I am a car sprayer who has years of experience in paint....Not guitars till recently but this is my method instead of using nitro
Hey all there are a lot of various ways to paint a guitar,whether to change colour or repair chips or scratches I find this is the most effective method of preparation and application.
Determine the reason of painting i.e change colour or repair.
Once guitar is fully stripped of all components and body is a shell sand any chips or scratches using a 400 grade sand paper(I use this on an orbital sander).Any deep chips or marks should be filled using a suitable filler like a body filler or a wood filler.I prefer a car body filler as it is easier to work with and easy sandable.Once filler is dried smooth to shape with a 180 grade paper then over with a 400.
Next key the rest of the body so no shine remains (this ensures the paint will grip to the body). I generally use a 600 wet and dry or a 1500 disc in a sander.
Once keyed primer should be applied to repaired area or coated all over if u can still feel saome sanding marks.I use a 2k high build primer/filler mixed 4-1 with an activator." coats should be plenty and once dried flat with a 600 grade wet.
A smooth finish should now be there.
next the paint. I use a water based product made by max meyer called aquamax.3 or for coats drying each coat thouroughly using air(ie hair dryer ,I have a spray booth with an oven.
Once covered I apply 2-3 coats of ultra high solid clearcoat which achieves a uultra high gloss finish.
If any bits of dust or imperfections can be seen in the clearcoat I use a 2000 grade paper (wet) to nib out the pieces and then polish back to a shine using a buffing machine and compund before using a polishing mop on buffer with a finishing compound
