I'm going to be getting back an old Squire Fender from a friend of mine. I really want to sand it down and get some awesome car paint for it. We shall see how that works out, i'm thinking it will come out really good. Painting in a garage is a pain though, barely any ventillation or anything. When I painted my motorcycle parts with my air-gun it was everywhere. Including my nose......tip by a really good respirator! I'm sure that I really jacked up my lungs by not going the extra mile on that one. I'd really like to do some neat pinstriping or something on this guitar. Car paint isn't cheap though, and this will yet again include much needed wet sanding, painting, wet sanding and more wet sanding. Wet sanding sucks really bad. It takes forever by hand and usually you always miss one small thing that you will totally see when you paint it. Patience is so important though, last time painting those bike parts I didn't let the paint cure enough. After putting the tank on, once I got gas half of the paint underneath the gas cap came off and you can just see primer. I was livid, but it was my fault. Plus you have to get those stupid sticky cloths......oh my goodness hand painting is hard. I think I'll pick up one of those rotary sanders and try that if I do this again.
Here is a cool thing that I found and here is the link to the page if you don't want to read this.....http://www.wikihow.com/Custom-Paint-Your-Electric-Guitar
If you are lucky enough to own more than one guitar, pick out the one which is of least value to you, for example, the first electric guitar most people own when they are young, is something like a Replica Stratocaster, by makers such as Squire, Vintage, or Encore. These guitars are fairly cheap and it is not a great loss if you damage them.
Unless you have a spacious indoor area like a workshop available, you will be doing most of the work outside, so the best time is to wait until the late spring or early summer.
Strip down the guitar. Unwind your tuning pegs and remove the strings.
Get yourself a set of screwdrivers of various sizes, although it is likely you will only need 2 or 3 different sized screwdrivers. Also, find a box with partitions in it or a few small boxes in which you can store parts such as screws and knobs and tuning pegs. If it helps, you can label them.
With a screwdriver, remove the screws on the back of the guitar which attach the neck to the body, therefore removing the neck so you have the lone guitar body to work with.
Work your way around the scratch plate, removing the screws and placing them in one of the little boxes as appropriate, and remove the Jack plate cover.
Ensure you have access to a soldering iron, and know how to use it, or know someone who does who is willing to help out later on. Often in strat style guitars, the wires that attach the jack input to the pickups and pots (volume and tone dials) go through a hole drilled through the body, which means you will need to snip the wires in order to remove the scratchplate components and the input jack. Since there are only 2 wires to cut, the best thing to do is to have some sticky labels or coloured tape, and colour code the 2 wires to the 2 metal parts of the jack input to which they are soldered, then snip as close to the solder as you can, so you have the full lengths of wire intact.
There may be (well, there should be) a third wire, which acts simply as a ground wire, which goes from the pickups to the piece of metal in the back of the guitar to which 3 or 4 springs will be attached. You will need to have removed the plastic cover on the back of the guitar, and you will see it, label it with some tape is necessary, then cut it close to the solder. You should now be able to completely remove the scratchplate, complete with pickups, pots and all electrical parts still attached to it. Keep this section very safe from dust or static, just keep it in its own cardboard box with a closeable lid.
Remove all metal components from the wooden guitar body, labeling for future reference where necessary.
Have a plain guitar body; usually replica makes are coated in cheap acrylic paint. This takes considerable effort to remove, unless you (or your dad) possess a belt sander and or oscillating sander. You can clamp the guitar body down to a work bench, and use the belt sander with a medium grit sand belt to remove most of the acrylic in the flat areas such as on the front and back of the guitar, and the oscillating sander to work the more awkward areas such as the contours around the body. If when using the belt sander you make the surface of the wood slightly uneven, i.e. you make small 'steps' in the wood, do not attempt to even them out with the belt or oscillating sander, this will be done by hand later. Work carefully until you have removed as much of the acrylic as possible, whilst having as little contact with the wood itself as possible.
Get 3 pieces of sandpaper, a coarse grade ('50 grit') a medium grade ('100 - 120 grit') and a fine grade ('150-170 grit') Those numbers represent the size and density of sand/glass grains on the surface of the paper, 50grit being harsh and 150grit being very fine. Work over the entire body with the coarse grained paper, working to even out any steps or imperfections caused by the power sanders, and remove any remaining acrylic in places such as the arc of the cutaways.
Work over the entire body with the medium grit sandpaper to make sure all the contours flow properly, and finally with the fine grained sandpaper. This last bit of sanding should take at least 45 minutes to an hour, you must work over the body thoroughly with the fine grit paper, until you can brush off the dust, and run your fingertips over all the contours without even being able to feel the grain of the wood, let alone bumps or steps.
