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Is it necessary to wait a minimum of 2 weeks before you begin the final rub out? I normally wait 2 weeks as this is what I have been told. The can of Behlens nitro-lacquer says wait 48 to 72 hours. Is this enough?
It's torture having a finished guitar sitting around and having to wait to begin the final rubout.
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to TANúñez)
Two weeks seems a really long time to wait. What I do Tom is wait around 4-5 days then try polishing an area usually on the back where it's easy. If it takes the polish well I proceed, if not wait another day or two.
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to TANúñez)
I have not used that particular brand of lacquer but I usually wait around one week, and I test the same as John has suggested.
The longer you let the lacquer settle, the better your finish will be, but I think two weeks is excessive and will show no benefits. I think one week is more than sufficient
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to TANúñez)
Do you guys hand rub them or wet sand with 2000. I know it's risky buffing a guitar but I can do it. I repainted a friends guitar that i broke on accident. I did multiple coats of piano lacquer let it cure for a couple days and then wet sanded it and buffed it out with some #9 swirl remover and it looked awesome.
He told me I should break his guitars more often. hahaha
Of course I hand buffed the tight spots.
Don't know if I ever mentioned that I am an old world finisher, 15 years experience with my old man. Lacquer all the way to Acrylic Eurethane.
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RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to edgar884)
I hand sand with 2000 and hand rub. I always put tape on my fingertips to avoid sanding the skin off. The sanding and rubbing usually takes a couple of days per guitar. Usually we spray the guitars in batches of 3 or 4 and by the time they're all polished I'm definitely sick of the process.
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to edgar884)
I wet sand using several various grits. It is so time consuming and by the time it's done, my arm is about to fall off! I hate it but the end result makes it all worth it.
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to TANúñez)
Not so sure about the lacquer's used for musical instrument finishing, but with regard to a lot of finishes used in automotive/aviation, particularly the two part fininshes (polyurethane, epoxy, etc). They do not fully crosslink for about 7-10 days. Basically you will be shoving the finish around under the buffer while it is still in it's soft state, also it tends to get hot and more chance of burning it, etc, etc.
Better to wait, the longer the better to get the best quality.
Posts: 211
Joined: Jun. 14 2006
From: Quebec City, Canada
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to TANúñez)
Well... I don't have much experience in finishing... but since I had to redo the finish on my first guitar about 4-5 times, I'll tell you what I found worked best for me. I applied 4 thin coats and waited 3 days, started leveling back with 320 grit sand paper and went through a few spots so I wiped it with DA to remove the dust and added 3 more coats there and 2 others on sides and top. Waited 3 days again and successfuly leveled everything without sanding through. Then I put another 4 thin coats and waited for 10 days and wet sanded from 400 to 2000, hand buffed and polished,
RE: For the lacquer shooters... (in reply to n85ae)
quote:
ORIGINAL: n85ae
They do not fully crosslink for about 7-10 days. Basically you will be shoving the finish around under the buffer while it is still in it's soft state, also it tends to get hot and more chance of burning it, etc, etc.
I agree with you Jeff but there is a difference between using lacquer on wood and on metal. We usually apply 15 or more coats of lacquer. The first 10-12 coats are applied one per day after 24 hours sanded and the next coat applied. Once the finish is built up enough the color is sprayed and 3 clear wash coats are put over that. Waiting that long between recoating speeds the cure rate of the lacquer. If I waited much longer to polish the finish it would require much more effort and the result would not be a significant improvement in the luster. We use 1200 grit between coats. Buffers are really tough to use on guitars because of all the sharp edges and right angles, if you polish through the color coat it's a real headache. It cannot be fixed, the only solution is sand all the wash coats and the color off and start fresh.
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