Hmm. I have a Squier '51 and it's my only guitar. It's a sunburst, and it's pretty disgusting looking, the more I see it.
I think it'd be real pretty if I painted an Olympic white color.
Problem is...how? Obviously you have to take off everything, but I've heard you have to get rid of the current coating on the guitar. But is that really necessary? Also, how long would it take for me to finish? Probably two-four days for the layers of paint, and another two-four for the coating layers to dry?
And is it really that complicated? I don't wanna completely ruin my guitar, but at the same time, I'd like to customize it a bit.
Let me know.
Thanks, Kevin.
Kevin:
Might be a good idea to post the same thread in the Repair & Maintenance section. Also, try PMing the Dali Lima - I know he is always working on customizing one guitar or another.
Kevin:
Might be a good idea to post the same thread in the Repair & Maintenance section. Also, try PMing the Dali Lima - I know he is always working on customizing one guitar or another.
I have. :) He gave a good reply, I'm just trying to find some other replies as well.
Hey Kev :D
You could try PMing me.
I went to Wyoming Tech to learn how to paint cars.
And I have painted a copystrat before.
Sorry, don't have time to go into it right now.
I'd be more than happy to talk you through it though.
Ken
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
You do not need to strip it all the way down to the wood. The poly coat just needs to be roughed up with #220 sandpaper, and then give it a couple coats of BINS shellac-based primer-sealer.
Be sure to read ReRanch 101 a couple times through: http://home.flash.net/~guitars/ReRanch101.html
Note: If the old finish is a polyurethane finish you will have a difficult time completely stripping the finish back to raw wood. It is acceptable with poly finishes to sand the old finish with #220 dry and use the old finish as the base. If that is to be your direction skip ahead to the section on priming
There are also good tips at the Squier '51 Modders forum.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I completely agree with Slej.
The factory paint is a much better base than stripping it to bare wood.
And a sealer will protect it from any differences in reducer/thinner temps so the old paint wont lift.
Ken
ps
I believe the finish id polyester on a 51. (?)
"The man who has begun to live more seriously within
begins to live more simply without"
-Ernest Hemingway
"A genuine individual is an outright nuisance in a factory"
-Orson Welles
Interesting.
So far I know I don't have to go to the wood...just to the factory paint job.
Got a few more questions-
1. Would I have to use another primer despite the other paint job already there?
2. Any specific paints I should use?
1. Would I have to use another primer despite the other paint job already there?
2. Any specific paints I should use?
1. The original paint is irrelevant. You're not sanding down to the paint; you're just scuffing the original clear coat which will now be your base coat. A pigmented shellac primer/sealer like BINS will ensure that your NEW paint will stick to the base.
2. The stuff from ReRanch is good but expensive; I've used Krylon and Rust-O-Leum brands. Auto paint is also popular. The finish is more important than the paint, whether it's nitro, acrylic or poly. Nitro is easiest to work with because it is self-leveling; it's also the most hazardous to your health - invest in a high-quality chemical respirator!
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
^^What one is least hazardous to your health? >_>
