One of the biggest disadvantages of purchasing a low-budget guitar is having limited colour choices. However, that should not worry you since you can achieve your desired appearance with a lacquer finish.
Nitrocellulose lacquer is an excellent finish trusted by many musical instrument factories for steel string guitars, mandolins, banjos, etc. For centuries. The best thing is that you can modify your instrument’s colour to match your taste using this product.
Here is a DIY guide and tips for applying lacquer to your guitar.
Tip #1: Collect Materials You Will Need
Gathering all the necessary materials and safety gear before painting your guitar. You will need white primer, wire cutters, a spray gun, masking tape, a face mask, and more. Once everything is ready, follow the following tips to pimp your guitar to your favourite colour.
Tip #2: Disassemble Your Guitar
You can disassemble your guitar by unclipping the strings using wire or clippers. Painting your guitar with strings on can damage them. So, you can consider re-adjusting the truss rod after the process and putting the guitar back together.
Remove all hardware and disconnect the neck from the body. You only need to unscrew the bolts when removing the guitar neck. However, if your instrument has a glued neck, do not try removing it, as you may break your guitar.
You may consider painting it to match the body. You can use a screwdriver to remove the pickups, knobs, bridge, pickguards, strap buttons, and the output jack. Ensure you put everything together to avoid losing the small pieces like bolts.
Tip #3: Strip off the Existing Finishing
There are many ways you can strip off paint from your guitar. Purely sanding it can take time, and chemical removers can be toxic and sometimes messy. Still, the type of paint determines the method and materials you can use to strip it off. For example, a heat gun or hair dryer with a flexible putty knife comes in handy if you have a polyurethane finish.
Scoring a slight entry point with a sharp putty knife will give you a perfect starting point once you heat the finish. The idea is to heat the finish and soften it enough to lift it without burning your instrument. Therefore, it would be best to move the dryer while heating.
Set the gun at the lowest temperature and start warming the finish from the scored point.
Once you notice the finish lifting, work the knife underneath to peel the paint off. Work carefully to avoid damaging the guitar with the knife or your heat source. Try to remove as much finish as possible, including in the cavities.
Tip #4: Get the Body Ready
Once all the old finish is off, you can prepare your guitar for a new touch. Inspect the neck and body for chips, dings, or other imperfections. You can correct dents by steaming with a soldering iron, while only clear chips by filling them up. Use a flat backing pad and sand the entire body, starting with 120-grit sandpaper and working in the grain direction.
Wipe the body with a damp cloth after removing all traces of the old paint. Allow it to dry, and repeat sanding with 220-grit sandpaper. Repeat the process using 320-grit for the third time. Work thoroughly in these steps to achieve a flat, smooth surface to apply your fresh finish.
After this, soak a rag in naphtha and use it to wipe the entire guitar to remove any grease, dirt, and soil left from your hands. Afterwards, wear clean gloves to avoid contaminating the surface again.
Tip #5: Spray the Lacquer
Some handles and a place to hang your guitar while spraying would be best for this step. Pieces of wood make a perfect handle. You can also use them to hang the guitar to cure after spraying. A professional lacquer finish takes at least a week, but the result is worth the wait.
Please note that heated lacquer works better. Cold lacquer spatters give you extra work to create a desirable finish. Thus, it would be best to heat the lacquer cans in warm water before spraying.
From the first to the sixth day, you will spray your lacquer a layer at a time. If you find any imperfections, 320-grit sandpaper will do a great job smoothing it out before the next layer. On the sixth day, scuff-sand the surface with 600-grit sandpaper to make the solvent escape, then leave your guitar in a warm area for two weeks to cure.
Tip #6: Fine Sand and Buff
Use an 800-grit sandpaper to dry-sand the surface to a flat, dull sheen. The idea is to remove the orange-peel texture resulting from the lacquer shrinkage. So, avoid over sanding. Once everything appears smooth without any bumps, proceed to wet-sanding. Soak the sandpaper in water overnight to make it last longer and scratch less.
Achieving your desired finish on your guitar can seem impossible. However, once you understand the procedure, you can apply guitar lacquer at home and get an excellent professional finish.