Guitar clear coat cracking paint

Stupidly, i accidentally hit my guitar troy van leeuwen jazzmaster on my laptop yesterday and it produced a small crack in the finish amongst the bottom corner of the guitar. Sand the guitar lightly, wet sanding it with agrit sandpaper, progressing to 2000grit. It is just that i have some 35 year old poly finished set neck guitars with no such cracks not epis. Maybe it doesnt have to be clear, just not white when it dries. It simulates the look of old paint, but a clear coat is used over the. Peeling and cracking problem solvers by sherwinwilliams. But if you really want to do a great job, i think stewmac has a kit for repairing these kind of damagesyou have to chip of the clear coat entirely around that area though. You want the new clear coat to extend way beyond the new color so you have plenty of clear to buff out without peeling back the new color paint. Nov 16, 2005 by now i was itching to get the job finished, as i hope to give the guitar back to my girlfriend for xmas, looking like new. Washcoats are very thin coats using thinned finish. Bubbles caused from a loss of adhesion and lifting of the paint film from the underlying surface. How to prevent a crack in the lacquer on the top of a guitar from. Before applying your clear coat of paint, you should allow your colored coat of paint to completely dry for one week before the clear coat.

We repainted it the original color, with the original paint, and used commercial grade clear coat. On the fender the 2 solid lines represent coats of base coat i would spray, then the 2 dotted lines are a blend coat and a drop pressure coat of color. Paint cracks andor bubbles after clear coating hard baits. It doesnt seem like there are any cracks in the wood itself, just the clear finish. Checking cracking a nitro guitar finish nitrocellulose relic tutorial. This is an automotive clear coat, that allows you to get a mirror shine for a clear that looks like glass. Checking cracking a nitro guitar finish nitrocellulose. The only reason to sand between the color and the clear is to level any imperfections in the color coat if you sand using your fingers and not a block or pad of some type you fingers can leave depressions in the base only to be magnified with the clear. While back, i refinished one of my guitars, and all was well, until i began to apply the clearcoat, to my horror, the paint quite literally, cracked. A faded or peeling clear coat is too late to save with preventative treatments. Dec 26, 2003 water based paint latex or acrylic enamel dont use artist type acrylic paint clear poly finish. With age this clear top coat begins to turn yellow. Make sure the sealer, color and clear are all compatible.

The clear was probably a lacquer and the base coat was an enamel. Waxing masks the lines for a short period, but then they become visible again after a. If the base coat is intact, and only the clear coat is cracked, you might be able to strip the future and reapply. The only clear i could find in rattle cans i dont have a spray rig, but im hoping to get one for my next project a complete build from scratch was clear acrylic. The paint was applied by a friend whose day job is as a body mechanic, though not usually painting, though he had experience. Theres a specialty finish called crackle lacquer thats designed to produce cracks for the visual effect. Fastdrying and resistant to alcohol and water, it produces a hard, durable finish that enhances the beauty of the wood. You can get paint at any shop that sells car paint. Nitro does crack, and when it is a clear coat on top of dye, you dont notice it as much.

Itll leave you with a nice satin finish, but protect the color. If it still looks very white, chances are theres no top coat. I dont nessecarily want to fix the cracks, i just dont want the wax or polish to build up in them leaving behind white threads. Accompanies our clear nitrocellulose guitar body finishing kit. Craft stores sell it in small containers, and paint stores sell it in 1quart and 1. Where different material meet, like binding, maple cap, mahogany body, nitro does crack from the varying expansion rates of whats underneath it. Without a clear coat, the raw paint will chip but again, if thats what youre looking for. So if your color coat looks good dont touch it apply your clear and sand and buff the clear. An instruments finish can consist of a color coat and clear top coat or simply a clear coat. Always practice on a scrap piece of metal first when in doubt. The cure for this type of cracking is to sand it back and recoat as soon as its dry enough. You might want a clear coat over a metallic, like a gold les paul, cause the gold is really finely divided bronze dust, and will turn greenish over time if not protected from the air. Be careful to sand lightl so as not to affect the color coat underneath.