With a dry cloth, brush off all the dust, then gently rub a small amount of white spirit over the wood, so that any oil and grease that will have accumulated from handling the bare wood is removed. Allow the wood to dry, as white spirit is quite volatile this will take little time, you should leave the body to stand in a ventilated area for around 45 minutes to an hour.
Decide how you want to paint your guitar. When choosing your paints make sure you read the instructions carefully, you may need to apply a coat of wood primer.
With a clean paint brush apply the primer thinly and evenly, making brush strokes that follow the direction of the wood grain, paint one side of the guitar at a time, allowing the first side to dry fully before starting on the other side. Once fully dried, using the fine grit sand paper, very carefully rub the body just enough so the the raised bumps of the brush strokes are evened out. So once again you can rub your fingertips over the body and feel not even the tiniest of bumps.
Use spray paint to achieve an even finish. As you spray on the paint, depress the spray button whilst spraying slightly away from the guitar, and moving the can steadily over the body, never depressing or releasing the button whilst pointing at the body. Always apply at least 2 coats of any one colour. Make sure you mask off the inside and where the neck attaches to the body.
Once your guitar is painted and dried to just how you like it, reassemble all the components. be careful not to over turn the screws or you will just bore a hole into the wood that cannot grip the screw by its threads. You can also take the opportunity to make hardware adjustments, such as replacing pickups instead of sticking with the cheap single coils that invariably come fitted with replica models. If you want you can buy a new scratchplate, you may find that the original scratchplate no longer matches the colour scheme of the newly painted guitar, so you can get a replacement of a more suitable colour relatively cheaply. Make sure you get professional help and advice when you go about replacing electrical components.
Tips
Speak to your friends, particularly anyone you know who does Art at college or something, as they can offer invaluable advice when it comes to designing the new paint job
If you really mess up on painting the first time round you can just sand it down and start over, just be aware of how much time you will need.
This can be a lengthy process, make sure that you prepare for circumstances, for example, if you have to leave the project for a while after you have already started it, you don't want to come back to a disassembled half painted guitar, and have no idea where all the screws and components go. Make sure you label, organize, colour code and sort out whatever will be necessary for you to remember how it all goes back together
If you have resources, experiment and practice, cut a piece of scrap wood into the shape of your guitar and try out different designs and techniques.
Once finished show it off to your friends! Take it to band practice, play it at your next gig, whatever.
If you want to go a little further you can do some more advanced stuff, like using a router to change the shape of the contours, or make the tips of the cutaways sharp rather than rounded, cut sections out of the body, so long as you don't cut so much that it detracts from the structural integrity of the body, you don't want it to bend and warp as you tighten the strings.
Whilst in its disassembled state, take the opportunity to clean your guitar, dab the pickup heads with blu-tack to remove the fine metallic dust that accumulates each time you strum, rub any grime off the scratchplate with a cloth slightly damp with warm water and maybe a little soap. Apply some fretboard polish to the fingerboard.
There are limitless ways of painting your guitar. One way is to use spray-on Crackle glaze, with a gold undercoat, and a stoney blue colour on top. The result will be a sort of light marine blue colour, with cracks in it that showed the gold underneath. How heavily you spray the crackle glaze determines the size and amount of cracks, so you can vary it. Finish it off by spraying a few coats of shiny (not matte) lacquer over it to seal it. Another design option is to paint the under coat in a bright race car red colour, and once dry, use narrow strips of masking tape, to make 'racing stripes' around the body, by say, carefully laying the masking tape along the edge following the contours, maybe with and extra 1 or 2 lines next to it, then spraying an over coat of black, and peeling off the tape, to reveal red stripes going around the guitar. Masking and stenciling is a very good way to create unique designs, that can be as simple or as intricate as you want, so long as you don't go too over the top.
To get an even finish whilst spraying and drying the guitar, you can lay it on top of 3 or 4 glass marbles, or untwist a wire coat hanger and put it through one of the holes that the neck bolts go through, then hang it from a washing line.
Warnings
Acrylic dust will wreak havoc with your lungs as well as your eyes, make sure you get the right protection - Wrap around safety glasses and one of those white respiratory masks, they can be bought for a reasonable price at any hardware/DIY store.
Use common sense, if you use power tools, make sure you know how to use them, if not, get someone with more experience, like your dad or the handyman who lives across the street.
