Ageing a restoration sunburst

[Keith Ambridge]

I have a 65 Hofner violin bass and due to it being stripped and varnished years back, I am restoring it.

This guitar is complete and original (except the finish) so I plan on applying a nitro sunburst but then I would like to relic it.
I have recently read that freezing the dry finish will cause the surface to crack.

Does anyone have an opinion or experience of this technique?

When you see pictures of the early guitars the cracking in the lacquer always seems to be linear with the wood grain.
I have a feeling that the freezing might cause a random crazy paving type of crack.

I will of course do a test piece, but as always would appreciate the views of others.

[Barry Daniels]

If there are fine sanding scratches in the finish from recent leveling, the freezing will follow that pattern. DAMHIK

[Michael Lewis]

Lacquer has no grain structure like wood does, so it will crack and check along the lines of stress.

Just do a nice job and put a bit of yellow/amber in the first clear coats over the color coats. If you really want to make it look used and gently worn you can very lightly sand the edges of the binding with 1200 grit to remove some of the amber and then spray clear over that. The guitar will soon enough begin to look old without hurrying the process. There is an art to recreate natural wear patterns and colorations.

[Clay Schaeffer]

If you use a nitro lacquer without plasticizers in it and leave the finish a little bit thick a few rapid temperature/humidity changes usually causes it to check nicely!
The plasticizers are what make instrument lacquer different from furniture lacquer and apparently add to the cost.

[Mario Proulx]

A furniture lacquer with fewer plastisizers will indeed craze, on an acoustic instrument, if exposed to rapid temperature changes. It's not so much the freezing that causes it, but the rapid warming -after- the freezing.

Fresh lacquer will remain flexible for several months, so this can't be rushed.

[Keith Ambridge]

Thanks for the tips everybody.
I'm assuming here that a nitro celullose lacquer from an auto finishing supplier will be suitable, they are probably lacking the plasticisers anyway?
then I'll probably play it, and lend it to people and let it age like it should.

[Clay Schaeffer]

You may be able to find a nitro brushing lacquer that can be thinned and sprayed. I buy mine from Lowe's or Walmart. (about $26 a gallon). Lately I've been thinking about using it for guitar necks, where I don't expect the wood to move as much with temperature and humidity swings. Part of my ever present quest to cut costs without cutting quality. Did Fender use regular nitro (furniture lacquer) on their solid body guitars?

[Keith Ambridge]

Clay, I understood that Fender used automotive lacquer in the early days!

[Mario Proulx]

I doubt anyone has shot nitro lacquer on cars in decades, so you'll have to look elsewhere.

[Mark Swanson]

They used automotive lacquer for the custom colors they used, and even back then the colors were acrylic.

[Keith Ambridge]

I doubt anyone has shot nitro lacquer on cars in decades, so you'll have to look elsewhere.

I used to use celullose in the 80's when I worked for a sign firm so you got me thinking there Mario. I just checked some auto suppliers websites and it is still readily available in the UK.

[Keith Ambridge]

Well, I found some nitro furniture lacquer and the burst is finished, no clear coats yet and the neck's not glued. I just wanted to see if it looked right!

I'll put some amber in a couple of the next coats to yellow the freshly scraped binding.

I'll cut back the clear and polish by hand and then let nature, use and time do the rest!

This is my first sunburst, I'm happy!

[Nathan Dodd]

That looks lovely Keith! My friend has just picked up a beater '65 from a flea market for £45! They are lovely things Great job on the burst.

[Keith Ambridge]

Nathan, your friend needs to look into how much of it is original and date it properly because they're very collectable at the moment!

[Darrel Friesen]

I doubt anyone has shot nitro lacquer on cars in decades, so you'll have to look elsewhere.

I used to use celullose in the 80's when I worked for a sign firm so you got me thinking there Mario. I just checked some auto suppliers websites and it is still readily available in the UK.

Are you sure it's not acrylic lacquer?

[Keith Ambridge]

I doubt anyone has shot nitro lacquer on cars in decades, so you'll have to look elsewhere.

I used to use celullose in the 80's when I worked for a sign firm so you got me thinking there Mario. I just checked some auto suppliers websites and it is still readily available in the UK.

Are you sure it's not acrylic lacquer?

It said nitro cellulose on the tin.

[Clay Schaeffer]

In the 50's many cars were painted with nitrocellulose from the factory. It is still available for those who want to restore their vintage automobile with an original type finish. Acrylic lacquers held up better and required less work, so many people repainted cars with that (when they didn't use acrylic enamel).