Acoustic Guitar Construction

Folks, I'm familiar with a fair array of epoxy and lacquer finishes and finishing techniques, none of them pertinent to fine woodworking like guitars.

So...for my first 'solo' guitar finish, I want to do a rattle-can or (maybe) a brushed finish. I'm not interested in the most esoteric techniques and materials. Straightforward, tested, reliable, and predictable will do just fine. Economical if doing 'a' costs a lot less than 'b' would also get an audience. I'd love to learn of a rattle-can-based finishing system that is delivered from a vendor in a box and with instructions. I've noticed that Grizzly sells what they claim is a soup-to-nuts system in a box based on Behlen materials. Stew-Mac offers what I think is their own proprietary label (Color-Tone?) and the two seem roughly competitive with each other.

Any others out there?

Suggestions, comments, advice will be gratefully received.

Thanks!

Peter I'd suggest that you review the information in the four lead topics in this finishing section. There are schedules, processes and products demonstrated -- spray, brush, wipe WB and solvent. I am sure the posters would be happy to elaborate.

SM water borne is Target and solvent is Seagraves. There are no chemist at SM. Reranch finishing has Seagraves in spray cans too. Behlens and Mohawk are the same products -- very good stuff as is Hood, Deft, Minwax brushing lacquer, Watco, Truoil, Target. As for SM finishing kits, I'll just say you do not need to pay a $120 to finish one guitar -- watch your wallet.

Ken, thank you very much for the heads-up and the comments on materials and sources.

Peter,

One of the easiest ways to finish a guitar is with rattle cans. My local Lowes carries Deft nitro in rattle cans for $7.00 a pop. 6 cans should do a guitar nicely for $42 plus tax. If you don't want to pore fill as a separate step, you can simply apply several coats of lacquer and sand back a few times until you get the pores filled. Once they are, you can continue to spray coats to build your finish and then level and buff. I like using epoxy to pore fill because it is fast and pretty easy. But there are other methods that are also fast and easy. The Hood nitro based filler seems to be pretty good. I have never used it so I can't speak from experience. I have also used TimberMate on several necks and it is very fast and very easy to use and can be tinted if you like the look of darker pores. TimberMate is so fast and easy to sand it almost feels like cheating. I have never used it for a whole box because i like the look of the clear fill on the pores of the box, but like the look of the dark filled pores on mahogany.

Tony, thanks for this reply, too. You've answered a question I've had a while, and was a big part of my asking my question, about using 'common' finishes like Deft, and the arch statements I've encountered about 'nothing but instrument lacquer applied at midnight with a wizard in attendance' or some such fixated comments. I'm used Deft in other places for other reasons, even have a new quart of brushing Deft on the shelf. I've used epoxy (West Systems, with a filler) to pore fill and I'm comfortable with epoxy undercoats. But the finish I was discussing will be my first instrument finish completely on my own. No training wheels.

I did copy and print two of the finishing schedules Ken furnished links to, Behlen's and Hood's.

Much obliged.

Peter - what is your goal? By that I mean - super high-gloss? Hand-rubbed (think Lowden and Sexauer)? Pleasing sheen, or what? There are lots of way to go to get a thin, tough finish that don't involve spraying and spray equipment.

Not trying to confuse you - just saying that since you are going solo, success at achieving a lovely finish is more important than getting a mirror finish like the lens on the Hubble telescope :-)

Best of luck to you.

Dave, that is an excellent question, what's my goal. It be to have a pleasant semigloss/light gloss finish, no obvious pores, headstock showing no grain. Ideally dark stained back/sides, backstrip and endstrip unstained. Unstained wood bindings, light b/w/b purfling, clear finish soundboard. I'll be very happy to have a finish that doesn't need an apology or an explanation.