Things You'll Need
Set of Screwdrivers
lots of sandpaper, in fine, medium and coarse grade
if available, a hand-held belt sander and oscillating sander
White Spirit
some cloths (for wiping down, brushing off etc)
paints of your choice and some finishing laquer
wood primer (if required by specific type of paint)
Safety goggles
dust mask
old newspaper to cover surfaces like tabletops when painting
Soldering Iron
series of boxes in which you can store and organise the guitar components to make reassembly easier
A good weather forecast or a large well ventilated workspace
clamps (preferably with rubber grips to protect the wood)
stable work bench to clamp the guitar to whilst sanding and such.
Here is a cool thing that I found and here is the link to the page if you don't want to read this.....http://www.wikihow.com/Custom-Paint-Your-Electric-Guitar
If you are lucky enough to own more than one guitar, pick out the one which is of least value to you, for example, the first electric guitar most people own when they are young, is something like a Replica Stratocaster, by makers such as Squire, Vintage, or Encore. These guitars are fairly cheap and it is not a great loss if you damage them.
Unless you have a spacious indoor area like a workshop available, you will be doing most of the work outside, so the best time is to wait until the late spring or early summer.
Strip down the guitar. Unwind your tuning pegs and remove the strings.
Get yourself a set of screwdrivers of various sizes, although it is likely you will only need 2 or 3 different sized screwdrivers. Also, find a box with partitions in it or a few small boxes in which you can store parts such as screws and knobs and tuning pegs. If it helps, you can label them.
With a screwdriver, remove the screws on the back of the guitar which attach the neck to the body, therefore removing the neck so you have the lone guitar body to work with.
Work your way around the scratch plate, removing the screws and placing them in one of the little boxes as appropriate, and remove the Jack plate cover.
Ensure you have access to a soldering iron, and know how to use it, or know someone who does who is willing to help out later on. Often in strat style guitars, the wires that attach the jack input to the pickups and pots (volume and tone dials) go through a hole drilled through the body, which means you will need to snip the wires in order to remove the scratchplate components and the input jack. Since there are only 2 wires to cut, the best thing to do is to have some sticky labels or coloured tape, and colour code the 2 wires to the 2 metal parts of the jack input to which they are soldered, then snip as close to the solder as you can, so you have the full lengths of wire intact.
There may be (well, there should be) a third wire, which acts simply as a ground wire, which goes from the pickups to the piece of metal in the back of the guitar to which 3 or 4 springs will be attached. You will need to have removed the plastic cover on the back of the guitar, and you will see it, label it with some tape is necessary, then cut it close to the solder. You should now be able to completely remove the scratchplate, complete with pickups, pots and all electrical parts still attached to it. Keep this section very safe from dust or static, just keep it in its own cardboard box with a closeable lid.
Remove all metal components from the wooden guitar body, labeling for future reference where necessary.
Have a plain guitar body; usually replica makes are coated in cheap acrylic paint. This takes considerable effort to remove, unless you (or your dad) possess a belt sander and or oscillating sander. You can clamp the guitar body down to a work bench, and use the belt sander with a medium grit sand belt to remove most of the acrylic in the flat areas such as on the front and back of the guitar, and the oscillating sander to work the more awkward areas such as the contours around the body. If when using the belt sander you make the surface of the wood slightly uneven, i.e. you make small 'steps' in the wood, do not attempt to even them out with the belt or oscillating sander, this will be done by hand later. Work carefully until you have removed as much of the acrylic as possible, whilst having as little contact with the wood itself as possible.
Get 3 pieces of sandpaper, a coarse grade ('50 grit') a medium grade ('100 - 120 grit') and a fine grade ('150-170 grit') Those numbers represent the size and density of sand/glass grains on the surface of the paper, 50grit being harsh and 150grit being very fine. Work over the entire body with the coarse grained paper, working to even out any steps or imperfections caused by the power sanders, and remove any remaining acrylic in places such as the arc of the cutaways.
Work over the entire body with the medium grit sandpaper to make sure all the contours flow properly, and finally with the fine grained sandpaper. This last bit of sanding should take at least 45 minutes to an hour, you must work over the body thoroughly with the fine grit paper, until you can brush off the dust, and run your fingertips over all the contours without even being able to feel the grain of the wood, let alone bumps or steps.
With a dry cloth, brush off all the dust, then gently rub a small amount of white spirit over the wood, so that any oil and grease that will have accumulated from handling the bare wood is removed. Allow the wood to dry, as white spirit is quite volatile this will take little time, you should leave the body to stand in a ventilated area for around 45 minutes to an hour.
Decide how you want to paint your guitar. When choosing your paints make sure you read the instructions carefully, you may need to apply a coat of wood primer.
