Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm having a problem spraying a guitar for the first time.
Fuji XPC gun, 3 stage turbine, using water -based urethane lacquer (Enduro-Var Gloss, thinned 5% with water)
Settings are 1 turn open on the gun, fully open on the air valve - using the no 3 (1 mm) nozzle and tip.
Holding the gun about 5/6 inches away from the surface (I've done several coats so far in sets of 3, leaving overnight, sanding level, then spraying with ethanol/water before another 3 coats of lacquer)
3 coats on the top dry to about 1 thou thick overnight, before leveling.
Spraying the sides and especially the neck, I'm getting a nice surface finish, glossy off the gun, very little "orange peel".
However, on the front and back, the lacquer is not self-leveling so well, and comes out much rougher.
It appears to dry more grainy than orange peelly (I think)
Everything I'm doing is much the same, only the size of the surface I'm spraying is larger
It's been similar all the coats.
I'm beginning to feel I'm sanding off 2/3rds of the thickness just to level it!

Any suggestions?

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Sounds like you may be getting some dry spray on the large surfaces. Try less air, or more fluid and a faster pass. This is not happening on the smaller areas because they are smaller than the spray pattern.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I've only sprayed Nitro through my Fuji setup but I always have to choke down the air valve that's on the end of the hose.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Yeah, looks like the spray mist may be "bouncing back" from the surface because air setting is too high, and not laying enough finish down on the surface (and possibly drying out what it does put down).
Thanks guys.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Just a quick update. Just feeling my way along - long time since I sprayed last!
Played about, spraying some tests on a large cardboard box again.
Ended up keeping settings the same for the neck.
Increased the lacquer 1/4 turn for the sides, throttling a little on the air.
Then upped liquid setting again slightly, and cut the air back to about 2/3 open for the back and top.
Seems to be working out better.

Thanks again.

_________________
The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.