Painting A Bass?

[ink]

I'm not staining the wood on my bass. Never in a million years.

The iridescent paint I was looking at was for automotive use. Oil based and fairly cheap and I think I could cover the whole bass with one medium sized can.

Sure do. After all that's what it is.


One question here. Will the paint be too thick for an airbrush/air spray can? I'm pretty sure that iridescent paint is quite thick.

thin it out for sure.

edit

using an airbrush..using an automotive airbrush you wont need to.

[Zacherof]

Air-brushing is fun!

[skorpx1]

thin it out for sure.

edit

using an airbrush..using an automotive airbrush you wont need to.

Gotchya, chief.




Also I won't be starting this until mid-October it seems. My work schedule will be soaking up a lot of time now that school is starting in two days.

[Zacherof]

Gotchya, chief.




Also I won't be starting this until mid-October it seems. My work schedule will be soaking up a lot of time now that school is starting in two days.

Bah schools over-rated

[Meatwad]

You can buy some of these to practice on

[ink]

Air-brushing is fun!

the one thing I couldn't stand is the clean up...true professionals have 10-15 airbrushes so they can switch between brushes when they get clogged...I had just one and got sick of it real quick....

since I got my tablet I probably wont ever pick up another air brush.

Gotchya, chief.




Also I won't be starting this until mid-October it seems. My work schedule will be soaking up a lot of time now that school is starting in two days.

awesome it will be a cool project that YOU get to keep....

I want to see the results, and seriously dont hesitate to ask for help or advice on something

you could tell me what design you are gonna do....and I could help with what to do first and so forth....(depending on what you are doing, will depend on how it is done)


also like I mentioned to Zach... the brush will clog up A LOT....clean it before that happens or you will get splatter and ruin what you are working on.

[skorpx1]

awesome it will be a cool project that YOU get to keep....

I want to see the results, and seriously dont hesitate to ask for help or advice on something

you could tell me what design you are gonna do....and I could help with what to do first and so forth....(depending on what you are doing, will depend on how it is done)


also like I mentioned to Zach... the brush will clog up A LOT....clean it before that happens or you will get splatter and ruin what you are working on.

I can give you a picture of the bass i'm going to be painting if you wish, and when I start pulling it apart and painting it i'll be posting a few pictures each day to show the progress.


I'm also going to be ripping out the pickups, strings and bridge and replacing them all. I hope I will be able to use some new EMG pickups and a Hipshot bridge. Iv'e got a few cases of Indian and Blue Steel bass strings but I won't be replacing those until I get to the painting.



Also now that I think of it, the headstock is going to be a b*tch and a half to disassemble, paint, reassemble and then tune up the strings.

[Bizman]

I've met a couple of luthiers and seen their workshops, also their painting rooms. For best results you'd better remove all parts that you won't paint. Then attach a piece of lath for a makeshift neck. You'd still need masking tape in the joint to prevent the neck and body glued together with the paint. For the same reason a couple of layers of baking paper between the lath and body wouldn't hurt. You'd also like your working area be dust free. That can easily be achieved by making sort of a tent of moist bed sheet. Remember though, that you'd need fresh breathing air, too, and good ventilation for the paint to dry. Thin layers and sanding between each after it's thoroughly dry. Clear lacquer layers in between and several layers of it for finish. You might even want to start with a clear layer or two to protect the original colour in case you'd some day want to reverse the process.

[morfiend]

perfect except not just any paint will work....don't use water based paint,(it will "work" but not great and some wont work at all) get a good oil based paint....like morf said a good car paint will work perfect.....and is most often the best kind of paint that lasts the longest and will hold up to fading.

and dont chimp out on the sanding 

 Ink,

  Are you aware they use water based paints on cars these days!   Not on every car or every color but that was one of the reasons they moved to a base clear system you see on most cars today.

  I do agree your basic latex pain likely wouldn't be a good idea but I did say it depends on how you want the finish to look. For all I know he could want a post,reno look with paint drips,duct tape and frayed wires...

