re-ranch clear antiquing coat

[johnnyboy1234]

I am gettin ready to apply a decal to a headstock and was wondering if anyone has used this spray to clear coat over the decal. I want to keep the headstock the same color as the rest of the neck.

[dubtrub]

That will work fine if you already have it. However, don't order it and pay twice the price plus shipping when you can go to you local hardware stare and buy a, aerosol can of Deft Clear Gloss Lacquer for about five bucks. It's all nitrocellulose lacquer.

If you are using a waterslide decal, you will need to spray a couple of light coats of clear onto the decal before cutting it out and placing it into water. Otherwise it will self destruct without a bonding agent to keep the inks from separating. If it is a 'peel and stick' Mylar decal you should be good to go.

[johnnyboy1234]

Thank you...I appreciate the info....this website rocks by the way.

[oipunkguy]

Johnny, after you put on the decal, make sure you let it dry for 24 hours before finishing the guitar neck. When you first began finishing over the decal, spray over the decal in extremely dry light coats to prevent the decal from wrinkling up, and let the lacquer to complete dry before applying the next coat. In light coats like this nitro dries very fast, thirty minutes it should be fine. After a good 5-6 coats you should be able to apply wetter coats after that.

helpful tip: as you build up the finish to your desired thickness, it's a good idea to clean out any lacquer in any screw or tuner holes. If you miss this detail, when you put the parts back on the guitar, it's possible to chip your finish. I usually clean these things out with a drill bit, sometimes even using the drill in my hands instead in a gun just to be careful, particularly when cleaning out the tuner holes. keep this in mind as well if you are finishing a bolt on neck style guitar. the neck pocket on the guitar is the most common place where chipping can happen. when putting the neck back on, DON'T FORCE IT ON. just lightly sand the neck pocket until the neck sets in with ease.

Good Luck.