Many guitar owners assume that the simplest and most cost effective means of getting that new guitar look is to actually purchase a new guitar. This is because professional guitar repair shops offer recoating and colour changing services that often cost little less than the purchase of a new instrument.
However, there is an alternative means of giving your guitar a facelift that is becoming increasingly popular- to spray paint it. There are a number of key reasons for the popularity of spray painting guitars, these include:
Spray painting your guitar can be achieved quickly and with relatively little inconvenience. However in order to achieve the best effects it is important that the correct preparation is observed. In order to ensure you achieve the optimum results when giving your guitar a new look, we have provided a comprehensive guide.
First you should remove the strings from your guitar, unless you intend to give your guitar some new strings following the spraying process, then keep them close by as you will need these later. Once the strings have been removed, inspect the surface of the guitar in order to assess how it is going to be painted. As part of this process you should identify any and all areas of the instrument that you do not intend to recoat, remember these surfaces as they will be masked later.
If your guitar has been painted previously then this paint should be removed, exposing the underlying casing substrate. For this process you should avoid the use of chemicals, such as chemical dipping or paint remover, as these may have adverse effects on your guitar. The best course of action is to take some sandpaper and to run this over the entirety of the guitar’s surface, ensuring the paint is removed and that the surface is smooth. If the guitar has not been painted previously, it should still be sanded in order to ensure a smooth surface. This is important as it provides a strong foundation for the spray paint to be applied to.
Once you are satisfied with the sanding, it is time to clean the guitar. This is important as any dirt or dust that is on the surface will result in an uneven coating, and in a worst case scenario can result in complete failure of the coating itself. In order to clean the guitar, fill a bucket with soapy water and take a damp cloth then rub it across the entirety of the guitar’s surface. Once satisfied, allow the guitar to dry before commencing spraying.
Whilst waiting for the guitar to dry, you can prepare the area surrounding where you intend to spray. Ideally spraying should be done outside, as this provides the best airflow for the aerosols released during the process. Once you have identified a suitable area, place some rags down on the surrounding ground. Also identify any other surfaces, these can be covered using newspaper and masking tape. This is important, as due to the spray based method of application, paint droplets can spread and land on the surrounding area.
Earlier you identified areas of the guitar that you do not want to recoat. Now is the time to cover these areas in order to prevent them from being recoated. To do this is simple, take some masking tape and apply it to these areas, apply the tape in straight lines across the areas with a slight overlap on the previous tape layer.
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