With a clean paint brush apply the primer thinly and evenly, making brush strokes that follow the direction of the wood grain, paint one side of the guitar at a time, allowing the first side to dry fully before starting on the other side. Once fully dried, using the fine grit sand paper, very carefully rub the body just enough so the the raised bumps of the brush strokes are evened out. So once again you can rub your fingertips over the body and feel not even the tiniest of bumps.
Use spray paint to achieve an even finish. As you spray on the paint, depress the spray button whilst spraying slightly away from the guitar, and moving the can steadily over the body, never depressing or releasing the button whilst pointing at the body. Always apply at least 2 coats of any one colour. Make sure you mask off the inside and where the neck attaches to the body.
Once your guitar is painted and dried to just how you like it, reassemble all the components. be careful not to over turn the screws or you will just bore a hole into the wood that cannot grip the screw by its threads. You can also take the opportunity to make hardware adjustments, such as replacing pickups instead of sticking with the cheap single coils that invariably come fitted with replica models. If you want you can buy a new scratchplate, you may find that the original scratchplate no longer matches the colour scheme of the newly painted guitar, so you can get a replacement of a more suitable colour relatively cheaply. Make sure you get professional help and advice when you go about replacing electrical components.
Tips
Speak to your friends, particularly anyone you know who does Art at college or something, as they can offer invaluable advice when it comes to designing the new paint job
If you really mess up on painting the first time round you can just sand it down and start over, just be aware of how much time you will need.
This can be a lengthy process, make sure that you prepare for circumstances, for example, if you have to leave the project for a while after you have already started it, you don't want to come back to a disassembled half painted guitar, and have no idea where all the screws and components go. Make sure you label, organize, colour code and sort out whatever will be necessary for you to remember how it all goes back together
If you have resources, experiment and practice, cut a piece of scrap wood into the shape of your guitar and try out different designs and techniques.
Once finished show it off to your friends! Take it to band practice, play it at your next gig, whatever.
If you want to go a little further you can do some more advanced stuff, like using a router to change the shape of the contours, or make the tips of the cutaways sharp rather than rounded, cut sections out of the body, so long as you don't cut so much that it detracts from the structural integrity of the body, you don't want it to bend and warp as you tighten the strings.
Whilst in its disassembled state, take the opportunity to clean your guitar, dab the pickup heads with blu-tack to remove the fine metallic dust that accumulates each time you strum, rub any grime off the scratchplate with a cloth slightly damp with warm water and maybe a little soap. Apply some fretboard polish to the fingerboard.
There are limitless ways of painting your guitar. One way is to use spray-on Crackle glaze, with a gold undercoat, and a stoney blue colour on top. The result will be a sort of light marine blue colour, with cracks in it that showed the gold underneath. How heavily you spray the crackle glaze determines the size and amount of cracks, so you can vary it. Finish it off by spraying a few coats of shiny (not matte) lacquer over it to seal it. Another design option is to paint the under coat in a bright race car red colour, and once dry, use narrow strips of masking tape, to make 'racing stripes' around the body, by say, carefully laying the masking tape along the edge following the contours, maybe with and extra 1 or 2 lines next to it, then spraying an over coat of black, and peeling off the tape, to reveal red stripes going around the guitar. Masking and stenciling is a very good way to create unique designs, that can be as simple or as intricate as you want, so long as you don't go too over the top.
To get an even finish whilst spraying and drying the guitar, you can lay it on top of 3 or 4 glass marbles, or untwist a wire coat hanger and put it through one of the holes that the neck bolts go through, then hang it from a washing line.
Warnings
Acrylic dust will wreak havoc with your lungs as well as your eyes, make sure you get the right protection - Wrap around safety glasses and one of those white respiratory masks, they can be bought for a reasonable price at any hardware/DIY store.
Use common sense, if you use power tools, make sure you know how to use them, if not, get someone with more experience, like your dad or the handyman who lives across the street.
Things You'll Need
Set of Screwdrivers
lots of sandpaper, in fine, medium and coarse grade
if available, a hand-held belt sander and oscillating sander
White Spirit
some cloths (for wiping down, brushing off etc)
paints of your choice and some finishing laquer
wood primer (if required by specific type of paint)
Safety goggles
dust mask
old newspaper to cover surfaces like tabletops when painting
Soldering Iron
series of boxes in which you can store and organise the guitar components to make reassembly easier
A good weather forecast or a large well ventilated workspace
clamps (preferably with rubber grips to protect the wood)
stable work bench to clamp the guitar to whilst sanding and such.
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