Spraying nitrocellulose for the first time...

[mr_hankey]

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[billyz]

I would shoot a couple coats of sealer first.

use a block on the flat parts and around the headstock. the rest use a foam pad or just your hand. After I get a couple of coats on I wet sand.

[Cantplay]

Preheat the spray cans in a pan of hot tap water.

This makes the spray atomise better, and spit less.

Wear a proper spray mask! The fumes are really bad.

John

[Chris G]

Reranch has an excellent "How to" on thee web-site.

[Structo]

If you are using the Amber from ReRanch,
it is a dye, so it needs to be clear coated with nitro lacquer.

Be careful spraying too much on as it will turn more yellow than amber.


On the necks I have done, I just use a wipe on a dye and then coat it with Tru Oil, a really nice slick finish.

But for a maple fretboard, spray is a bit easier if the frets are installed.

I suggest that you practice on scrap wood to get your tint right.

I would spray a couple coats of sanding sealer, let dry for a couple hours then lightly sand it with 400, especially if you have any runs.

Then spray very light coats of the tint over the sealer.

Then spray about four coats of clear or so an hour apart.

If humidity is over 60% you stand the chance of getting blushing which appears as a white haze in the lacquer.

Don't panic!

Just wait a while and if the humidity goes down, just spray another light coat of clear, and it should go away.

Good Luck!

[Reeltarded]

John's thing about heating the material it is a great tip.

The thing about age is that it happens from the outside inwards. It looks funny to me clear over tint. Everyone's tint looks like amber but real age is a drop of yellow and a couple drops of brown per qt with 6-12 measured drops of maple toner. Maple doesn't get sealer. Just 4 straight coats and in 90 minutes it's ready to level and tomorrow we buff.

omg I just ranted...

Pattern! Headstock edge all around in one go, then sides of the neck, then straight up the back and finish with the headstock face.

[Cliff Schecht]

Miles......that....all made sense?

[Reeltarded]

Sorry!

[Structo]

Good tip about heating the cans, increases pressure.

I learned most of my guitar finishing from the ReRanch forum.

Great bunch of guys over there.

Miles you are correct, I use the vintage amber dye then add a few drops of medium brown to kill the yellowness.

This is mixed with water but you can also put it into alcohol or lacquer if you have a spray rig.
I mix it on the weak side so I can do multiple wipes to sneak up on the tint I want.

Me? I'm just a spray bomb guy.

So I wipe on the dye,

Maple does not require sealer but it does help to seal the stain.

These necks were done this way, but finished with Tru Oil.
The headstocks are finished with nitro lacquer, you can lacquer over Tru Oil but
don't Tru Oil over lacquer.

'61 Relic

[img:640:512]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5X3_ ... %25207.JPG[/img]

The strat on the left is just clear coat over raw maple.

[img:600:800]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GV3P ... G_0234.JPG[/img]


Stain and Tru Oil with nitro lacquer over headstock.

[img:640:480]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jAHE ... G_0036.JPG[/img]

Photos don't capture the real color very well, they are not as dark as pictured.

[mr_hankey]

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[Reeltarded]

10 coats!? Add 5?!!

A vintage Fender guitar has 4 light coats. The body gets color and 4 too.

heh your guitar is going to look like a shattered mirror in 12 years though. Awesome.

[mr_hankey]

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