Acoustic Guitar Construction

I can't help but see the defects now and I like the look of a nice sunburst so I will take another shot at it. I am really glad that I had put down the 4 coats of clear first, it made a much easier job of removing the tinted coats. I sprayed the burst while holding the guitar by the neck, I had done that in the past but it makes it double difficult because not only is the gun moving but the guitar tends to move as well. When I re shoot it I plan on having the guitar laying on a lazy susan that way I only have to deal with the movement of the gun. With the guitar laying flat I should be able to angle the shot to get a very subtle blend of shading. I really dislike the sunburst where you see 3 distinct lines of color ala Fender, I like the ones that has a very gradual transition in the shading. Not having the sunburst quite as wide is also another reason for the re shoot. Since I am upgrading my spray gun arsenal I would like to offer up my old guns to who (whom??) ever might need them. They are not great but have managed to spray a number of guitars and motor cycles over the years with acceptable results(see pics) . Just email me and I will gladly pack them up and ship them free of charge, Merry Xmas!

When I do sunbursts I use a Pasche airbrush and very thin material. It takes a long time and a lot of coats, but it is relatively easy to make all transitions smooth.

John's idea of undercoating with amber is excellent. I probably wind up doing that without thinking about it.

The clear undercoat is a good thing, if you have to sand it again. There are several way to do it, but my sunbursts in short:
-clear undercoat(s)
-amber or yellow on the whole top
-brown with a bit black spraying inside out
-red spraying outside in
-spray the color very thin at a time

http://hermanarendsenguitars.nl/foto/ro ... big%20.jpg

2cts
Herman

Well I am taking another shot at the sunburst today, should be about 70 and calm here so we'll see what we can do. I'll post some pics when I'm done. I was looking at the pictures in the gallery section and noticed that most of the finished instruments lacked strap buttons. I am wanting the strap buttons on mine and was looking there to see what others had done when I realized that most don't have them. I am debating doing the tapered end pin or just the good old screw on type though I would most likely make the button part myself, ebony or curly maple. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Tim

Well I got the burst shot and protected with a couple coats of clear. This is much more to my liking. I think I will have to spray a couple of more coats next week then let it sit for a couple of weeks then sand and rub out. I can at least see the finish line now!!

That's a fine looking 'burst there, Tim!

Thank you Dave. I can tell you now that in the future I will do everything in my power to avoid having to shoot another one. I guess it wasn't that bad but having to do it twice sure makes it seem like a LOT MORE WORK!! Just shooting clear is SOOooooooo easy. This is the first time that I have used the Cardinal lacquer and I sure liked it. It seems to build faster than the McFadden, drys really quick as well. Let's see how it rubs out. I'll keep you guys posted.