Official Luthiers Forum!

Ok gang I tried a search but found nowt. I'm sure someone's asked this before but here goes anyway......

I've just sprayed my first colortone finish. Ive sanded it down between coats twice and now have sanded and 000 steel wooled it. I don't want to use polish before I stick on the clear mylar scratch guard, but once it's READY to polish, what should I use?

Spray furniture polish? car wax? whattaya think?

Thanks

_________________
My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Can't answer you Martin, my experience on finishing is rather...ermm.. very ...well, still learning darn it but here is a bump so someone comes and answers you!

Bump!

Martin,

Have you tried looking at the Stew Mac info pages for their various Colortone finish products - here

The mylar pickguard goes on AFTER you polish out - or whatever you chose to do with the finsh. You'll have a fun time if you put it on before.Dave White39104.7191203704

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Martin -I use this finish for all my guitars!
First-how many coats did you put on?
Did you fill any porous woods ?
I take it your doing a satin finish ,because of the 000 steel wool!
Use Stew-Macs rubbing compounds!!
They are well suited to this finish and work great!!!!!!
I've had NO trouble with their finishing products !
Stew-macs polish is the best!!!!!!!!
Use that!!!
Just go to their site and get the needed products for your job!
They will help you with any questions you may have !
Use their experience to get your guitar finished right!
Mike COllins

_________________
Mike Collins

I thought that I read somewhere to keep steel wool away from waterbourne finishes because small pieces may stay on the finish and rust later. Not sure if this is the case but I read it somewhere.

I use this finish as well and I have used the Menzerna compounds on it with good success. I think I used the fine and extra fine, or one step below fine and then fine. It will polish out well with these compounds. If you are going for a shiny finish make sure you sand it out enoght to get a good shine. I generally take my sanding all the way to 1200 or 2000 grit. Good luck.

Blake

Hi gang, thanks for all above,

I have 14 coats (most of sanded off again beteewn!!)

The final coat was left a week to cure before finer grades of wet/dry and then the steel wool (000) to get a nice soft semi matt. I'm really pleased with it, infact one of my senior pupils asked yesterday if there was a layer of plastic over the wood because there was NO WAY that it was just varnish on wood.

So, now that I'm happy with it, and there is no wax to stop the mylar sticking on, the final before I start playing it question is........

what do I shine, polish it with on a day to day basis, not part of the build process y'know?

_________________
My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

Martin,

Just use a microfibre cloth to rub the guitar down after playing - use it to clean the strings too. I use the Spontex Window Wonder that you can get in most of the big supermarkets for around ?2. When it's dirty it can go in the washing machine - the cloth that is!

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010