Acoustic Guitar Construction

Thanks for the info, I am planning now go the waterslide route....Can I spray shellac a few coats over it? I plan on using TO for all the rest of the guitar. Can TO be applied over shellac? Or should I just use a different spray product on the headstock entirely?

Marc Dutko wrote:Thanks for the info, I am planning now go the waterslide route....Can I spray shellac a few coats over it? I plan on using TO for all the rest of the guitar. Can TO be applied over shellac? Or should I just use a different spray product on the headstock entirely?

No...Tru-oil is basically a "Penetrating wiping varnish" where as most other finishes like nitro will work just fine over varnish, Tru-oil will just sit in top of the varnish. It isn't recommended really!

Ok...best way to solve your problem, IMHO is to mask off the headstock and leave the "Face" or forward facing surface where decal is open....the use a good clear lacquer on that surface ONLY and tru-oil the rest of the guitar or neck or what ever.


Hope that helps , I'm sure others have different strokes on this issue!
Ray

Be careful with lacquer over a decal. I use vinyl decals for my logos and I ruined a couple and had to scrape off the finish and start over because the lacquer caused the decal to bubble. I thought it was OK, looked to be drying alright, but an hour later when I returned for another coat, the decal was bubbled up and looked terrible. I then tried spraying Zinser Bullseye dewaxed shellac over the decal first, then the lacquer and that did the trick. If it were me, I would go that route with a decal. Finish the rest of the guitar with the Tru_Oil, then mask off the headstock leaving only the veneer exposed and use shellac only, or shellac followed by another finish like Deft rattle can lacquer. I like lacquer so that's what I use, but just shellac alone should be fine.

He was going the water-slide route Tony, I've never seen a problem with lacquer over a water-slide...but you are sure right about the other type of decal...no wano por nada!

I have no experience with true oil but I use Krylon Crystal Clear to protect acrylic art on my guitars and water slide decals on model airplanes. It's a fixative for the decoration that allows me to spray lacquer over the art. Otherwise the lacquer "eats" the decoration.