Official Luthiers Forum!

So a friend of mine has this guitar which is covered with 30 years worth of stickers and he wants to through a clear coat over it. The only thing I am able to spray right now is KTM-9. I'm curious to see if I would need to lay something down before spraying the KTM-9. Maybe shellac first? Not sure what the adhesion hurdle would be..? Any thoughts on how to make this possible?

Thanks...

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Barron Wesley Guitars

Watch out, Test the shellac or whatever else you choose to use on a small area, it may dissolve the ink on the stickers.

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John Nowicki

Thanks for the advice. Ya - looks like some experimenting may be needed here. I'm not sure many people have done this one before...Thanks much..

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Barron Wesley Guitars

IIRC, there's a spray (can) that artists use for pictures, collages, and the like that seals all kinds of ink prior to spraying on top varnish/lacquer coats (that dissolve ink). You might like to investigate the art world for this solution - seems like it should work nicely for what you have planned for this guitar. Shellac may not be clear enough for the customer's liking IMO.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"