Can you use lacquer on a guitar?
Typically, when it comes to guitars, the type of lacquer used is either nitrocellulose or acrylic. For a great number of years lacquer was the go-to finish for many products including guitars.
What is the purpose of putting lacquer on a guitars wood?
Lacquer is a modern wood finish that is commonly used on high end furniture. It is fast drying, impervious to water, and maintains its transparency as it ages. Lacquer finishes are popular because they don’t yellow with age, protect well against liquids, and require very little maintenance.
What is the best lacquer for a guitar?
Polyurethane. Polyurethane is a synthetic compound of two polymers. Poly has become the standard in guitar building since the 1970s, mainly because of the environment. The fact that Poly is easier to process and therefore cheaper has also played a role in the increasing popularity of this lacquer.
What lacquer does Gibson use?
nitro-cellulose lacquer
Gibson instruments are finished with several coats of a high-quality nitro-cellulose lacquer. This finish is hand-buffed to a high-gloss, mirror-like surface.
How many coats of lacquer should I put on a guitar?
An easy answer to the question would be that there is only one coat, since subsequent layers melt into and fuse with previous layers when they are sprayed. I do have an approximate count of the number of times I point my spray gun at the guitar, so I could tell people that there are 15 to 20 coats of lacquer.
How many coats lacquer guitar?
Is nitrocellulose the same as lacquer?
Nitrocellulose was adopted quickly by the car industry and remained the finish of choice through to the late-1950s. Furniture and musical instrument manufacturers also switched to nitrocellulose lacquer, and mostly it was referred to simply as ‘lacquer’.
Can you spray paint acoustic guitars?
Ultimately, any paint can be used on a guitar, but some are more suitable than others. Acrylic paint can be used and is often favored as the coats dry quickly. Oil paints are not the best as they have long drying times and are easy to damage.
Can you use polyurethane on a guitar?
Polyester and polyurethane guitar finishes are also more resistant to general wear, meaning that scratches and dings are harder to see and inflict. Poly finishes can remain shiny even after decades of use, and don’t fade away in the areas that you’d typically make contact with.