Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi all,
Well, it's been slow but I am closing my first box. The neck is a Martin prepped neck and I have made fingerboards before. So, I am hoping the second half to not be as drawn out.
Finishing is on the horizon.
Any Video or book recomondations? I have not picked a finish, imput welcome.
I need to buy an Air Compressor for Spraying and if I really get into Inlay a Forham (?). What do I need to know? How many HP? I can put the unit in another room. What do I avoid? I know nada.
At ASIA I won some sprayers; An Astro Star STTT, a ACCUSPRAY 43 p.s.i/3BAR w/ a purple nozel marked 705, a Green colored sprayer HVLP Max 50PSI 4 BAR with a Accuspray BAR/PSI gadge. A bunch of cups, spare parts and wrenches. No cleaning tools or hoses though. What do I have?Lol
Also, I need a mask recomendation.
I have to build a room for this. I have an unfinished 22' x 44' A shaped room, 10' at the peak, that is not even insulated yet so I have wall or roof I can cut into. How much space do I need?
If you can give ideas of costs for items I would appriciate it.
Thanks!

I tried the search to no avail. If this stuff has been covered, a link is great.

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I'm not familar with the guns you have. You don't need a huge expensive compressor to spray one or two guitars at a time. The demand doesn't last long enough for the compressor to get behind. I'd recommend a minimum 2 HP with a 20 gallon tank. I wouldn't recommend spraying any kind of finish inside your house reguardless of what kind of room you have. I've been using an automotive paint booth to spray my guitars but I'm in the process of building my own spray booth. There's no magic for mask. Get one made for spraying paint. A fresh air system is great, but IMHO not necessary. I'd also recommend gettting some tyvek suits for certain finishes. I also recommend wearing breathing protection (and gloves) when mixing finishes, not just when spraying them.

An explosion proof fan is a good investment, and may be necessary due to local codes. A belt driven fan, where the sealed motor is outside of the airflow area should be sufficient. I've got an old fan, with a burned out motor, but I'm investing in an explosion proof motor for it.

Finishing is alot of work to do right, and all the associated equipment is expensive. Alot of builders farm their finishes out. IMHO there's nothing wrong with this, but I want total control over every aspect of any guitar that has my name on it. The equipment cost to get the right stuff to finish guitars would pay for several finishes by Joe.

Last, for spraying technique, try to find a local automotive painter to help you learn..

_________________
I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

This is SUCH a huge question, and tons of info here.

First, do you see any need other than painting for the compressor? (I doubt that;-))

But if not, search for a good Fuji 3 or 4 turbine compressor. (the appended Q means quiet and costs a bit more). find a kit that includes hoses and guns, regulators. You are now in business. Go spray something.

The above 20 gallon recomendation is spot on. If you go this route, now get a gun (Sata mini jet, HVLP is higly recomended, but you can start of with the HF cheapie until you really know what you want). I sprayed my first and second with a HF cheapie and it came out fine. You will need a regulator and dryer (HF). All of this will run you about $400 if you hunt around for deals. The turbine approach will be a bit higher assuming you find a good deal and are patient.

As for the explosion proof stuff, I would suggest going with water born until you can afford that gear.... it ain't cheap. There are tons of threads here about that. But if you must use nitro, do it outside under a plastic tarp. Nothing closed in. What ever little specs get on will get sanded off and buffed out.

3M and others make good masks that you can buy at your local borg.

Now, if you are burdened with an excess of cash, then go whole hog! You may be a bit further off than you think. You got some research to do. But I am certain I and the rest here covered all of the salient points. Good luck!

Mike

Most of my clients are local bluegrass players. There's alot of stuff they don't care about, as long as a guitar has the tone they want......however........at least 1/3 of the people making inquiries about getting a guitar from me want to be sure I'm not using waterbased finishes. I'm not saying waterbased finishes are all bad (or good) but the publics perception of waterbased finishes is bad, and public perception is important.

_________________
I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Thanks all.
Would the Inlay tool be considered an air tool requiring the higher output?

The room is upstairs from my Photography studio which is an outbuilding. Like I said I haven't even got insulation in there yet so I was thinking of building a plastic booth like I have seen here. Proper fans a must to keep the smell out of the downstairs.

I contacted Joe White about spraying for me. I am sure his price is reasonable. But, by the time I pay him + 2x on shipping I think I can do 2 guitars and be ahead on the dough. Also, I'd like to learn how to do it myself.

The Stew Mac book will get ordered next week. I am planning ahead. It will be Jan-Feb before I am ready to go anyway.

Thanks again to all.

It's not the smell you should be worried about.

Mike

Ain't that the truth, blowin' yourself up could ruin your whole day!

_________________
Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thats why I came to the experts

I have blown myself up before. It sucks

I'm gonna ask a question within this post instead of starting a whole new post. I'm looking to buy my first air gun. Compressor version. I usually finish my instruments by hand with a a brushing varnish but I'm looking to switch to a environmentally safer finish like water based like colortone but also maybe the occasional solvent based finish. I was looking at a gravity fed air gun. I heard these are easier to clean and breakdown compared to syphon based guns. I'm looking for easier but I want the best. Are these gun suitable for water based? Is there anything i need to know about these before buying one?

Not all guns are good for waterbornes. There's something inside the gun that the water....tears up. You either need a gun that says "waterborne compliant" or just "compliant". I've also seen guns that advertised "good for all finishes". I suppose they're OK with waterbornes too. I prefer a mini gun for guitars. I recently got a Sharp FX1000 at the recommendation of a friend. I really like it, and you can get a wide variety of tip sized for it. I'm not sure if it is good for waterbornes. I wouldn't be surprised if the VOC's of your varnish are no worse than most waterbornes.

_________________
I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/