  If you use automotive paint you will need a reducer and a hardener plus a color and a clear. You could just use a couple of spray cans but if you think you can do it with 1 can then you better buy 4 or 5!  You`ll need to do many coats to get a finish even close to the finish from an airbrush.

  You can pick up airbrushes fairly cheap,just need to know where to look,try a surplus store that carries tools. I found one recently with 2 guns and it was 29 bucks,ya cheap guns but they work for me and what I need.

  You don't even need a compressor either,you can get compressed air in a can at the hobby shop to `power` the airbrush but I use a small compressor.


  Really you could brush on the paint and get a nice finish but it would require you to polish the paint to a smooth finish,Henry Ford painted all the model T`s with a brush!


  Bizman brings up a good point also,often overlooked,where you do the work!

   I`d never thought of using `damp` sheets to keep the dust down but I think it`s a brilliant idea!!!  I have a gazebo that I work in in the summer,might have to borrow a few sheets.......



   

[ink]

Ink,

  Are you aware they use water based paints on cars these days!   Not on every car or every color but that was one of the reasons they moved to a base clear system you see on most cars today.

  I do agree your basic latex pain likely wouldn't be a good idea but I did say it depends on how you want the finish to look. For all I know he could want a post,reno look with paint drips,duct tape and frayed wires...

  If you use automotive paint you will need a reducer and a hardener plus a color and a clear. You could just use a couple of spray cans but if you think you can do it with 1 can then you better buy 4 or 5!  You`ll need to do many coats to get a finish even close to the finish from an airbrush.

  You can pick up airbrushes fairly cheap,just need to know where to look,try a surplus store that carries tools. I found one recently with 2 guns and it was 29 bucks,ya cheap guns but they work for me and what I need.

  You don't even need a compressor either,you can get compressed air in a can at the hobby shop to `power` the airbrush but I use a small compressor.


  Really you could brush on the paint and get a nice finish but it would require you to polish the paint to a smooth finish,Henry Ford painted all the model T`s with a brush!


  Bizman brings up a good point also,often overlooked,where you do the work!

   I`d never thought of using `damp` sheets to keep the dust down but I think it`s a brilliant idea!!!  I have a gazebo that I work in in the summer,might have to borrow a few sheets.......



   

nope had no clue 

[morfiend]

nope had no clue 

 Emissions caused the change over! the EPA and similar in Canada stepped in on the toxic emissions from enamel based paints so the easiest solution was a water based clear/base coat.

   It's also the reason you see many cars pealing the clear coat off,you can still find it on a few cars built in the last couple of years. Only a select few makers have never had this issue,but then you pay for those cars through the nose!!!



   

[TonyJoey]

Mail it this way. My dad and his friend have been fixing up guitars and doing custom paintjobs for them for the last couple of years and they do some good work. I just enjoy getting to play all of them. 

[ink]

 Emissions caused the change over! the EPA and similar in Canada stepped in on the toxic emissions from enamel based paints so the easiest solution was a water based clear/base coat.

   It's also the reason you see many cars pealing the clear coat off,you can still find it on a few cars built in the last couple of years. Only a select few makers have never had this issue,but then you pay for those cars through the nose!!!



   

cc that...

[jeep00]

 Emissions caused the change over! the EPA and similar in Canada stepped in on the toxic emissions from enamel based paints so the easiest solution was a water based clear/base coat.

   It's also the reason you see many cars pealing the clear coat off,you can still find it on a few cars built in the last couple of years. Only a select few makers have never had this issue,but then you pay for those cars through the nose!!!



   

M
US military uses water based on aircraft as well.

[skorpx1]

Mail it this way. My dad and his friend have been fixing up guitars and doing custom paintjobs for them for the last couple of years and they do some good work. I just enjoy getting to play all of them. 

The price of shipping a 20 pound bass and having to dismantle it before hand would be more work than just doing it myself.