https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:26:25 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-266040 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 04:27:28 +0000 Guitar Repair and Maintenance sicstringer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-266040 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264658 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:51:55 +0000
I went to Wyoming Tech to learn how to paint, and did it professionally for several years....

Mitch (Slejhamer) is dead on with what has to be done.

And, using the old 'factory' finish for a substrate is better than sanding down to the wood.

UNLESS - the paint is not compatible with the lacquer.
That is to say that lacquer is 'hot' and will 'lift' other paints (such as enamel).
This will look like 'wrinkles' - and can be small or LARGE.
A coat of some sort of sealer should prevent this from happening.

You mentioned a 'texture' after painting...
I'm going to assume that it is dry spray, which is a common occurance with new painters.
There are many variables that cause dry spray - from improper mixture, too much air pressure, too far from the surface,
too fast of a pass, wrong wrist posture, too close to the surface while going too fast with too much airpressure.... etc.

This can be knocked down with finish sanding (I usually prefer 1200 wet myself).
Lacquer needs to be finish sanded and buffed (or 'hand rubbed') for it to produce a shine.

Mitch is also correct in saying that a rougher grade paper should be used so as the paint has something to grab onto.
Fine paper is used for finish sanding only.

Good luck, :D

Ken]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance CitiZenNoir https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264658 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264392 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:29:22 +0000
Just scuff sand (#220 to 320, but no finer than that) the prior finish and then use BINS between the old finish and the new paint. This step is important because your lacquer will NOT melt into the old finish unless it's also the same type of lacquer which is doubtful. So you at least want to give it something to grip, and the shellac works great.

Sanding the old finish to 2000 does not seem like a good idea to me; no teeth.

Again, read the Reranch article several times. It is not the only way to do things, but it has been used by hundreds of DIY guitar refinishers with excellent, consistent results.

Excerpts:
If the old finish is a polyurethane finish you will have a difficult time completely stripping the finish back to raw wood. It is acceptable with poly finishes to sand the old finish with #220 dry and use the old finish as the base.

...

The last step before applying the color coats is to apply a white primer coat. B.I.N.s makes a white pigmented shellac in an aerosol can that will cover the grain and prevent any previous finishes from bleeding through. The white background will also let you apply an opaque color coat with less paint. You can find this sealer at most hardware stores and again, at Home Depot. Spray on two coats. When dry you may notice that the surface feels rough. Sand off the roughness with #320 dry and respray. Sand again. If the surface now appears smooth and all grain is opaqued you are ready for the color coat.

...

Spray with the gun or aerosol can approximately 12" to 18" from the surface. "Wetness" refers to the amount of paint applied with a pass. If the pass is too dry the lacquer will dry too quickly and not flow resulting in a rough surface. The flowing of the lacquer will give a flatter and smoother surface thereby reducing the amount of sanding and finish work required. Too wet of a coat will results in runs. The secret of course is to apply the paint in passes somewhere between the two extremes. When first starting err on the dry side. Subsequent coats will remelt much of the "overspray". Adjust the distance from the surface and the spray time of each pass to control the degree of wetness and therefore flow.

...

Before preceding with the clear coat it may be necessary to flat sand the color coat.
]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance slejhamer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264392 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264369 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:56:42 +0000 Guitar Repair and Maintenance TRGuitar https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264369 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264348 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:29:19 +0000
You guys have been a big help.
Thanks.]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance sicstringer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264348 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264270 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:56:51 +0000
Assuming it was sealed, texture with lacquer usually results from two things: paint drying before it reaches the surface or the paint drying before it flows smooth and flat. Lacquer should indeed be applied in a thin coat as Kent says, but it should also be sufficiently wet. Flow control is the tricky part.

Read the articles at the Reranch site a few times; hopefully that will help:
http://reranch.com/solids.htm

My general steps would be:
Sand to 320 dry
Clean with naptha
Seal (I have used BINS pigmented shellac as both sealer and primer)
Sand to 400 dry
Clean with naptha
Paint
Sand only where needed with 400 or 600 wet
Clean with naptha
Finish with clear
Sand 600 wet to 2000 wet, or with 600 wet then 1500 through 12000 dry microfiber
Clean with naptha between each grit
Buff with white automotive polishing compound
Buff with liquid automotive fine scratch remover (e.g., Meguiars "Scratch X")
Polish with liquid automotive wax (I like Black Magic brand; smells great too!)

With that, I got a mirror-like reflection in my bass body.

]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance slejhamer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264270 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264257 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:20:10 +0000 If you are spraying the lacquer, it's possible that humidity, or the condition of the lacquer (how old is it? has it been exposed to extremes of temperature?) that you are using might be a factor.

What kind of texture are you getting?
Waves?
Bubbles?
Matte finish?]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance kent_eh https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-264257 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-28025 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:10:41 +0000
Thanks so much for any help,
sic]]> Guitar Repair and Maintenance sicstringer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-repair-and-maintenance/refinishing-headstock/#post-28025