FotoFlame is rubbish - time for a nitro respray!

[Norris]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1473227003' post='3128078']
While you're at it, please will you also tell me the benefits of Nitro over normal lacquer, other than the fact that it cracks when exposed to changes it heat?
[/quote]

Each coat of nitro blends into the previous ones so is a lot more forgiving if you overdo a sandback or need to patch it. Polyurethane laquer goes on in distinct layers and if you sand through will be visible as banding

There's one

[Grangur]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1473231206' post='3128100']


Each coat of nitro blends into the previous ones so is a lot more forgiving if you overdo a sandback or need to patch it. Polyurethane laquer goes on in distinct layers and if you sand through will be visible as banding

There's one
[/quote]
Thanks. I appreciate that.

I wonder, though, if the reason the original finish is cracked is because of it being nitro and un-able to handle some of the environmental conditions the bass has been exposed to?

Fender's quality isn't great. But it's not usually THAT bad.

[Manton Customs]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1473231631' post='3128108']

Thanks. I appreciate that.

I wonder, though, if the reason the original finish is cracked is because of it being nitro and un-able to handle some of the environmental conditions the bass has been exposed to?

Fender's quality isn't great. But it's not usually THAT bad.
[/quote]

It wont be nitro (if it were neither of us should be suggesting mechanical stripping!). Fender haven't used Nitro since the 60s except on a few special models and even these will not check/crack like the old nitro finishes. This is for two reasons- fenders modern nitro is sprayed over a poly base coat which really reduces the chance of checking. And two, the modern nitro they now use is full of plasticisers to prevent this.

Regarding why Nitro over car lacquer, the main reason is tradition! A lot of people (not including myself here) will also believe a thinner finish is superior and a Nitro finish is one of the thinnest you can get due to the fact it will shrink back for years. There is also a hell of a lot of bad quality car aerosols out there!

The burn in factor is definitely nice too, especially for repairs, but if you know what your doing you won't get witness lines from Poly either. But the car lacquer you've been using could well be acrylic?

[Grangur]

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1473237544' post='3128156']


It wont be nitro (if it were neither of us should be suggesting mechanical stripping!). Fender haven't used Nitro since the 60s except on a few special models and even these will not check/crack like the old nitro finishes. This is for two reasons- fenders modern nitro is sprayed over a poly base coat which really reduces the chance of checking. And two, the modern nitro they now use is full of plasticisers to prevent this.

Regarding why Nitro over car lacquer, the main reason is tradition! A lot of people (not including myself here) will also believe a thinner finish is superior and a Nitro finish is one of the thinnest you can get due to the fact it will shrink back for years. There is also a hell of a lot of bad quality car aerosols out there!

The burn in factor is definitely nice too, especially for repairs, but if you know what your doing you won't get witness lines from Poly either. But the car lacquer you've been using could well be acrylic?
[/quote]

Many thanks for the information.

I've been getting some really good results using Halfords car paint and Halfords lacquer. More recently, due to folk asking me to finish things in nitro, I've been using nitro lacquer. I'd thought it seemed thinner and needed more coats to get, what I thought, an acceptable finish thickness.

I'm guessing Halfords paint is almost certainly acrylic. In my post I have to confess I wasn't taking on board that paint in some countries may not be to the standard of UK marketed paint.

I still doubt that any rattle can guitar paint sold in any country will be any better than rattle can car paint sols in that same country. It's far more likely that it all comes from the same factories, but with different labels. Specifications and ingredients may change, so some will be more resilient to damage than others. So which type would you go for for a tougher finish?

[yorks5stringer]

On the subject of using a rattle can, you can get for a couple of £ a handle that fits over the can and the button and makes it much easier to use.

This is an expensive one as an example:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Can-Gun-1-Universal-Spray-Can-Tool-Recycled-Plastic-Ergonomic-Reusable-Paint-/321680557430?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

[gareth]

Assuming the neck is not foto flamed, I would get a new body

[Immo]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1473259532' post='3128428']
On the subject of using a rattle can, you can get for a couple of £ a handle that fits over the can and the button and makes it much easier to use.

This is an expensive one as an example:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Can-Gun-1-Universal-Spray-Can-Tool-Recycled-Plastic-Ergonomic-Reusable-Paint-/321680557430?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368
[/quote]
Cool idea, thanks!

Wonder if anyone tried SprayPlast to, for example, cover the headstock with a protective layer. Wonder if it kills sustain.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x500ML-MOTIP-SPRAYPLAST-RUBBER-REMOVEABLE-COATING-ORANGE-/142106577211?hash=item211636493b:g:mxcAAOSwhOdXowx5

[Immo]

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1473260492' post='3128444']
Assuming the neck is not foto flamed, I would get a new body
[/quote]
I want to use the original body because of several reasons:
1. I want it to be genuine MiJ Fender and I can't afford another MiJ Fender body (costs nearly twice as much as the bass we're talking about);
2. I'd rather not cave a battery hole in another innocent bass body;
3. this body works fine (already routed - see #2 - plus nice and lightweight) aside form the unrepairable lacquer coating, so why waste it?;
4. sentiment for this bass as a whole (as it's my first Fender and a first big thing I bought entirely for the money I earned with honest work);
5. love of customizing everything I own;
6. I want to learn new guitar refurbishing and maintenance skills, including those requiring thinking outside the box.

[Manton Customs]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1473255386' post='3128382']
Many thanks for the information.

I've been getting some really good results using Halfords car paint and Halfords lacquer. More recently, due to folk asking me to finish things in nitro, I've been using nitro lacquer. I'd thought it seemed thinner and needed more coats to get, what I thought, an acceptable finish thickness.

I'm guessing Halfords paint is almost certainly acrylic. In my post I have to confess I wasn't taking on board that paint in some countries may not be to the standard of UK marketed paint.

I still doubt that any rattle can guitar paint sold in any country will be any better than rattle can car paint sols in that same country. It's far more likely that it all comes from the same factories, but with different labels. Specifications and ingredients may change, so some will be more resilient to damage than others. So which type would you go for for a tougher finish?
[/quote]

No problem .

Yes, if you're comparing like for like, i.e Nitro car paint against Nitro guitar paint, there won't be much (if any) difference. Though some companies will use more solids in their Nitro. However, if not comparing like with like, acrylic will behave and perform quite differently to Nitro.

If I had a choice between Nitro and Acrylic I'd go for Nitro, purely for the fact it's what people want most of the time for refinishes. But that's not to say I particularly like Nitro... I don't like it's toxicity, it's temperamental nature to moisture and sanding dust, fisheyes, or the way it seems to suck any dust in the surrounding counties towards it when spraying! All of these can be overcome of course and they are only really issues to the guy spraying it. For my builds I use a water based lacquer (through pro spray gear) which does not have any of those drawbacks, or they are at least minimised while still looking just as good....eg:

[url="http://s1067.photobucket.com/user/Manton-Customs/media/Manton%20Customs%20True%20Temperament%20Echo%20MKII/Manton%20Customs%20Echo%20MK%20II%20True%20Temperament%201%20Main.jpg.html"][/url]

Edited September 7, 2016 by Manton Customs