Apr 21, 2012 ive seen this problem occur on several black cars, including mc2hills truck, the black dodge ram that was detailed by daytonajae, mc2hill and myself and now this 99 accord. You didnt heat set your paint enough when you used your dn clear coat. I just got finished painting my guitar and i put the clear coat on when i turned away for about 5 sec i started to notice some crack and shrivel up. Paint all the sides of the guitar with an even coat. The clear coat on vehicles is the top layer of paint most exposed to the elements. Nov 21, 2009 you didnt heat set your paint enough when you used your dn clear coat. Doing so leaves a hazy dull ring around the area of transition.

Even using the best carwash soap, clay bar, and wax will result in a cleaner, betterlooking exterior, but the damage is still. That means a white guitar may eventually turn yellow and, since blue and yellow make green, older blue instruments can eventually turn green. I think you might be satisfied with these three products by vht. Dont worry if there are areas you can still sort of see through. Solvent boilspopping advice on paint defects glasurit. In other words, these colors have been matched to the truest paint chips available. Dan teaches you how to blend new lacquer with old lacquer. It says your style is flamboyant or that its laidback. Removing scratches from guitar finishes lacquer repair. Pay particular attention to edges, as its easy to not get the paint thick enough in these areas. What to do about cracks in guitar finish acoustic guitars harmony.

Start sanding with 600 grit and work up to 2000 grit. These marks were not apparent during the wash or claying process. Im pretty upset since it was an expensive guitar, and ive only had it for about a month and have taken really good care of it until yesterday, but i was careless. Checking reveals a property of lacquer we want in a string instrument coating it is thin, hard and brittle like glass, when cured. Be especially light on the white edge bindings, if present. And ive been told that the poly on guitars is like the clear coat on cars, where it takes more flex than wood could take to crack the finish. For surface defects caused by solvent boils, sand the paint system down to a sound substrate. The 2007 toyota tacoma has 2 problems reported for clear coat peels and cracks when waxed.

Colortone aerosol guitar lacquer or colortone aerosol clear. Colortone nitrocellulose guitar lacquer can be applied over smooth bare wood, sanded. Thats done on some cars, to increase the finish durablilty, among other things, but theres no need for that on a guitar. You can fix a guitar poly finish in a few different ways depending on the nature of the problem at hand. Adhesion blocking undesirable adhesion between two painted surfaces or between paint and weather stripping. Sep 23, 2010 nitro does crack, and when it is a clear coat on top of dye, you dont notice it as much. Colortone clear aerosol guitar lacquer is formulated especially for musical instruments. A guitars look is a major part of the statement that guitarists make to the world about themselves. If your using enamel paint,its best to base and clear in one shot. I sanded the gloss off the 112 to give a better adhesion surface for the glue. It depends however on how well you prepare the wood, how economical you are and how much paint actually ends up on the guitar and this does depend on your skill level. Create cracks in paint to reveal the color underneath with these stepbystep instructions. Many people who own cars are likely to need new paint at some point.

Then apply another coat and wait, then apply a third. It gives the instrument a big part of its character and its soul. Of course i could always paint over it like i did my 30 year old applause. Clear top coats were always nitro, but not all custom colours had clear coats. Jul 10, 2017 a short tutorial showing how to get that cracking checking effect on a nitrocellulose guitar finish. Blend new lacquer into old lacquer with flash coats youtube. Since i want my base coat black and the 112 is black i made it easy on myself. By now i was itching to get the job finished, as i hope to give the guitar back to my girlfriend for xmas, looking like new. If youve decided that youre going to use a spray paint, make sure that youre applying thin layers of paint and allowing each thin coat to dry completely before applying another coat of paint. Faded clear coat is dull and has a rough texture compared with a regular clear coat, which is glossy and smooth. To clarify, the cracks are in the clearcoat not the paint. I have an applause ae28 electricacoustic guitar that plays pretty well, but doesnt look so great.

