.

how may guitars can you finish with that pint of grain filler/ quart of poly resin? Thanks!

So many thanks for your videos and information! I have a question, can I use the solarez grain filler and then use nitro over it? Thanks again for sharing!

I put this on the previous solarez vid aswell thaught I'd post a copy here. Hi I make fishing rods and a few yrs back a product similar came to market it was a UV cure 1 part epoxy I use to use it for emergency binding repairs on site at fishing comps, I thaught this is it stuff would apply easily dry in minutes not hrs and hrs with normal sunlight and even quicker with a UV light box. Problem was whilst it got the guys out of trouble and back in action quickly the stuff never actually stopped setting up for all intensive purposes it was usable in minutes but after the angler used the rod mostly in direct sun light whilst fishing it would start to crack it was like it kept shrinking over time. Now it was not some red but it was awfully similar so maybe something to consider especially if you rack your guitars in a room with Windows. I'm not sure if it would happen but maybe keep an eye on things or even do a test piece and leave it in a window. On rods it would go on like a tube shape so if I were doing a time test put some flat and complex curves into the test material. Great vids keep them up super informative.

What type of dye/ stain do you use for these vivid colors

I am curious about if the Solarez grain sealer is a good substraight to paint over? Any info or feedback would be a wonderful thing :)

Wow that looks fantastic! I think I'm going to try this on a refin project now. You may have answered this already, but does the Solarez work over paint? For instance a rattle can of lacquer from the auto store?

Hey Chris. Have you used Solarez on a neck? Thinking of taking linseed oil to a curly maple neck and then using Solarez instead of lacquer. Any advice appreciated.

Hi! I just used this solarez on a guitar and ended up with some of the pinhole dimpling. Would you recommend sanding it and then reapplying with another coat?

What brand is just normal clear polyester for a guitar? I'm make a lefty 74 jazz bass copy and need it for the neck.

Thank you so much for all your great content! I’m curious if you have tried the Solarez diamond glaze product- is it stronger than the standard solarez ICBINL? Any advantages/observations?

have you tried this on the back of a neck yet? if so how well did it work?

Hi and thank you for the videos! They really are great! I hope you can help me, I'm doing a guitar body, after I walked out into the sun, i realized that I didn't get complete coverage on one small section. Can I add more Solarez (poly resin) on top, will it blend? Do I need to sand the first coat for adhesion? Thanks!

Does this stuff yellow much over time? I have a few drums that are apparently covered in polyester lacquer (not sure if its solarez brand). Ones a bit older, and a bit more ginger...

Can you add further coats of this?

how long does it take for the smell to go away? if you can still smell it is it not fully cured?

Anyone know how to get the filler and resin off your paint brushes without destroying them? This I have not had luck with.

how much resin did you use in ouncesto achieve these results. thanks

Have you done any solid colors underneath? If so what is compatible with this resin?

couldn't a heat gun help with the bubbles, just curious

looks like cristall!!!

Instruction on you guitar holding device would be much appriectiated :) Great tutorial BTW :)

Hi everyone. I asked Gary Fisher (0wner of Solarez) about thinning the UV Sealer. Here's the email conversation: "Hi Gari, Can the UV sealer be thinned by heating? If so, please leave short instructions. Thanks. "Yes, a few seconds in a microwave oven." Good to know!!

like sanding the hymalayas!! see you in about 8 months!

I finally decided to try it. When it cures, it is bone dry and looks wet. When I level sand, and go up to 3000 grit, it is somewhat shiny and slick as glass. I used an orbital polisher with 3 grits of chemical guys pads and Mcguire's scratch remover, compound, and polish. It never got back to that wet look. So I keep polishing and start to notice a lot of scratches. IL assuming I went through a layer of solarez? I'm back to coating in solarez. I want the final finish to look wet. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I am so glad I found this video! Thank you so much. I am planning to refinish a guitar with an opaque gloss black finish, are there any paints in an aerosol can you would recommend to go under this? Thank you

Can you use this over a painted surface?

Thanks for a great tutorial! A question: I need to do a kandy over metalflake paint job and naturally want to clearcoat it. Would the Solarez be okay over such a job?

Great tutorial and wonderful finish. From your experience , does the top coat adhere to itself for multiple coats ?

Can you use it on fabric for guitars? Great video. Cheers.