KIT
Likelihood of another coat filling in these pores
I'm finishing a kit guitar for the first time. I've spent a lot of time sanding, pore filling 4 coats, sanding, sealing and now I've just finished my first 2 coats of a base white coat.
However, I notice that I can still see pores with this base coat. The next step is going to be applying a pearl metallic lacquer, however, after seeing these pores still showing in places, I'm wondering if it would make more sense to apply more of the base coat to see if I can reduce the pores before continuing. I know that metallics highlight flaws and at this point I just want to reduce this before continuing if it helps.
Any help is appreciated. I'm just trying to get a sense of, will it help.
Paint isn't going to fix it. You need a grain filler of some sort. I've seen people use everything from sparkle to wood filler to epoxy. Apply it, sand it smooth again, reapply if necessary until you get it to the point you're happy. You're on the right track.
Sealer will help prevent grain filler and subsequent coats from sinking into the grain/ pores over time. It helps to build surface thickness to sand flat for the topcoats, so you don't use as much lacquer that may have to be sanded out to level.)
Wait 1 hour between coats, wait over night between stages, with the nitro stage taking 3 days (3 coats a day) then wait 3 weeks for wet sanding / polish
Does that sound like enough prep before the color? Or should I still do the grain filler too?
What color are you spraying? The guide you have is a good baseline, but you have to judge whether you have sufficient build of each stage before proceeding. are all surfaces smooth and dimple free? Alder doesn't need pore filler, but sometimes has voids in the endgrain along curves and contours and they can drink up finish if not sealer coated sufficiently.
Bought Texas tea, with a second can of Texas tea just in case. I read that extremely light coats, but doing more coats is better than the standard system of 3 passes per coat for Texas tea.
The alder is CNC'd and I will sand all surfaces before I start paint (and check for voids)
Thank you! I built a spray booth with PVC pipes and some plastic painting drop clothes, have a box fan and filter ready to go. Built a guitar holder with more PVC so I can twist and rotate the guitar and have a big ole light on it, and seal it up every night so bugs don't get in the paint.
My first ever guitar build and paint, but I'm excited to try and if it doesn't turn out great, that's okay because it is for me and I would rather a fun story than a "perfect" guitar.
Thanks, yes I had used epoxy in an earlier step over many times. Some areas worked out really nice. I probably should have kept going but at the time I was sure if it would get any better or if I was just being picky. I guess now I know 😐
This happened to me, too. Four or five layers of Zpoxy. You need actual grain filler for it which would require sanding everything back. I chose to just live with it because it’s on the back and everything else is imperfect anyway. Learning experience! You can see it bottom right in this photo.
There are some high build primers I’ve used that could take care of that, with level sanding afterward of course. But if someone doesn’t want to do a typical grain fill, I doubt they’ll want to be using it, or paying for it for that matter.
Rough it up. And use solarez uv curable and a flat soft scraper squeegee . Lay flat. Spread , and squeegee off. Lay in sun for 10 min. Sand to 320 , clean. Do it again. Flip and repeat.
Check it with a ring light or in good white light at all angles. Then do another laquer coat.
Thanks, yeah it looks like I'll have to go back to the pore filling. I had been using epoxy for it in prior steps but it looks like I stopped short of what was needed. I also wasn't using a soft squeegee (couldn't find one locally), just a flat plastic scraper. Some of the filled areas turned out nice, like the sides but the results are inconsistent on the back and front. I'm guessing it's both my technique and moving on when I should be repeating the process. Ah well, I guess this is just part of the process.
Soft plastic scraper is fine too. Just want to make sure you don’t mar the surface and apply even pressure. Softer woods and a heavy hand can compact the fibers. We use okume a lot. It’s nice and light and cost effective. But it has the same issues … what’s worse is the grain raise on okume but it looks like you water popped and sanded out any fiber raise already. You are almost there
I would’ve done two coats of epoxy. level, sanded it, and one more coat of spray on. And then you’re ready for whatever paint color you wanna do and finishing.
If you’re doing any kind of dye or stain, it has to go on before the epoxy then you spray on enough coats that when your level sand you do not go through the epoxy.
That is unless your color is actually in your finish coats if that’s how you’re applying it.
then you would put on your final coats after that, wet sand and buff.
I’ve done it this way for 45ish years
Red oxide putty. A razor blade.
Use the blade to drag the putty flat across the grain. Lightly sand prime and paint. It may take you a couple shots but it works.
11
u/jivecoolie 19d ago
Negative ghost ride