Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all!!

I just completed my first guitar and everything was perfect until...

Within minutes after spraying my 12th and final coat of nitro lacq, a white haze has developed over the majority of the guitar. It has been crystal clear for the first 11 coats and conditions were the same throughout (to my knowledge). Could it be moisture? Will this go away? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sincere thanks and gratitude to all your experts!!

Greg

Sounds like moisture!
Give the guitar a lite spray of thinner to soften the finish & let the moisture excape.
This has worked for me.
Mike

_________________
Mike Collins

First wait a day. If it's still there spray another final wet coat. That should do it. I'd recommend that you don't spray just thinner; you can easily get runs.

What kind of lacquer and thinner did you use? Was it hardware store thinner?

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Yep moisture - the RH was higher on the present final coat.

What Mr. Klepper said.

Thanks everyone!! Others please feel free to throw in your $0.02.

The fact this is my first guitar I just used the complete finishing kit that stew mac sells and am following their step-by-step guide to finishing. So I am just using aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer (i.e. no thinning involved and no access to a spray gun). Now what?!?

Thanks again!!

Like Howard said. Wait a day or two. If it's still there you could try wetsanding with some 800 or so. This would require, possibly, depending on your setup, another final coat but the wetsanding and waiting a few days should let the moisture out. I've seen it plenty before getting my shop RH controlled.

I have used retarder and a thin coat of lacquer over the blush before with good results too but sounds like you don't have the spray system. Don't fret though, it shouldn't be too bad to remedy. Just be patient.

Best of luck.

_________________
"We might not be big but we sure are slow"

Since you don't have a spray set up -I think Stew Mac sells an aerosol called
blush remover or something. It should work to take out the haze if it doesn't
evaporate in a couple days.

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Use a small amount of "slow reducer" (approx 5%) mixed with the lacquer. This will slow the dry time enough to prevent blushing. Stew Mac does sell a Blush Eraser, which works great. The results are instant. Just a light spritz usually does the trick

_________________
John Ressler

Again, thanks for all. It seems like everyone is in agreement but I wanted to update you all and then I'll go from there...

Two full days later, it looks the exact same. I can actually remove the residue by just scraping very lightly with my fingernail. Still moisture? If so it sounds like my best plan now is to buy the blush remover from Stew Mac. Can you all confirm it's still moisture even though it appears to be on the surface, and this is still my best option?

I promise this will be the last time I ask

1,000 Thanks!!!!!

Greg

I've done the same thing and the blush remover worked fine, the only other thing I would say is give it a few days to cure afterward before continuing to finish.

_________________
Keith MacKenzie
Location: Florida
"To err is human to really screw up you need tools"

so it's right on the surface? Is it at all fluffy or fibrous, like cotton fiber?

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Do you think the last coat went on dry?
If you spray to far away the finish can go on dry!
If so-sand that coat off and put a wet coat on
mike

_________________
Mike Collins

I've had the same thing happen to me. Sand it (until the white is gone) and start anew.

_________________
I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Most likely it is blushing. I've battled it plenty in the humid Oklahoma summers. Little retarder in the finish and it's not an issue. Moisture is just getting caught underneath the finish and can't escape. You can also wet sand it, and then re-shoot, but unless you modify your shooting process or shoot when the humidity is lower you'll encounter it again.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I'm guessing, since he's shooting from aerosol cans, his solution, has to be one addressed to that process. I can see, however, with aerosol, how a poor surface could happen easily. It is hard to get even distribution from a can.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Alright, problem solved. HUGE thanks again to everyone for your help. This truly is a great forum!!! It's existence and your advice is very much appreciated in my time of need.

I ended up just sanding the entire guitar and respraying another coat. Everything is back to crystal clear!!!!!

Any (hidden expert) advice on buffing now? I am planning on using buffing pads on a power drill with the two buffing compounds that came in the Stew Mac finishing kit. Pretty straight forward from here?

Cheers,
Greg

Alright, problem solved. HUGE thanks again to everyone for your help. This truly is a great forum!!! It's existence and your advice is very much appreciated in my time of need.

I ended up just sanding the entire guitar and respraying another coat. Everything is back to crystal clear!!!!!

Any (hidden expert) advice on buffing now? I am planning on using buffing pads on a power drill with the two buffing compounds that came in the Stew Mac finishing kit. Pretty straight forward from here?

Cheers,
Greg