A friend of mine just purchased an unfinished alder strat body. His goal is to have his sister paint some custom artwork on the body, but he wants to incorporate the bare wood as well, so it will not be primed. He asked me if I would help put a finish coat on top when she is done to help protect it. I do not have a spray setup and since I work in my basement, I stick to simple finishes such as tru-oil and shellac.
My immediate thoughts were that shellac would probably be my best bet since it tends to stick to most things and be fairly compatible. Maybe a pre-val sprayer and a few thin coats of shellac to get a base and then french polish the rest of the way. Clearly she would need to avoid alcohol soluble products if I decided to go that route. Does anyone have any suggestions on what she should paint her designs with? She mentioned oil-based acrylic and enamel as two possible choices. Should I put on a wash coat of shellac prior to painting or just have her work on the bare wood?
I am in the northeast, so Alder is not easy to come by for practice scraps. I was thinking of using poplar as an analog for testing. We're going to do some test pieces to ensure we don't ruin the final work, so I am open to any and all suggestions.
Painting artwork on a guitar
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Rodger Knox
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- Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Re: Painting artwork on a guitar
Poplar should work fine for testing. I did something similiar, and I think I used vinyl acrylic from an art supply store. The top coats are TruOil.
One thing to consider is that most artwork isn't flat, it has some texture. It's very difficult to level sand if there's any texture, so reducing it as much as possible before you start the oil is a good idea.
One thing to consider is that most artwork isn't flat, it has some texture. It's very difficult to level sand if there's any texture, so reducing it as much as possible before you start the oil is a good idea.
A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon
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Michael Baresi
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- Location: Mesa Arizona
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Re: Painting artwork on a guitar
Since in my other life I am an artist working with oil paints on canvas, I have naturally used oils on my guitars. I find the color intensity and availability is unsurpassed. (imho)
I have gessoed (primed) the wood first but my preferred method is to use transparent oils on wood that has a clear sealer. Any sanding sealer is suitable. For a final gloss, I've had no problem with spraying clear lacquer on top and rubbing it out.
Heres an example of my work.
Good luck and be creative!
I have gessoed (primed) the wood first but my preferred method is to use transparent oils on wood that has a clear sealer. Any sanding sealer is suitable. For a final gloss, I've had no problem with spraying clear lacquer on top and rubbing it out.
Heres an example of my work.
Good luck and be creative!
- My solid body that I call "Big Bang"
Oil on basswood.