Clear coat for enamel?

J

Jezurus

Guest
I have a customer that has painted their guitar with oil based enamel and he wants some artwork done, haven't decided on a design yet, my question is can you use automotive clear coat over enamel, I know I could rattle can it with clear enamel, but wanted a tougher finish, anybody ever deal with this?
 
If you can get rattle can clear you should be able to get a suitable clear for that. If I remember, you can put enamel over more systems than you can out systems over enamel... will be interested to hear what is around. You can get automotive grade enamel. The other question is why do you need the durability of an automotive grade enamel when a guitar is going to be used in a whole lot friendlier arena than automotive paint?
 
I'm pretty sure this is an alkyd enamel like tractor supply carries, and Ihave tried Krylon crystal clear on guitars before and had spots wear off after sweating on them night after night, just never had good results with spray bombs!
 
OK so the most important thing you need to find out (for definite...) is what is it they've used. If you're unsure no one will be able to definitely answer your question. Once you know for sure you should be able to source something compatible over the top but whether that is durable enough remains to be seen. If you're not sure you are probably better off telling them about any compatability issues so they understand the risk... If a customer has done preparation work for me I will advise them that any problems I encounter due to them doing poor prep or additional prep I need to do as a result of their prep will be charged for. That way everyone is on the same page. There are a few threads in here about clear coats going wrong.
 
Thanks for the info, I know the paint is not automotive grade, I'll find out for sure, will def explain the issues involved.
 
Ok it's confirmed! It is the paint you get from tractor supply, called tractor and implement enamel by Majic? They also have a clear coat but its lacquer I did not think you could use lacquer over enamel, their instruction page says to let the paint cure for 7 days before clearing. Still would be curious to know the answer to my original question, can you spray auto clear over what we know now is alkyd enamel.
I may just pass on this one !
 
What I want to know is why would they paint a guitar with tractor paint lol!!! If it were me I'd sand it all off and paint it from scratch myself, that way I know 100% what I'm working with period!!!
 
Dude said it was cheap! Well, you get what you pay for, apparently there is a whole culture of rat rods out there painting with this paint and rustoleum, some even rolling on the paint! (I googled the paint and came up with all this) there is a guy who does guitar paint jobs with Krylon only, using the triple thick crystal clear, I tried that once when I lived in Florida and the clear never fully dried (humidity?) weeks later you could touch it and get finger prints in the finish, that's another reason I shy away from rattle cans!
 
If the manufacturer says you can use a product over it then that would be a good place to start. Reality is people don't know about paint and if it's cheap then it's a good deal to them. It's when they try doing tricky stuff it becones a problem. If you take the job tell the guy the problem and ask which way he'd like to go. Remeber the joy if a cheap price will fade very quickly in light of a bad job, even if you cant control it.
 
What I want to know is why would they paint a guitar with tractor paint lol!!! If it were me I'd sand it all off and paint it from scratch myself, that way I know 100% what I'm working with period!!!
Exactly!
 
This guy is notoriously frugal, does not see what is wrong with the paint he used, :eek: I don't have the time to refinish his guitar with the boat project I'm doing ATM so I'm passing on this one for now.
Thats the best thing you could do. A he is obviously cheap. Will he really pay you your worth without beating you up. B that paint is thick and being he painted it likely thick and will cure out a long time.
 
Giving it a miss is probably the best call. Everyone wants to save money, but when people won't listen, or don't understand why the cheap option means problems for the rest of the process down the line, then you'll be banging your head against a brick wall. And not being able to produce something you won't enjoy or want to put your name to isn't worth it. People won't look at something and say 'the painter was trying to save money for the client' they'll just look at the end result and think badly of the person who painted it.
 
This guy is notoriously frugal, does not see what is wrong with the paint he used, :eek: I don't have the time to refinish his guitar with the boat project I'm doing ATM so I'm passing on this one for now.
Good call!
 
Thanks all, I Feel better having some back up on this, hard to turn down work but I don't want any bad jobs on my résumé this early on!
 
You can use 2k urethane clear over enamel, but its not easy. You must spray several light tack coats first and let them flash off completely before spraying the next coat. If its not done just right, the enamel will turn into a wrinkled mess.
 
You can use 2k urethane clear over enamel, but its not easy. You must spray several light tack coats first and let them flash off completely before spraying the next coat. If its not done just right, the enamel will turn into a wrinkled mess.
I wondered about that, same thing with the clear lacquer the manufacturer has for the majic brand enamel, has to cure for seven days then do a light dust coat of lacquer then a wet coat.
 
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