Can i paint a guitar with watercolor paints?
Watercolor paints are not permanent. According to what medium or material you are painting with , such as using oil-based enamels--you would mix mineral spirits with it to thin it down so the wood shows through the paint. The mineral spirits are also used for clean-up--turpentine or car gas. The enamel paint comes in a variety of colors, is permanent, and can be purchased at a paint store like Lowe's or wal-mart in the paint section. It comes in small or large containers.
Best materials to paint a guitar with?
Hello there, Since you are building a kit guitar, I doubt you want a nito lacquer job. That may cost you as much as your kit cost. Nitro is the vintage style lacquer used back in the 50s and 60s. Now only high end gutiars have such an expensive finish. You can get it on a Fender Custom Shop guitar, but on the Fender Stratocaster Standard you are going to get a urethane finish. Auto paints are ideal for guitar work. That is what was used back in the 60s. Fender's famous sonic blue, shell pink and sea foam green (more commonly called surf green) are all aoto paints. Go to any auto supply store and browse around for something you like. There are all sorts of neat colors and styles of custiom paints. I like the metal flake paints (not to be confused with metallic paints). If you have an air compressor and a spray gun that is best. However with some work, you can get a decent finish with a spray can. I have seen some pretty sharp spray can finishes. I have also seen some lousy ones. You need your color and clear coats to match. That is, if your color is urethane, use a urethane clear. If your color is lacquer, use a lacquer clear. Remember that any subsequent detailing must be done in compatible paints (urethane on urethane). If you don't want to tackle this yourself. Look up anyone who does custom paint jobs for cars and bikes. It is the same paint and process. If there is someone who does custom paint jobs on bikes around you, that would be a geat person to do your paint job. If have a friend who has repainted his car or bike, have him give you a hand. He probably has the gear to do the paint job. Later,
Painting a guitar in Dallas Texas?
I would suggest going to a local car body shop. They are your best bet for finding a place to do detailed celluloid lacquer work. It would be a pretty simple job, it's just a matter of finding someone with the materials and a paint booth.
What do I use to paint a guitar? I know what primer to use, but what type and brand of paint will make it shine and hard? How long should I let it dry?
Nitrocellulose Lacquer is the best finish. If you want you can apply a color coat then sand it smooth then lay up a number of clear coats wet sanding between coats to remove imperfections.First spray a tack coat (this is also called a dry coat as it will look dry). Let that sit for about 15 to 20 minutes then apply a wet coat (this coat will be thicker and obviously look wet). After that you want to apply 3 coats a day. After 3 coats wet sand out imperfections and go back to laying down more paint, continue this until you have at least 10 to 12 coats(nitrocellulose is a thin coating so this will not be as heavy as it sounds and the wet sanding will keep it thinner. After that let it set at least 3 to 4 weeks, make sure that it is not touching anything with the new paint as the lacquer will pick up the pattern of things it is resting upon as it cures. In 3 to 4 weeks smell test the guitar, if it still smells of paint you need to wait longer. Once it passes the smell test, sand it out with very fine grit papers P1000, P15000, P1800, P2000 and such. Use paper with the P rating in front of the grit as this paper is more uniform and will not leave deep scratches. After that buff out the finish for a mirror like shine.It is also best to buy lacquer for this from a Luthier Supply Store, as furniture lacquer is often harder and more apt to crack and check over time on a guitar.There are 3 good places to buy nitrocellulose lacquer. All of them offer it in spray cans and one of them will sell it in cans for people with a spray rig.those places are are Stewart McDonald (they sell both ColorTone spray cans and cans for your own spray rig), Guitar ReRanch, and Ohio Valley Nitro.Here are the links to their products. I hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to ask or message me with them so you can get a good result.Here is one of my many projects..Stewart-MacDonald: Everything for building and repairing stringed instruments!ReRanch Guitar Refinishingohiovalleynitro.com(Edit to add Photo of work using products I mentioned in the answer)
Clear coat of paint over a guitar pick?
