How to stain and lacquer a guitar - Complete guide to guitar finishing with dyes and nitrocellulose

[@chkorn86]

BORING?!!! WHAT?!!! this is the most interesting, complete and satisfying video about guitar staining I´ve found!!! Amazing! Thank You for the knowledge!

[@davidrees1840]

I've assembled & finished a few kits, and learned a ton from your methodology. Great video, and beautiful guitars!

[@ADFinlayson]

Thank you, glad you got something out of the video

[@the1songwriter]

Many thanks for this thoroughly detailed video demonstrating how to stain & lacquer. It is by far the most in-depth explanation I've come across on KZbin. Now I feel confident to give it a go. Cheers to you, sir!

[@ADFinlayson]

No problem, thanks for watching.

[@MichaelSmith-on1ig]

Your relaxed narration and behavior only adds to the quality of your videos. Great content!

[@ADFinlayson]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it

[@RobertWarren-mx2cc]

Detailed and very informative. Pro tip additional comments is secret sauce stuff rarely given in "How to" videos of this nature. Beautifully finished product with instructional narrative, concise and well delivered.

[@hkguitar1984]

I greatly appreciate the effort it must have taken to produce this video, just to share all of your knowledge and experience. Great Work Sir, Thank You

[@ADFinlayson]

Yes there are a lot of hours that go into editing videos like this, thank you for noticing that and glad you enjoyed the video

[@hkguitar1984]

@@ADFinlayson 👍😉

[@scottyV1000]

Thank you, I’m about to start finishing my first Strat guitar and you have given me a good idea of the sequence I need to follow. I just wish I had a dedicated spray area with proper ventilation like you have.

[@ADFinlayson]

I spent a few years waiting for sunny days so I could spray lacquer in my garden, we all have to start somewhere.

[@martinn2595]

Any problem with fume in your glasses? Thank for sharing!

[@ryanybos]

This tutorial is the best, most informative how to stain and lacquer a guitar video on the web in my opinion. Clearly explained, step by step, with valuable insight from a professional who has obviously stained and lacquered more than his fair share of guitars. Thank you A D Finlayson Guitars for this upload.

[@ADFinlayson]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@fuzzwahdulin]

Thanks, good information

[@djoyce777]

Wow, phenomenal job! Thank you for taking us along on your journey. I learned a TON from this and will be watching again while taking notes so I can incorporate your many pearls of wisdom into finishing my latest build. Appreciated :D

[@ADFinlayson]

Thanks for watching, glad you found it useful

[@monday6524]

This has been a great educational video. I will be watching it over and over I am sure. Thank you for the great narrative and detail.

[@ADFinlayson]

You're welcome, thanks for watching

[@albinhelen514]

A quick tip, that may or may not work is to put a bit of tape at the edges of the neck that you remove after every painting session so you don't have to do the sanding bit at the end (1:15:20), something that we do when painting cars so you eliminate the option of accidentally pulling some paint of with the tape. Also, why didn't you use grain filler on the top, or is it because it has been dyed earlier and therefore is already grain filled since the last dye? Great video, I was mainly interested in the staining part put had to watch the whole thing because it was so interesting.

[@ADFinlayson]

That's a good tip, thanks for the insight, I might try that next time I'm spraying a neck. I don't grainfill the top A) because I don't want it to interfere with the dye. B) maple doesn't need grain filling. If I did an all mahogany guitar it would be a different story - I would use a dyed grainfiller which will do some of the colouring, then I would do spray a shader over the top to even it all out. Cherry mahogany with dark grain filler is a good example.

[@rocklover7437]

I served my apprenticeship painting cars with cellulose .It looked great polished but it didn't weather well and wasn't very durable .I suppose a guitar a cellulose finish will have more character and develop more character with time .We then started using acrylics and then two pack finishes .This was over a 50 year time period.

[@ADFinlayson]

as far as I'm aware cellulose (at least the paint I am using certainly) is classified as an interior finish, I can't see that it would work well as an automotive finish.

[@Mr986Willis]

Awesome video, I've been taking notes and hope to see improvements in results on my next guitar. Any idea when the buffing video will be coming out? I'll see you at the London International Guitar Show 🤘

[@ADFinlayson]

Sorry there is no buffing video, life got in the way and the guitar shipped months ago. I am working on 5 guitars currently and I will try a get a buffing video out sorry.

