I put my rocketry finishing skill to use....

Tai, it looks like a Fender Stratocaster. Cool, cherry sunburst. Lacquer is a very easy to work with finish, allowing you to stop and sand out blemishes and continue painting, all within a few minutes.

The old guitars may have even used lacquer themselves, but I would think the best finish today is urethane top-coat with hardener. You can still sand and polish it like your guitar, but you don't have to wait a month. Since it is a two-part plastic, it will be cured enough in a week to wet-sand and polish. If you like, you could apply your custom colors in lacquer and top coat it with clear urethane and hardener.

problem is all I can work with is lacquer... 2 part urethane is great, I agree, but unless I got a friend who works in a body shop (which I dont) or about 10,000 dollars in equipment investment (not including a climate controlled place to do it at) I really cannot do a urethane coat. Plus if you are trying to do a relic peice, it has to be lacquer. Urethane and polyester/polyurethane doesnt age and wear the same way lacquer does.

As for the body it IS a Fender Stratocaster, it was origionally clear amber but I decided to refinish it because I didn't like the color (it was better suited to ash IMHO) so I stripped it (ever tried stripping 1/16 inch of solid polyester and urethane? it's hell! I bought a random orbital sander for this purpose) then tried to burst it once, looked like crap, stripped it (easier this time cause its lacquer, brush on lacquer thinner then scrape), did it again. I think it looks great now. I might do it again but I need to recoup some funds (I spent some money on this) then buy a better airbrush, Paschee H or VL types comes to mind. Then a small airbrush compressor or something, and a new body.... the big red spot is due to POS airbrush spitting on me...

this does get somewhat addictive...

I understand about the urethane and conditions. Plus its very hard on the lungs. ;-)

I thought you did a good job from the picture. Getting the red and black fades even around the circumference of the body isn't an easy task, and not one you can just go back over on the next coat. Once you put too much, you strip it back off.

What year Strat is it?

That is one great oddroc.....what's it gonna fly on? Which way is up?

Chuck

This wont fly anywhere except maybe 10 feet up if jimi hendrix gets his hands on it... (he has a tendency of throwing guitars in the air) but I was thinking of maybe some Fender Custom shop 50's pickup or just stock Samaritan cobalt noiseless pickups. havent decided on that yet. Or maybe put some humbuckers on it and plug it into a JCM800 (volume on 11 or more) and it will make you feel like you're flying...