Although you've received several good replies so far it's really hard to give you specific advice because you haven't mentioned what material you've made you pick out of. Was it made with metal or plastic or wood? So here's three options: 1. If you made the pick out of some kind of hard, molded plastic (assuming it's even remotely porous) your best bet is to use a clear coat shellac. Shellac dries clear and dries quickly and you can get it at just about any hardware store. Shellac is what is used on boats exposed to high humidity and inclement weather. And, yes, it will start to wear off after awhile with repeated usage. But so what? As the shellac finish (or varnish or whatever you decide on) starts to wear off you simply shellac it again. The most popular brand is Bulls-eye Shellac and you can buy it in pint cans that will last you years. 2. If your pick is made out of some kind of wood it is naturally porous and any clear coat will probably work just fine, from shellac to varnish to acrylic clear coat. Just give it several coats, allowing a proper amount of time for each coat to dry. And, again, as the protective finish starts to ware off just re-coat it again. 3. Metal is a different story because most metals are not porous and, unless you use a spray paint, will not adhere to the surface very well. Even spray paint clear coats will not stand up well on non-porous surfaces that receive a lot of vibration. About the only thing that will adhere to a non-porous metal surface is an oil-based enamel. (The perfect solution is a baked-on clear enamel. Think cars and how they use baked on oil-based enamel. The problem here is how would you get a baked-on enamel effect on a pick? It's not very cost effective to even try.) Still, if the pick is made of metal the best solution is a clear coat enamel. Again, put on several coats, allow plenty of dry time between coats, and re-coat as the finish starts to wear thin. But just remember with metal you'll have to use spray paint. Brushed on enamel will leave uneven streaks on the pick's surface that you can't polish down without hurting the effect.
I want to swirl a guitar's paint?
I am able of Swirling the Brightest Paints along side you, but Not for You. I feel Inspired when you express Eld Wisdom's and I need you to continue because I am Young.
How should I paint my acoustic guitar?
It would be best to use a lightweight medium, and keep it light and thin.It’s possible to increase the value of a low-quality guitar this way, but be careful if it’s a great-sounding guitar, because applying paint will mute some of the guitar’s vibrating personality. Use super light materials and apply top coats thinly.That being said, make it something that communicates its message at a glance - when holding the guitar in playing position, something that can be appreciated from a distance. Use the sound hole and things mounted on the face of the guitar, like the pickguard and knobs, to accentuate your work.I know of a man who adorns guitars professionally with crystals, and I believe he sold one to Katy Perry, which she plays on tour. If you are good, you might be able to drive sales, and make some money, but it has to be unique.I hope your project sings a beautiful song!Best wishes!Original question: How should I paint my acoustic guitar?
What is the best kind of paint to use on an acoustic guitar?
Are you decorating a “working” guitar? That is, do you want to be able to play it afterwards, and not have the sound compromised?If the answer to this question is “yes”, you want to proceed quite carefully. Any new coating can affect the resonance of the instrument, usually for the worse. This concern increases as the current quality and sound of the instrument increases. In general you want to keep the amount of paint applied as small as possible and avoid painting the neck altogether. I’ve seen some cool things done with Sharpies which leave a very thin coat of permanent ink. Pinstriping is also possible with minimal impact on sound.For a guitar that is playable but is more of an art object, the usual approach seems to be to paint a design by hand with acrylics and add a clear-coat final finish:(credit: toddmarrone.com • Archive for Wet Media)If you just have an old, broken, or unplayable guitar that you want to use as a decoration, the sky is the limit. I’ve seen everything from tempera paints to metallic spray paints and glitter used for this. (For any water-based paints you’d probably want to sand down the old finish first and consider use of a fixative coat at the end).(Credit: custom painted guitar | Paula's Blog)
How to paint a hollow body guitar ?
I want to swirl paint a hollow body guitar on the style of a Gibson es-335 , it's just a body with no hardware , can I swirl paint it (a bug bucket of water with colour die in it to dip guitar body in) if not how can I spray paint it ? Will this affect the tone due to the f holes ? Thanks
Custom brush paint for a guitar?
I need to know what kind of paint I should buy to paint a totally clean wooden telecaster body, but i dont need to do the spray clear coat (and i dont want to airbrush paint job ) until ive done the actual paint job by hand with brushes to do more elaborate paintings, So what kind of brush paint would i use to do this and not screw up the wood? anything in particular ? because my friend said probably not acrylics but i dont if he knows what hes talking about?