Nitro Guitar Finish Tutorial - Part 3: Sanding and polishing

How to create a perfect nitrocellulose guitar finish. In the third part of this tutorial I will show you how to sand and polish the nitro to create a flawless, high gloss finish.
Support Lone Star Guitars: / lonestarguitars
Products used in this tutorial (I am not affiliated with any of these stores):
Nitrocellulose lacquer (UK/EU): www.manchester...
Nitrocellulose lacquer (USA/world): www.stewmac.co...
Polishing compounds (Stewmac): www.stewmac.co...
Polishing compound (Rupes): www.amazon.com...
Grain filler (EU): www.hoelleinsh...
Grain filler alternative (USA/world): www.stewmac.co...
Tack cloth (UK/EU): www.manchester...
For detailed questions or other enquiries, mail me at [e-mail].
Also, check out the Lone Star Guitars website:
www.lonestarguitars.nl

These are the best guitar finishing videos on youtube.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you!

[@bryanlemeilleurtexas]

Agreed. I've watched a ton recently, and this is hands-down the best yet. Bravo.

[@thomasfoster4091]

Georg Figél agreed.

[@lustandblind]

Hell yeah

[@glasspaul101]

Indeed, very well done!

[@eriknadoban8877]

Hands down the smartest and easy to understand finishing video. Thank you for editing this so well!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

It's finally here! Thank you all for your patience. I've been extremely busy with some other projects, including the construction of my new shop. I hope you all enjoy this one. Best of luck with your own projects!

[@MidtownSkyport]

Is there any alternatives to the StewMac compounds? I just checked their website and shipping to the UK is more than the three bottles themselves

[@funkymunky2404]

@@MidtownSkyport I'm in the UK and just used the McGuire's Car Swirl Remover and then the Polish after sanding to 2000 grit. It came out incredible!

[@lcglazer]

Does this product protect thin nitro from flaking off? I'm thinking about getting a MJT nitro reliced guitar but I they won't do anything more to seal in the look from production because "its supposed to keep aging as you play" but the nitro is so thin it literally flakes off. I'm looking for something to lock in the finish as best as possible. Thanks!

[@brianfuentes5815]

take note that the p1000 grit sandpaper is not the same as US grade sand paper. p1000 is probably equivalent to that of US600 theres a conversion online somewhere so anyone in the US might want to check it out so there is no mix up.

[@modestoney1577]

i personally love the look of lacquer sunken into the grain

[@qua7771]

I don't mind grain but I don't care for orange peel.

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

Same. Love it even more when you spray canned air and the finish cracks develop under the finish. Looks like broken glass.

[@qua7771]

@@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342 I may take mine outside this winter for more natural checking. The kind of cracks that run along the grain. IDK.

[@JohnDrogado69]

These are the best videos on finishing in KZbin. Thank you so much.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you and you are welcome!

[@txtele]

When it comes to nitro finishes I don't think there's anybody on KZbin doing a better job of showing how to really do it all by hand he gives great explanations to what he's doing stresses the importance of taking your time in the end result is an incredible looking guitar great job and thank you

[@jounilehtonen2379]

This series was spot on what i was looking for and really needed. I don't have money for fancy machinery or possibility to participate any lessons so... The biggest possible THANKS TO YOU!!

[@R3dMaN234]

Just wanted to say this series of videos has been VERY informative. Thanks for going through the effort to give such a comprehensive how-to series.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you!

[@D4veJap4n]

The top about sealing the holes with a drop of super glue is BRILLIANT. well done mate. That’s a too tip

[@garyjohnson506]

Nice video, it has given me the confidence to do my own lacquer finish on a telecaster body. Next step, start sanding... bedankt en tot ziens

[@ryandougherty8964]

These videos have been perfect! They're methodical and detailed without being boring or tedious. I'm working on a refinish right now and pretty much every resource I've needed has been in this series. Thanks!

[@Slugg-O]

Fantastic. A very helpful and instructional set of videos on painting a guitar. No drama or background music. Just step by step how-to for the average DIY guy. Thank for making these! ,

[@FastAnimal75]

You are a king. I am significantly less nervous about my first finish after watching your videos.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Great to hear that!

[@FastAnimal75]

@@LoneStarGuitars I notice you don't scuff sand after the sanding sealer is applied. Is that because you use primer? I am planning on doing a sunburst finish. I should still scuff sand, correct?

[@andreazttr4757]

I've been looking for videos like this for years! Guitar builders' community generally snubs amateur guitar builders who don't have spraying equipment, but you demonstrated that a perfect high-gloss finish is achievable without any fancy equipment. Thanks! Do you also happen to use water based finishes?

[@LoneStarGuitars]

I'm glad this helped! And yes, you definitely don't need professional equipment to create a great finish (although it obviously does make things a little easier). I personally do nitro, acrylic, oil and polyester finishes. That's pretty much it!