[@ADFinlayson]

I’m not at the London guitar show this year, haven’t got any stock and haven’t got time to make anything

[@Mr986Willis]

@@ADFinlayson that's a shame, maybe next time then.

[@scottriddle5468]

Love watching you build guitars

[@ralphdrees4413]

These guitars are beautiful man

[@ADFinlayson]

Thanks Ralph

[@denley321]

Can we find out who or where he's getting the DIY Kits ? Thanks

[@michaelkaufmann2729]

Great, thanks a lot. So much input and knowledge.

[@ADFinlayson]

No worries, thanks for watching

[@davethain885]

Fabulous video.....fabulous result!

[@ADFinlayson]

Thanks Dave, glad you enjoyed it the video

[@behemot666]

BTW thanx very much 👍Great videos on Your channel, I realy apreciate, big hello from Poland

[@ADFinlayson]

No worries, thanks for watching

[@kylec4509]

Super great information! You may not be able to answer this, but say if instead of a nitro top coat you wanted to do a Spray Max 2k top coat. Would you use a pre catalyzed sanding sealer (like Mohawk for instance) and then apply 2k using basically same procedures as shown here?

[@ADFinlayson]

Sorry mate, you’re right I can’t answer that. All can suggest is do a tester

[@Nadziak19]

I'm attempting my first build and stumbled upon your highly interesting and informative video! Now all I have to do is decide what color to use, deep purple or cherry burst??

[@ADFinlayson]

Red is easier

[@lukegoffkat]

Why are you using a sharpie instead of a watermark printed serial number? Thanks by the way on the tutorial of using Rose on top of the purple. Really made a difference!

[@ADFinlayson]

It's not a sharpie, but It's handmade so it's got a hand-written serial number. Glad you found the video useful. Ash

[@filipduchon8126]

Hi, can you help me? I want to do really light grey on flame maple LP - to let show the wood of the color. What should I use for the light grey? Thank you! 👍🏻

[@ADFinlayson]

Just dilute black dye 🤷‍♂️

[@ColtsfaninVegas]

Thank you for this video. Very informative.

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@StratEdgy]

Love your work. I like your techniques and you teach well!

[@ADFinlayson]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video

[@mitchellgulliver1643]

Great video thanks for sharing. What's your preferred spray tip size for cellulose?

[@ADFinlayson]

I don't consider myself to be an expert in this regard, this LPH-80 I am using has a 1.2mm tip which I like, my old turbine system had a 1.3mm tip and I much prefer the smaller tip even if it does require slightly thinner paint.

[@mitchellgulliver1643]

@@ADFinlaysonNice, it looks like you're getting really good results. Did you get the E2 or E4 cap? I'm strongly considering getting one of these LPH-80's myself.

[@mmmike3426]

Can you recommend any cheaper alternative to the LPH80 for a hobbyist?

[@ADFinlayson]

Get in touch with spraygunsdirect, they will give you some good advise

[@markoacanski8620]

I've got a qustion. Do you also grainfill the neck?

[@ADFinlayson]

Mahogany etc yes, maple no

[@MarkRawling]

Super vid, thanks! What are your thoughts on having a base coat like poly or CAB - is it needed to provide stability over time perhaps, or maybe it just reduces the number of top coats needed?

[@ADFinlayson]

I think I did about 18 coats all in on account of the quilt top soaking everything up, normally I would only do 12 or 13 but for some reason I only sprayed about half the number of coats of sealer I normally do, probably concentrating on talking to the camera instead of what I was doing. No reason why poly can't be used as a base coat but you do need to be careful about compatibility

[@MarkRawling]

I think the reason they use poly or CAB is because it's more stable, much simpler/faster, and it doesn't yellow over time. I'm thinking about doing some finishing myself, but this step gives me pause - not sure how to do it best.

[@WilliamLassley]

Fabulous and very educational !! You answered about every question i had for finishing a guitar, and about twenty more I hadn’t even considered. Thank you so much. Now I can continue finishing my quilt top beauty with a little confidence. Thanks again sir. You are the best.

[@tbdog99]

I'm duplicating your "Lemon Fade" finish on a flame maple top. Can you please advise what dyes were used? The pink over purple treatment you did here makes good sense. Is there a color you recommend to "top off" the lemon fade? Any coaching you could provide would help a lot. Thanks!

