Unsure about painting on Acoustic.

[Silentkai08]

Hey Everyone,

I'm kinda new to this forum. But I was wondering if I could get a bit of help on an acoustic I am painting on for a friend. I want to do detailed airbrushing on the surface of the acoustic. The surface is very smooth and I am worried that the paint will just rub off. Gently sanding down the surface was something I was considering, but I don't want to ruin the acoustic. I was wondering if I could get an opinion as to how I should proceed. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

:tooth:

[foundrymutt]

I don't personally know, but let me tell you, hehe, you really came to the right place!
Welcome to the site by the way.

[anderekel]

You should be fine sanding with 600 or 800 grit paper like normal. Just know that with the extra clear it will probably sound different and not as good as it does now. Just a warning....

[Annie]

I would strongly recommend sanding with 800 grit, preferably dry. With guitars, you want to avoid using wet sanding as much as possible because if the water soaks in the wood, you will be in trouble. Sand until the surface is completely dull. You don't want to see anymore shine or else the paint won't stick. Be careful when sanding close to the edges: it doesn't take much to sand through the clear on top.

Once it's sanded, wipe with a degreaser or a final wash: pour the final wash on a clean cloth and wipe a small area of the guitar and dry immidiatly with a clean dry cloth. You don't want the final wash or degreaser to evaporate and dry by itself. (It's a step you need to do before sanding too so you don't work contaminants into the surface while sanding).

Then, do the artwork and when you are finished, you need to clear coat the guitar. If you are unfamiliar with this process, I strongly recommend getting it done by a professional. You can contact a local body shop that has a good reputation.

You might change the sound, but keep in mind you will be taking off a bit of thickness when sanding. So you won't end up with a much thicker finish...just a little.

If possible, if the guitar has a sharp edge, just sand the part you are airbrushing: Ex, if you are doing your painting on the front only, sand just the front and mask the sides and back so you don't have to clear the whole guitar. It will help to keep the acoustic as close to the original as possible.

Hope this helps!
Annie :)

PS: Welcome to the website! Don't hesitate with any questions you might have. :D

[shane]

i would do it just like Annie said, until mike chimes in any ways then i would do it like he says, he is MR. geetar! i have never done one so i am no help at all, i just wanted mostly to say welcome to the site, Mr. Mike has painted more guitars then i have ever seen in my life so hes the one who tell you the right way :8:

[Silentkai08]

Thank you guys soo much!!! :D Annie, I'll follow your advice as I work with the guitar tomorrow and probably Saturday. This is of extremely great help, I think I'd be screwed without you right now. :64:

I'll post pictures as I work on this. Thank you all for the warming welcome!

I'm going out to buy airbrush paints for the first time tomorrow. Which type of airbrush paint would be good for a solid opaque design? I saw Opaque, Transparent, and a few others different kinds, though I'm not sure on their behaviors. I'll definitely be picking up the opaque colors. Are there a few things I should know?

Thanks again!

[Annie]

Always a pleasure to help :)

What kind of paint are you looking for: Acrylics that are non toxic or automotive paints?
I love to use car paint for guitars or anything else for that matter.

And when we work with transparent paints, we start off our design with a white underpainting. You will find many progression shots on the site here and How to's that will show you how to do that. With the white underpainting done, you apply your transparent colors in layers, It allows you to work gradually and build up a design that will be more 3 dimentional.

What happens with opaque is you get your final color right away. You can't work it gradually. But it depends on what you paint...sometimes opaque have their place.

So let us know if you are going towards acrylics (Ex: Golden, Etac, Auto Air, Createx) or automotive (SEM, PPG, RM Diamon, Glasurit, Sikken...)

Good luck!
Annie :)

[Silentkai08]

The painting itself is more flat and opaque. I like working out the under painting, so I'll be getting transparent white and red. The rest of the colors will be opaque. I'll be using acrylics for this painting. I'll post a sketch later on. Thanks again.

[Annie]

I will tell you a little order of quality of different brands of acrylics.

1) Golden or Etac
I don't know about Etac cuz I never used it but I heard many good things about this paint. I use Golden for acrylics and it's very easy to use and it has kits of 10 opaque colors and 10 transparent colors. With that, you are set for a long time. Golden is ready to use straight out of the bottle. But you have the option of reducing it if you want to.

2) Auto Air
It's a little bit harder to work with because you will experience a lot of tip dry and the reducing is very hard to get right. But, it works once you are familiar with it.

3) Createx
This one is more for textiles. Createx and Auto Air are very much alike but Auto Air is made to stick to metal and other type of surfaces so it's more adequate for what you want to do then Createx.

My knowledge of acrylics stops there... 99% of the time I use automotive paints.

I hope this helps you a bit. I can't wait to see what you will do with that guitar!

Annie :)