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Should my black lacquer look like this? Please advise
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10123&t=30609		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  stardogcustoms [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 3:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Should my black lacquer look like this? Please advise
Hi,

I finally have a 2-day window of good temperatures and very low humidity here in Southeast Texas, so I'm back on working my finish - I have primed the neck and body, and now using black lacquer... I'm about 10 coats in, and every couple of coats I buff gently with 0000 steel wool.

I decided 10 was enough, and I have done a wet-sand with 1000 grit - this is my first time to wet sand... Should my black lacquer look like this? It appears to me that I can keep wet sanding a little more and make that 'mottled' look go away, and be left with very smooth black - is that correct?

Thanks for all the pointers and encouragement on here - it really means a lot to me!

Carl from Texas

Image
Author:  stardogcustoms [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should my black lacquer look like this? Please advise
Eek!! The dreaded orange peel... Thanks Chris - I talked to my mechanic/auto guy across the street after reading your post, and he confirms your diagnosis. As this is my first time to make my own guitar and do the finish, I figured I'd have a few mistakes along the way.

I sat down and got wet and dirty and kept on wet sanding on the neck, and man is it smooth and nice now! I was hoping to finish on it tomorrow, but it's better to go slow and do it right (or fix my mistakes along the way) than to get in a hurry.

Thanks again!
Author:  stardogcustoms [ Thu Jan 06, 2011 7:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should my black lacquer look like this? Please advise
Hey Chris,
Quick question - when I do get the orange peel under control, when I hit it with my clear coat, am I correct to assume that the matte look on my black will become glossy again?

Thanks!
Author:  Darrel Friesen [ Fri Jan 07, 2011 2:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Should my black lacquer look like this? Please advise
verhoevenc wrote:
Essentially you will have variability in each coat you spray (orange peel). If you level after every 3 or so, then you reduce the variability before the next set of coats, etc. etc. However, if you don't wet sand every couple coats and just sprayed 10 coats and then tried to wet-sand, the variability would have compounded the unevenness and making your surface irregularities more volatile. This therefore makes the finish harder to deal with, level, and making it perhaps even more risky for sand-thrus because of the variability despite the added thickness you start with. Kinda like dropping two pebbles into a pond and in some places the waves match up to double the height, in some they match up to double-reduce the height. KINDA like that... but less uniform than waves (more dependent on random placement of orange peel). It's not a perfect metaphor, but it helps demonstrate.
Chris


I've never heard much about wetsanding between coats and may have to try as my finishing skills still have some developing to do. I wipesand dry after the first couple of coats and then level dry after the next 4 or 5 before spraying the final wet coat, which I then wet sand. More or less Benedetto's schedule in his book. Looking for improvements though.
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