[@ADFinlayson]

I believe I used a combo of crimson water based yellow and a brighter alcohol based yellow

[@tbdog99]

@@ADFinlayson Thanks! That gives me some confidence, and that's what I'm a gonna do.

[@kylemoran4343]

I never use a tac-cloth ! I find that most leave a slight film of some sort that clear coats don't agree with. I tend to use a "barley damp" paper towel to wipe down before I spray clear. And, I always wear gloves to keep the oil from my skin off the wood. Cheers !

[@quantumpoptart]

I had the same problem but maybe it’s a different brand in the UK

[@ADFinlayson]

Yeah I’ve had an issue with that before if pressing too hard with the tac cloth, especially if it’s fresh out of the packet

[@behemot666]

restoring my old trusty BcRich Ironbird right now, thanx for tips

[@tonyflies1]

Great job, can you tell me what needle size is on your LPH80. Looking about getting one.

[@ADFinlayson]

1.2mm tip, personally I would not go any smaller for guitars

[@tonyflies1]

@@ADFinlayson many thanks yeah 1.2 definitely small as I’d like also. Is the the E2 or E3 cap. Looks to have nice control with it.

[@negot8]

Beautiful work. The person getting this is very lucky - and probably doesn’t deserve it.

[@vicioannou]

Where’s this kit purchased from?

[@ADFinlayson]

This isn’t a kit, all the videos are of my builds

[@matheusalmeida4699]

This video was great, thank you!

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.

[@orthorat]

I learned a lot, thank you!

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed the video

[@recordplayerz]

Great video, thanks for the info

[@ADFinlayson]

Thanks for watching!

[@christophermendez7921]

Awesome results! Burst turned out amazing

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching

[@christophermendez7921]

@@ADFinlayson What buffing agent do you use?

[@ADFinlayson]

@@christophermendez7921 I am currently using menzera hard compounds.

[@nicopoppe4838]

do you sell kits? (just the wood)

[@ADFinlayson]

Sorry I don’t

[@RobertBerrios-rx2dl]

Thanks for an excellent video! Thanks for being so thorough. I love how you explain every step clearly and in depth. Nice looking instrument.

[@ADFinlayson]

No worries, thanks for watching

[@tomhall2830]

Thanks for the education! Mentally preparing myself to paint a StewMac LP kit and was looking for exactly this kind of detail. I appreciate you talking us through the issues. Following. Cheers!

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed the video, good luck with your kit.

[@davecatalfo6376]

Thank you for a great tutorial. I really appreciate the time and level of detail you put into this. I learned so much and that guitar is absolutely stunning. This is the first video of yours I have seen. You've gained a new subscriber! Now time to go back and watch more!

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed it Dave, thanks for watching

[@PaoloRS1]

What a great video. Loads of information and v entertaining too. What a stunning guitar. What wood is the fingerboard? Keep the videos coming Ash! Thanks for making this one.

[@ADFinlayson]

Thank you Paula, appreciate that. The fretboard on this one is pale moon Ebony

[@rickgledura3194]

Very nice and very thorough video. But I did not see you when you were spraying the clear coat do the headstock.

[@ADFinlayson]

There is always something to complain about

[@Nimgoble]

What did you do to the top to get it ready for staining?

[@ADFinlayson]

Not sure what you mean?

[@Nimgoble]

@@ADFinlayson Did you sand it down to a certain grit? Use filler? Etc.

[@ADFinlayson]

I normally sand maple to 320, no grain filler on maple.

[@rnemchev]

Thank you! It is valuable to me!

[@ADFinlayson]

Glad you enjoyed the video

[@Dakoda-td7uy]

Hey do you build guitars too

[@ADFinlayson]

Hi yes these are all scratch built

[@Dakoda-td7uy]

@@ADFinlayson I'm sorry I'm not sure what scratch built means

[@ADFinlayson]

built from scratch, I make them too.

[@Dakoda-td7uy]

@@ADFinlayson ok how much would it cost for a build

[@ADFinlayson]

@@Dakoda-td7uy Depends on the spec, email me [e-mail] and we can talk.

[@briggsliceaga9257]

Promo-SM 😩

[@bigdbearkiller5115]

setnecks are such bullshit. all they are is a bolt on neck that's glued. build a neck through or a bolt on not some half assed thing.. oh and his pocket wasnt to tight it was fine.

[@ADFinlayson]

If you say so 👍

[@clipitstore]

@bigbearkiller...can we see your channel with the guitars you have built?