Let's Finish This Thing

The last post was in July and I had just finished spraying about 12 coats of lacquer on the guitar. Everything I had read about finishing said to wait about 30 days to allow the lacquer to dry thoroughly. This seemed like an excessive amount of time. I was used to finishing furniture much more quickly but I never polished out furniture to a mirror finish. So, I put the guitar away and began my wait. I was busy with other things and the time went by more quickly than I thought it would. August came around and I was ready to continue. I had been reading as much as I could find online about guitar finishing. It seemed very similar to auto body finishing. I have a neighbor who owns an auto body shop so I asked him about what he recommended for finishing compounds. He said sense I was hand polishing that I should hand sand to at least 2400 - 3000 grit wet dry paper and stay away from compound. With this information I took a trip to an auto paint and body store. After telling the owner of the store what I was doing he basically agreed. So, I purchased some sand paper in a variety of grits starting with 1500 and going up to 3000. He also recommended a couple of foam blocks to use with the paper.

The wet dry sand paper and foam sanding blocks.

I got a small bowl to put the water in and put a few drops of Ivory liquid detergent in it to act as a lubricant. I began with the 1500 grit and started with the top. I tried to work with the grain as much as possible and worked in small sections. Trying to be consistent from section to section I worked my way around the top and then to the back and finished with the sides and neck. I worked my way around the guitar two times and then switched to the next finer grit. I was trying to get all the tiny shiny pits worked out to a consistent dull finish. I think I stopped a little to soon. I am pleased with the finish but I think it could be a little better. After working through all the grits I was ready to start polishing. The owner of the auto body paint store recommended a "3 in 1" compound, polish and swirl remover. It was expensive but as he pointed out it was cheaper than buying three different polishes. The other problem was that none of these finishing products came in small containers, so I now have a lifetime supply.

Polishing compound and wax.

 

I was expecting this to be a hard messy process. I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty easy to apply and worked well. Just pour a small amount on a clean rag and apply then rub it off. The harder you rub in the application process the more it cuts the finish. If you rub on a light coat, let dry then rub off it acts like a wax. Easy Peasy! It really brought out the shine.

Front of guitar after polish,

Back of guitar after polish.

Detail of shine.