Hey everyone! Back in high school, I built a mahogany-body telecaster in my woodshop class, and it's been my pride and joy for the last decade. Recently, I got inspired after building a bass guitar and decided to tweak my electric guitar a bit. I'm working on softening the radius where the arm rests by using a drum sander, and I'm loving how it's turning out! The body was originally finished with nitrocellulose lacquer in 2016, and I've sanded it down using 60 and 120 grit, and I'm planning to use 220 grit next (maybe even 300 if needed). Now, I'm wondering about the best way to finish the newly sanded curve. I'm considering applying nitrocellulose lacquer with a foam brush, but I'm not sure if that's a bad idea. Should I stick with nitro, switch to polyurethane, or just leave the wood unfinished since it's got a cool, worn-in look? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
If you're applying lacquer, I'd recommend using a bristle brush instead of foam. Also, after applying it, use fine sandpaper to smooth it out. If you're leaning towards a natural look, you could experiment with some tung oil or a hard wax oil. Just a heads-up, I’d steer clear of polyurethane for guitars since refinishing can be tricky later on.
Yeah, tru oil is solid! Many people love using it for those kinds of projects.
Using a foam brush for nitro may not give you the best results. Plus, mixing nitro and polyurethane can lead to issues down the road. If you're not spraying the finish, you might want to consider stripping everything and starting with a polyurethane or an oil-based finish instead. Alternatively, leaving it unfinished could maintain that unique, groovy vibe you have going on!
Thank you, I appreciate the advice 🙂
Thank you for the tips! I’ll definitely look into tung oil or hard wax oil. I've heard good things about tru oil too—it's popular for guitars and gun stocks.