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finishing paints?

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9/5/1999 4:46 PM

finishing paints?

I read an article posted by moocow about Fender paint...

I am assuming that Krylon is acrylic and other paints at the store are that or latex enamles. Where are the lacures? I have had some experience with canned auto body touch up paint. I don't know if they are nitrocellulous or acrylic but they sure spray on much more even than Krylon. And since the article said Olympic White is acrylic Cadillac paint, would I be able to get a good white paint at Napa or another body part shop? then I will "yellow" the white with a nitrocellulous clear coat from stew-mac. Any thing I haven't thought of. I am convincing myself that I can do it well if I be VERY patient!

nic

9/6/1999 8:08 PM

Nic,

I can only touch on the "where are the lacquers?" question as told to me by my local luthier - basically, they ain't no more. Seems that those little cans of spray lacquer became too much of a personal and environmental hazzard that they've been pulled from the market. Even the big guitar companies are using something else (probably polyurathane) to create the high gloss finish. Some small guitar shops are still able to use lacquer, but look for it to be going away for ever.

Oh, another word...watch out for Krylon clear-coat acrylic. Especially if you're thinking about a "base-coat, clear-coat" approach. Krylon clear-coat has touline and xylene which will cause some base colors to melt (ask me how I know). This is also true of Rust-Oleum crystal clear enamel (again, ask me how I know). I recently bought a can of Zynolyte clear epoxy enamel (no ingedients listed), so I'll see what this does.

Later,

DJ

9/7/1999 2:22 PM

I think those small spray cans of automotive touch up paint are acrylic lacquer. You can spray nitrocellulose clear top coat over this automotive paint.

There are different grades of clear nitrocellulose. The most expensive is a non-yellowing type. This is what StewMac sells, so don't epect to "yellow" some virgin white with this stuff. The Guitar ReRanch sells spray cans of amber lacquer, and clear that they say ages gracefully over time.

9/7/1999 5:41 PM
nic	oh... I just bought some stew mac lacquer... So if I go for the olympic white finnish auto paint the stewmac stuff won't age gracefully? Perhaps should find a "yellower" white? nic

9/10/1999 1:12 PM

Fresh olympic white takes many years to turn pale yellow, like, say, to the shade that Fender provides on their Hendrix strat or even a recent Am Std strat. That's actually one of my favorite colors for a strat, so I think I know what you're looking for. I've often wondered what color pigments are added to the base white to mix this color in automotive paint.

Call Stew Mac and ask them if their clear nitrocellulose instrument lacquer is supposed to be the high stability, non-yellowing grade. Somehow I'm sure it is, but in all honesty, I can't remember where I read about it. If it's the type without the UV resistant stabilizers, then I stand corrected. Please report back. None of us want's to be known for talking out the posterior.

Thanks,

Doc

9/10/1999 5:46 PM
nic	Hey Doc I called stew mac and their techs were all unavailable, so I left a voice mail message. They will get back with me sometime, although I have asked tech questions via email before with no reply. Hopefully, they will reply this time. I will keep you posted. nic

9/11/1999 9:45 PM

a thought on mixing lacquer types...

Everywhere I look for info about nitrocellulous lacquer (including stew-mac's catalog) there is one warning that I see. It reads:

"Nitrocellulous Lacquer should not be used with acrillic lacuqers"

Is this not what Fender did with their "clear coats"? Perhaps the warning is there for the reason that the yellowing will occur? And/Or are there and health concerns that would warrant such a warning?

nic

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