Steel Project #4

[Bent]

Mike, Eldon, Wayne thanks bunches!!
Tomorrow I will start polishing and buffing according to the finish expert at Mohawk: Sand with 800 and 1200 wet/dry sandpaper with mineral spirits as a lubricant.
Then buff with auto paint Swirl remover and the buffer.
Then it's assembly time!

[Pat Comeau]

Bent , i would go up to 2000grit wet sanding..., i like to start with 400grit wet sanding and go up to 600,800,1000,1500,2000 then the polish, i've tried a few swirl removers and it doesn't seem to be any better than a good finish polisher, if all the sanding steps is made correctly...it'll shine like a mirror, you have to be carefull on the sanding...cause you'll go through the lacquer real quick and it's a pitty of work repairing some spots, that's why i put 10 to 15 coats of lacquer to make sure it's thick enough, Bent...!also the lacquer needs to dry atleast 3 weeks minimum for it to be on the safe side to be buffed and wet sanding

good luck and watch the lacquer carefully when wet sanding

Pat C

[Bent]

Pat, Like I mentioned earlier, this is Instrument lacquer and the finishing/sanding/sanding/buffing instructions are from the finishing expert at Mohawk Finishes. I was on the phone with him on and off the whole day 2 years ago when I finished Red and Birdseye.
Maybe your lacquer is different. This is Instrument lacquer. Any more than one coat of Vinyl sealer and 5 coats of lacquer is a waste because you shoot for a layer of 8 mil. The coats "melt" together into one thick coat of .008". It is he who said 800 and 1200 grit wet/dry paper and swirl remover. So I guess I should go with that don't you think? If he was out to sell me lacquer he would have recommended 15 coats I am sure

I believe he said something about too many coats would prevent drying and setting of the first coats and would invite cracking and checking down the road.

[Pat Comeau]

Bent...the key to have lots of coats is to have enough thickness for wet sanding, cause after all the sanding you're probably left with half of that an everything is even and level, i've read that Sho-Bud used to put 12 coats of lacquer on their guitars, , i still think 1200 grits is a bit to low in grits to get that mirror shine without swirl, get some 1500 or 2000 and try it on some scrap wood and compare it to the 1200 finish and you'll see the difference right away if you look in the light, i'm not saying the method that the guy at mohawk told you is not good...but it can be better IMHO and sometimes people in stores sells stuff and don't really know about it 100%, even if you've sprayed it with a gun and got a nice finish...you'll still have some orange peel and uneven spots and 800grits is low high IMO cause your first wet sanding grits is crusual for getting the lacquer even and the others is for removing the swirl of the previous one.

Pat C

[Pat Comeau]

Oh ! another thing i forgot to mention is...if the lacquer still smell when you sniff it close that means it's not ready to be buffed and polish.

[Bill Ford]

FWIW....Too thick on the lacquer, and it will check/crackle on you, then the only option is strip, and start over. Don't even ask how I know this.

Bill

[Bent]

Pat, you seem to just ignore anything I tell you - and carry on with your own theory. That's fine, maybe you have a magic bullet. What I told you is what I got from the finishing expert at Mohawk. Who should I go by, you or him? I think the answer is there.

You have to remember that we might be using different types of lacquers. Mine is Instrument lacquer.

When ShoBud was in operation, they used something different cause Nitrocellulose based lacquer wasn't likely invented back in the 60's 70's and 80's
And those 12 coats that they applied, look at them today. I have seen many ShoBuds with crackled/checked lacquer.

Orange peel is another story and usually has nothing to do with number of coats but wrong pressure on the gun. It is near impossible to undo a bad orange peel paint job with sanding
Also, the guy at Mohawk is not some guy in a store trying to sell me finish. No, He is an expert at the Mohawk factory.

Anyway, your finishes look great in pictures and most likely in real life. So do mine. So instead of batting this thing around without reaching consensus, lets just carry on with each our method and we'll both be happy

[Storm Rosson]

Bent old son, that sucker is lookin muy bueno my friend,you're definitely getting some quality time with that TOS and it shows . BTW nitro lacquer was conjured up in the early 1920's ....but hey I gotta agree with ya ANY way u do it is the right way as long as it works ....Stormy

[Pat Comeau]

Hey Bent ol' friend don't get mad , i was just trying to help and give you with some info of my trials and errors methods and what worked at the end fo me, i've learned that when someone tries to do or make something the're not sure how 100% it's always trials and errors that teaches you the right method, but if you say that the guy at the store is a specialist on finish it's fine with me.


this is suppose to be a forum for exchanging ideas and knowledge for the love of making steel guitars and one should take whatever he wants or need from the infos but it doesn't always mean that it is right or wrong just different opinion and experiences, my guitars have more than 10 coats not really sure how many more than 10 coats but when i wet sanded them it probably has half of that, the reason for that is that you can either spray it or use a brush and it doesn't matter if the lacquer is rough a little cause it'll all level out at the wet sanding stage, that's how i do it and i'm sure there dozens or more other ways to do it, i don't have any sign of craking ect...after 3 years and the shine is still like it was the day it was polish

i'm sure yours will turn out nice like always.
keep up the good work..............your ol'friend Pat C

[Bent]

Pat, sorry for flying off the handle a bit there. I guess I am a tad stressed out because the project has taken longer than anticipated and the time is nearing very fast for the trip and the thing has to be ready way before then so I can set it up, tune and break it in.
You and I know each other well enough to be able to tell it like it is. so I know you didn't take offense. Please, just bear with me.
You are 100% correct regarding the forum & exchange of ideas.
FRIENDS!