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I am getting ready to use the KTM tomorrow after doing the epoxy a few days ago. I am doing an Irish Bouzouki..
Do I need to clean the gun in between coats or just when I'm done with 5 coats...

Gary

I rinse clean at the end of each day. Major clean when through.

5 coats a day is pushing the envelop by a coat or two. I also would seal coat the epoxy with 1# or 2# shellacMichaelP38566.6076273148

Gary, when I'm done spraying each coat I close down the needle valve and just before it closes, I give it a blast of air while closing the valve. On my gun it seems to keep it from cloging and I clean the gun thoroughly when I'm all done. I think BobC came up with that.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I was going by Mike Doolin's schedule on the finishing, 3 or 4 coats would be easier on me too. I did the epoxy pore sealing bit over the weekend. 2 coats and sanded but not thru to the wood..

You can do that many coats as long as you give them time to flash off in between and they are thin, because I normally finish during the week when I'm working I only get 2-3 in a day on average (one early in the morning and sometimes 2 before bed).

I run DA between sprayings and leave it in the gun until I'm ready to use it again, then I give the gun a good cleaning when I'm all done (when I don't forget).

I also sand with 400 every 2 coats just to knock down any nibs, and especially if I get runs (which sometimes happens).

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

There has been some that have had isues with KTM 9 not adhering well to the epoxy. I have always sealed Zpoxy with 2 light coats of 2# shellac prior to the first coat of KTM-9 I do this with nitro as well.

[QUOTE=MichaelP] There has been some that have had isues with KTM 9 not adhering well to the epoxy. I have always sealed Zpoxy with 2 light coats of 2# shellac prior to the first coat of KTM-9 I do this with nitro as well.[/QUOTE]


I have always heard the opposite. That some have had problems with KTM9 adhering to shellac. I've never heard reports of it not adhering to epoxy.

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Scott Thompson
Port Townsend,WA

"In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune
But this is reality so give me some room"
-Billy Bragg

Michael I never heard that, like Scott I've heard just the opposite, I fill with epoxy get a super thin coat sanded with 400 before I lay my first coat of KTM. I found that 400 seems to be the magic number for sanding to get a good glossy first coat over the epoxy.

I have done shellac as a base before for McFadden's and would do it for KTM but I have been told not to do epoxy AND shellac on the same guitar, I can't prove it would not work without doing some tests. But the epoxy works so well I don't need the shellac...

Cheers

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

To clarify:

Most of the rumours heard about adherence issues with KTM-9 and shelac (not epoxy) originated with John Greven and myself. I had issues on a guitar with that combination, as did John I believe, if my memory serves me well.

The issue is that with KTM-9, you are relying on a mechanical bond between the finish and the sealer. Shelac is notoriously slippery when not sanded. That means that the surface does not allow some things to stick to it very well. Shelac itself sticks to stuff very well, but once hardened, the opposite isn't so true without creating a mechanical bond. To do that, you need to sand the shelac.

It might work as a combination, if you sand the shelac. I didn't, and paid the price.

Don Williams38567.4667708333

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Well I know that epoxy does not bond over shellac very well, shellac bonds over epoxy very well, and I have had no issues with KTM or any finish over shellac. We are talking wax free here. I have used shellac as my sanding sealer on every finish I have done with no issues, I could have sworn I have heard builders here on this forum having problems with waterbone over epoxy. I have never had this issue because I have always used shellac as my sealer. Knock on wood I have had no failures with Shellac as a sealer. Sure as I say this I will end up with a