It looks like a clear paste and has the consistency of paint. Oct 31, 2015 if the base coat is intact, and only the clear coat is cracked, you might be able to strip the future and reapply. Crackle medium creates large and small cracks in a top coat of paint to let the base coat show through. There may be a structural issue in the sheet metal below the paint that results in cracking. Mar 17, 2015 clear top coats were always nitro, but not all custom colours had clear coats. What to do about cracks in guitar finish acoustic guitars. On instruments with color, a clear coat sits atop the color coat. Then i spray a final coat of clear satin or matt lacquer all over and leave it. If too much clear is removed you may buff into the color coat. Next rub by hand with fine white rubbing compound till clear luster is attained. A short tutorial showing how to get that cracking checking effect on a nitrocellulose guitar finish. There are a couple of cracks in the thick plasticy finish.

Patterned cracking in the paint film resembling the scales of an alligator. Perfect for touchup work, or for finishing an entire instrument. How to get a professional looking clear coat with spray. This scuffs up the clear coat, enabling it to hold more lacquer. Fix a guitar poly finish with help from an experienced guitar builder and repair technician. If you want a satin finish, thats fine just dont wet sand the clear beyond or 1500 grit, and dont polish it. Regular waxing can help prevent clear coat damage by placing a thin invisible barrier between the clear coat and the suns damaging rays. Cracking in an automotive paint job may occur in the clear coat over the paint or in the base color of the paint. As soon as you start with ssr definitely necessary on th. The labels on the cans should flat out tell you what the contents in the can are. If solvent boils are not completely removed by sanding, pinholes will appear once the next coats have been applied see entry on pinholing. Colors matched in these areas usually do not show signs of environmental damage or smoke discoloration.

Remove the tip and flip it around for pinpoint application. Imperfections during the painting process can also cause cracking in the paint. Dont leave your guitar out in the car it the temperature is below freezing. Ive seen this problem occur on several black cars, including mc2hills truck, the black dodge ram that was detailed by daytonajae, mc2hill and myself and now this 99 accord. Clear coat paint or finish is a type of paint or resin that has no color or pigment, making it clear. It simulates the look of old paint, but a clear coat is used over the crackle layer to protect it and the substrate. This clear nitrocellulose guitar lacquer can be applied over smooth bare wood, sanded basecoats of grain filler, colortone sanding sealer, and over colortone stains. The splitting of a dry paint film through at least one coat. My dream product would be a wax that goes on clear and dries clear. As a rule of thumb, refinishing a guitar body will take a can each of primer, colour and clear. Future will come off with ammonia, as any housewife will attest if you can find one anymore lol the risk is that the ammonia might strip off the layers of paint below. The suns harmful ultraviolet rays can cause a clear coat to fade. After dan repaired a crack in a gibson acoustic guitar the finish didnt look to good.

If the instrument is merely clear coated, the same applies, sanding or buffing thru the finish will leave bare wood exposed. Ive used it on another non guitar project and its both thin and tough after curing for a week. Waxing masks the lines for a short period, but then they become visible again after a few weeks. Refinish using the recommended undercoats andor topcoats. Water based paint latex or acrylic enamel dont use artist type acrylic paint clear poly finish.

Take a hair dryer to it and dry it like crazy then let it sit for 24 to 48 hours before you clear coat it. The same effect happens on lake placid blue guitars that can appear more green with age. After enough coats this way you can completely fill in the cracks. They also are not as greatly affected by the color shifting caused by the ultraviolet yellowing of the nitrocellulose clear coat.

Future will come off with ammonia, as any housewife will attest if you can find one anymore lol the risk is that the ammonia might strip off the layer s of paint below. When encountering this situation its important to know what is involved. Aged clear has a subtle tint to match old finishes. Use clear gloss for repairs in clear finishes, for spotsealing tints, and to mask bindings before you stain the surrounding wood. Im using a catalyzed polyurethane clear coat for this paint job. I would go with poly because it will hide the repairs better.