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On the guitar we are building for my son we are using a precat lacquer as a topcoat, the center of the top will be dyed blue figured maple fading out to a painted black. My question is what type of paint to use? Will I be safe using an enamel auto finish or would something else be better? I want to spray it through my hvlp. Thank you for any insight!
God bless!
Nate

Try to find some pigment powders or colortone liquid pigment (StewMac) you can dissolve into the precat lacquer you are top coating with. It might help you avoid compatibility issues down the road.

If you are just using spraycans for both you could probably use auto acrylic lacquer for the black.
Enamel auto finish may wrinkle with lacquer on top

As for the dyeing-that is my plan B. I have a friend who can gay me very high quality auto paint. I know I could let it fully cure, coat with shellac, and then the pre cat but I'd rather not wait 30 days! I may do the fade with trans tinted shellac and then the precat if I can't come up with a better option. I'm having a hard time finding a good quality acrylic lacquer other than cheap hardware store stuff (downside of a rural area). Thank you guys very much for the insight and any more is greatly appreciated.
God bless!!!

If you wish to use a modern auto re-finish 2K urethane as a color coat under a lacquer just don't add the hardener and it will act much like a conventional lacquer.

I would however recommend using a pigment and coloring the same pre-cat you ate using everywhere else. Less worries about delamination this way. I use Mixol Pigments for my solid colors http://www.woodcraft.com/search2/search.aspx?query=mixol

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Brian

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

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I forgot to state it before but the main reason for him wanting the paint instead of the dye is he does not like seeing the grain through the black (though he may have to accept it!). The top is highly figured so it will be visible.
[img]I forgot to state it before but the main reason for him wanting the paint instead of the dye is he does not like seeing the grain through the black (though he may have to accept it!).
im going to do some test pieces today and I'll try the pigment added in. I'll keep ya updated and thank you guys!!

Call me old fashion -- or just cautious, I only use coating based on manufacturers recommendations, schedules and "compatibility" parameters. This sounds like planning a train wreck to me $.02

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Putting an enamel under lacquer is asking for trouble unless it is a modern catalyzed hard as a rock enamel. Even then I would try the total plan on scrap first. Finding what types of pigments the lacquer maker recommends and using the same lacquer vehicle for everything would be the safest way to go.
Acrylic lacquer seems to be an obsolete product that only shows up in scary cheap hardware store/ auto parts store locations. A car parts store might already have black opaque, and clear, right there for you in the same cheapskate's touch up line. Those would be compatible.