Notice the soft 'honey' glow. Warmoth's finishes are both beautiful and durable. Polyurethane is so hard, it will just chip off in stead of shavi ng off under heavy wear. For all types of guitar. Conclusion. My American EC Strat has a urethane finish and my mim Tele has a polyurethane finish. It's not a good material for finishing guitars. So any natural wear just looks like crap. Keep Applying, 1 coat of wipe on poly is about 1/3 of brush on poly so get ready for a long process. One thing about polyurethane guitar finish I hate is how they look when damaged, or at least on guitars I've had in the past. -1. level 2. The design for the nitrocellulose lacquer found on many of the vintage . My favourite was lacquer for vintage guitars, and acrylic for everything else. The finish applied to the neck will help protect it from moisture and humidity issues like warping, cracking, etc. Alas, you would be wrong. Polyurethane Finish Step#1: Start With a Thick Coating. Wipe in narrow long strides from the bottom to the top. Take a brush or a cotton cloth. As always longer wait is better. There are different types of polyurethane. It made good wheels, boats, weapons, shields, siding, roofing and furniture. Varnish tends to thicken and skin over when exposed to air, so it is a good idea to mix wiping varnish in small batches, store it in airtight containers, and use it up quickly. Minwax polyurethane spray has worked well for me in the past. 6y Luthier. "I wish it had a Fender sunburst," he says, meaning the three-color 'burst of so many 1960s Fenders. Poly finishes were made to be durable. A polyester has very high solids (generally 85% plus). Polyiester finishes Made up of finishing, catalyst and accelerator, the polyester finishing allows easy manual sanding and differs from the polyurethane and acrylic . Doesn't react to most other paints used for guitar finishes finishes like enamel etc. I recently switched from oil satin finish to polyurethane and I am trying to make a gloss finish. In. Best part: general finish durable consumer polyurethane top coat costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. In fact those inexperienced with buffing wheels, risk burning the finish. Today, they're considered the industry standard. You don't need a wheel. Now I want to try polyester, or industrial polyurethane for guitars - not for vintage, or reissue instruments, but modern ones. At the end of the day, while the finish on a guitar can affect the tone of a guitar, most guitarists either don't notice or don't care. Modern guitar finishes include linear urethane, a durable, two-part polyurethane that is easy to apply, cures fast and is relatively low in VOCs; two-part conversion varnish (also called catalyzed lacquer); cross-linked acrylics; and two- or three-part polyester finishes that are water clear and make a film as tough as your kitchen counter. The top coats come next, followed by final sanding and buffing. Polyurethane Finish Guitar Finishes. If you happen to choose a nitrocellulose or a polyurethane finish, you should wait between three to four week for the paint to completely harden. Our process begins with a polyester base coat to fill the grain. Most people, when finishing guitars, want the look of glass. My default is now to look for nitro finish or assemble (I won't say build) and spray nitro as I just prefer the way they wear or respond to knocks. Durability was seen as a plus. That will be the future, but the future isn't yet. 20. I know nitro is like the thing in the guitar world but I'm going to commit blasphemy and refinish my already polyurethane coated guitar with another polyurethane finish. This characteristic can be considered less pretty than the wear of a nitrocellulose coating. cheng.liu06 I have built a few guitars and I prefer to use a nitro finish, but water-based poly is getting much better. The Finishing Process. Start by hand with polishing pads and see if it does the job. It hasn't kept me from playing that guitar on a regular basis, I just have to use fingerease or something similar to make it tolerable. 20. Polish the finish To get the best guitar finish for his creations, David says, "I use EM1000 Universal Sanding Sealer, EM6000 WB Production Lacquer -and I wet sand and hand buff after I have enough coats.". It is also very easy to apply, meaning you can get a professional looking finish with little effort on your part. They had finishes in all mediums. Issue 151 November 10, 2011 A heat gun is the quick way Heat-stripping a poly finish Geoff, the owner of this Fender Jazz Bass, says "It plays fine but I don't really like the color." (No argument from me on that.) This is my first attempt at finishing a guitar. 1. Ideally the final coat should be sprayed (and there are small empty areosol spray bottles available you can put your own paint in, sort of like a mini-spraygun. My default is now to look for nitro finish or assemble (I won't say build) and spray nitro as I just prefer the way they wear or respond to knocks. However, if you happen to use an oil-based finish, you're only going to need to wait a few days for everything to harden. On the other hand, lacquer requires more coats because it is a thinner substance. If you want the new shine finish to last a long time, as long as you have your guitar, then a Poly finish is what you want. Step 6: Re-Sanding Once the stain or tinted grain filler has dried it's time to remove the excess by sanding again. Until it is outright banned, oil-based polyurethane is the best finish for a guitar available to the general public. This is much different to how you would finish guitar bodies. Are you looking for a thin, durable finish for your guitar neck? I.e., enjoy what you've got or get what you'll better enjoy. Buffing a polyurethane guitar finish Stick for me. Poly will dry faster, and it will better protect the guitar, but if you want a really good finish, you still have to do the prep. Keep in mind though, if you live in a cold area, you could stand to benefit . In this video I show you how to apply it by hand, . Available for United Kingdom and Europe. These two are both plastic-based finishes. We offer multiple guitar finishes and surface preparation tools and products, all to help you achieve the best possible finish for your guitar or woodworking project. It was plentiful, easy to work and available in all useful sizes. This is the only time you get to go back and touch areas like this during a coat, because it always comes out rough. Just wondering how a polyester finish on a guitar would compare to urethane and nitrocellulose, as far as thickness, checking, durability, and yellowing. Until it is outright banned, oil-based polyurethane is the best finish for a guitar available to the general public. Buy Martin Guitar 000-15M with Gig Bag, Acoustic Guitar for the Working Musician, Mahogany Construction, Satin Finish, 000-14 Fret, and Low Oval Neck Shape: Steel-String Acoustics - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases Saturate the surface with the polyurethane on a rag, using the reflection of a light or window to see which areas drink up the finish, and redo these spots as often as needed over about ten minutes. Also, you may opt for an oil-based color with an oil-based finish. Polish the finish It just helps it flow better. I then used the swirl painting method, and it turned out alright. Afterwards come at it with 800 grit and . With some time and elbow grease, you'll get a nice shiny result. I have stripped and sanded, the wood, used a wood filler, sprayed a sanding sealer, and sprayed primer on the guitar. A satin finish material can never be made glossy no matter how much you polish it. And if our guitars lacked such we'd damned right be complaining about it. 5 Alternatives to Nitro Lacquer On Your Guitar . Dyes on figured Maple Lam Tops are applied to the raw wood prior to the base coat. Add little pressure, not too much or too less. Hello, I would like to refinish a Fender Squier Affinity Stratocaster guitar. And, the polyurethane goes on nice, drys quickly and it covers an area. Overview. That will be the future, but the future isn't yet. Althoug, I saw already pics and red threads about guitars with poly finishes that did age nicely over time. In part 1 I demonstrated my technique for sanding and sealing the wood. Apply only one thin coat. Reactions: The maple appears to have a thin coat of a satin polyurethane clear finish. robboster. Location. The polyurethanes such as Min-wax, olympic and others are designed for use on fixed substrates, not delicate, handled instruments. Pure-oil finishes offer no protection, nitrocellulose self-destructs, and workable UV-cure poly is not ready. The Wudtone finish kits, along with method of application won't add more finish than is needed. Polyurethane allows a higher gloss, better color retention and a more durable finish over nitrocellulose lacquer. Shop Tour / Guitar Building Process - Finishing. Yes, you should always finish a guitar neck because that is what keeps it from being susceptible to warping. A gloss finish can be made satin. When it's close, apply the finish coat, slightly overlapping onto the original finish. (Or you can do what I did. No they are not exactly the same, very closely related. Finishing your guitar or guitar kit can be a lot of fun and is an opportunity for a lot of creativity and ways to make it unique. Slow curing and self leveling properties ensure you achieve a professional result with excellent wear and tear capability, yet reduces filtering to maximize the resonance, feel and tone of the guitar. For a great number of years lacquer was the go-to finish for many products including guitars. #1. I've been finishing a guitar with Polycrylic spray over white paint, but I'm not 100% sure I'm liking the result. However, if you happen to use an oil-based finish, you're only going to need to wait a few days for everything to harden. You might think that once the woodwork is done, the instrument is almost done. It can be used on bare wood as a primary finish, over repairs leaving a durable protective finish, and over existing finishes to improve appearance and . It takes about a cup of wiping varnish to finish a typical guitar according to our schedule. Polyurethane or Polypropylene finishes are used in today's business for manufacturing guitars and instruments. Polyurethane finish may yellow over time getting a nice 'vintage' shade, while acrilics remains perfectly transparent although they are often associated to a 'plastic" look. The synthetic resin leaves virtually no solvents during curing. Yeah, the wait is a pain but nitro lacquer is so easy to use, and just feels so good! polyurethane is a pretty safe bet. In my case, I just wanted a basic raw look to protect the guitar, so I went 2 or 3 coats and left it at that. Before Painting Our range includes: Stains, Spirit Stains, Cleaning Products, Polish's, Glue's, Lacquer's and much more! Im a newbie luthier from Russia, so excuse my poor English. Poly coatings, according to players as well as builders, provide additional protection, however the guitar's capacity to resonate is harmed as a result of the . Poly can be sprayed thin like nitro and being a plastic, it is porous and does "breathe." But guitar companies take advantage of the ability to quick, heavy spray guitars and buff them out. If you happen to choose a nitrocellulose or a polyurethane finish, you should wait between three to four week for the paint to completely harden. #5. May 6, 2010. Jeremy is finishing guitars in the spray booth at Knight GuitarsFor more information visit http://knightguitars.com or email jeremy@knightguitars.com or Face. Dab it into the finish, then start by brushing it gently on your guitar's neck. Lacquer is a pretty general term that actually describes a few different finishes. My American Standard has a ridiculously thick poly coat that falls off in chunks. Several boutique makers still use poly. 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