Repaint Done

[AzPilot]

Now I am just waiting for all the hardware to get here. Friggin UPS...










Thats about 5 hours of sanding, painting, sanding, buffing and polishing. Didnt turn out bad at all.

[UFORocks]

Now I am just waiting for all the hardware to get here. Friggin UPS...










Thats about 5 hours of sanding, painting, sanding, buffing and polishing. Didnt turn out bad at all.

Dude, holy crap! Thats Awesome!

[Budman68]

NOICE!!!!!

[Dutchman]

Very Nice!!!!! Did you step by step photos? Lacquer or Poly finish? You'll have to post the finished product.
Thanks for sharing

[StukaJU87]

It looks great. Fill us in on your process.

[AzPilot]

It looks great. Fill us in on your process.

I will. I have pics ill have to look for of most of the process. Hope to have all the parts next week. maybe finished by wednesday or thursday.

[straycat]

Nice job man.There is a lot of work involved in refinishing huh?

[pebber]

that came out great.. did you painted it freehand?

[AzPilot]

Nice job man.There is a lot of work involved in refinishing huh?

Yea, this one was a bit more work than just a solid color.

did you painted it freehand?

Yes the flame graphic was done with an airbrush. Then the translucent red paint was painted over it, 3 coats and it still shows through more than I wanted. Live and learn.

[steveo]

wow nice job dude!

looks sweeet.

[Jackson-Charvel]

Looks much nicer than the MF exclusive ghost flame DK2M finish. Great job there!

[rjohnstone]

SWEET!!!
That turned out very nice.

[adoxtater]

Dude, I'm not a huge fan of flame graphics/paint, but let me be the first to tell you this is one of the ONLY flame graphics I've seen an immediately said "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!!!". It looks rockin, bro!!!!

[AzPilot]

Fill us in on your process.

I went to the AOPA expo in Palm Spring this weekend and took tons of photos, looks like i deleted the pics i took of the repaint process

Here is a breakdown of how I repainted for anyone interested.
First step: Remove all hardware. Pickups, bridge, neck etc..

Second step: Using 600-1000 wet sand paper, sand the original paint to a dull finish, you will be able to easily see what you have missed by drying off the surface with a rag. IMPORTANT.. When sanding, use at least three fingers on the paper and sand left to right and right to left, do not sand up and down because you may make small "valleys" in the top. A sanding block may be used under the sandpaper.



optional sanding block.



Step Three: Fill in any dings or deep scratches. I used a putty made by 3M. wood putty would work just as well. Over apply the putty making sure to fill in all the dings and or scratches. you may use a razor or simmilar straight edged tool to force the putty into the blemishes. Let dry 15 minutes or as recomemded by the manufacturer. Then wet sand again using your 600-1000 wet sandpaper. Using your fingers feel the area to make sure it is smooth. Looks can be decieving, so use touch not visual reference to make sure you have a smooth finish.




Step Four: Painting. I used a professional gravity fed sprayer. The type you would find in most auto body shops. make sure to prep the sanded part with a cleaning wipe to remove any grease from your handeling.



Depending on the color you choose, you may want to spray a primer coat. On this project the translucent red paint i used had a color chart, meaning i could get different colors out of it using differernt base coats. I chose a maroon flat base coat. Let dry for 6 hours. then applied the flames using an airbrush. black and white outlines. I laid the white down first, then followed with the black outline of the flames over the white. If you are painting a solid color, you would just spray the color on, then skip to the clear coat step. There are also nice graphic stickers available at Best decals.com. You may want to take a look. You can place the decal on the new painted area, paint a new color, then remove for a nice graphic design. At this point I applied the red translucent paint. 3 coats.



Step Five: Clearcoat. Apply the clearcoat the same way you apply the paint. If you apply more than one coat, let the first coat dry for a few minutes before applying more. Depending on where you spray and how you spray, you may have "Orange Peeling". This is normal and easily fixed in the next step. Allow the clear to dry overnight. At least 12 hours. 24 is preferred.



Step Six: Almost done. You will want to wet sand using 1500-2000 sandpaper in this step. While sanding you will see the finish getting dull again, but it will be easy to see the impurities dissapering, including any orange peel, fish eyes, or bubbles. Wet sand left to right again be very careful of edges. Too much sanding on edges will remove the clear. and you will have to repaint that again. Using a soft cloth, wipe off the water and you will be able to see better what you still need to sand. You will want a smooth even dull look when done.

Orange peel:

You can see how the sanding process here is starting to smooth out the defects in the paint in this photo below.


When done properly you will notice a evenly smooth dull finish.

Step Seven: Buffing. Here is where you will start to see results quickly. Start with a rubbing compound and a buffer. You will need a buffer for the RPMs it produces for a better outcome. Buff small areas untill the shine is back.


If you see any fine scratches repeat the process. Your finish should look like a mirror when holding it up to a light at an angle when done. Follow up with a polish:


Thats pretty much it. I am sure i missed something and perhaps others can chime in on what they do. Also it is a good idea to wear powder free gloves during this whole process.

Finish should look like:


Good luck. hope that helps.

[24seven]

EXcellent, individualistic which is what i like and not a production line of graphics.
I know how long it takes to do one up, was spraying at the weekend 2 guitars and a yamaha petrol tank...anyone that follows my stuff through Sean, i am at design stage for my nephews guitar.

A question for you if you have a brand new wood body what would you seal the wood with before spraying? thanks v