[@blues4jesus]

Thank you for your vids. These helped me painting my guitar. I really love working with Nitro. To me its easier to work with than poly, My finish coats went on pretty smooth. I have a few more coats to do. Im using aged lacquer on the first few as I want the color to look older(but not relic) I went a little heavier in the areas of the arm and hands and it looks pretty legit. Thank you once again for taking time to do these.

[@nicozaharia3896]

Hands down best how to video on how to work on your guitars nitro finish!!! Helped walk me through getting out unwanted marks on my guitars and honestly got them to look as they did say I first opened the case!!! KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK and spreading the knowledge!

[@craigmmiller35]

Extremely good and thorough video series for those of us who want to refinish at home without professional tools and paint booth. The results are great and the lessons couldn't be more comprehensive.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you!

[@radiusguitars5039]

I loved seeing this process. I've done several nitro bodies, and your process easily showed me where and why I had the problems I did. Your Video is the best of its kind on the web!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you! Glad this helped!

[@MacQ1955]

This 3-part series was great. My guitars, on purpose, always show the grain and I never use filler. The majority of my builds are "natural' wood and I use a home-brewed varnish finish. When using a Fender classic colors in nitro (I use rattle cans), I still let the natural grain come through and it will not be high gloss. However, I now have a project of a '63 Fender Musicmaster that some idiot tried to refinish on his own. Not sure what the original color was. It looks as if it may have been a Fender Red Mahogany, which Fender sometimes did use on this model and the Duo-Sonics. However, in researching, I found Fender, at the end of a day, would sometimes shoot these models with the classic colors still left in the spray guns. Therefore, I'm going to do a Daphne Blue, high gloss. Thanks for the great tutorials!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Sounds like a great project! I also love to see that wood grain, but most customers seem to prefer the high gloss finishes.

[@erictipton3127]

Hopefully you're still checking comments on this one: Finished a tele body using these techniques and they worked very very well. The problem I seem to have run into, I believe, is a matter of temperature control. I did the spraying/curing in a California USA garage. The spraying in spring and let it cure for about six weeks. By then, the temps in the garage would have fluctuated from the low 60s F to the high 80s. Upon first sanding with the 1000 grit, everything dulled as expected, and I worked through the additional polishing steps as outlined. I certainly got a mirror-like finish. I also discovered a significant amount of checking in the nitro. Noticed it first when I wet sanded with the finer grits. Thought it might have been a sudden reaction to the water temperature versus the temperature of the body, but then closer inspection revealed the entire guitar suffered some degree of checking. Now, if I'd wanted to do a relic job, this would be an AMAZING relic finish and a trick I'll remember as it seem quite organic relative to the "blow dryer/sprayed nitrogen-canned air" method. Question: for future builds, should the drying/curing take place in a more temperature controlled environment to prevent the checking? And I also imagine there is no way to correct the checking other than to strip and refinish the body?

[@keithklassen5320]

I've never done this, but I've talked to a lot of people about it, and most people recommend sanding and polishing in circles. Just so newbies see this and know that there are other ideas out there.

[@jackdunwoody6790]

Thank you so much for this 3 part series. By far the best tutorial I’ve seen on guitar finishing.

[@sclinchy]

This series is extremely well done. I’m about to start finishing an ash Telecaster body. I’m sure it’s going to come out much better than it would have had I not seen these videos.

[@gregt4202]

Great tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to produce it.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

You're very welcome. Thank you for watching.

[@russellscott1151]

Best series on nitro finishing period. Excellent stuff. Many thanks.

[@iamjackalope]

Now this is how you do a tutorial right. Pretty much everything you need to know, in the order you need to know it in and with out any annoyingly long winded explanations and a bunch of "ahhs" and "umms" or even worse a text to speech computer voice or no voice at all. Instead of helpful instructions you get some crappy royalty free music and text you have to pause the video to read. You know the ones I'm talking about. So yea. Good job. I'm getting ready to do a nitro finish on a set of MDF speaker cabs that I am building and I'm cruzing around youtube and the interwebs to see how other people do this kind of finish to maybe pick up a trick or two before I begin. I've done plenty of nitro finishes in the past and I know how to do them but it's been about four years since the last one and I'm far from an authority on the matter so it never hurts to see how others do it. MDF has it's own set of challenges to deal with but the basic methodology is the same for both. I might add that if you are worried about water from the wet sanding process swelling anything you can use mineral spirits instead of water. When finishing MDF you want to stay away from water and water based products as much as you can. Another little bit regarding rattle cans. Watch your spray finger that it isn't hanging to far over the nozzle and in the stream coming from the can. I've done this in the past and it's a good way to screw up an otherwise good finish. Secondly, when you get down to where there is just a little bit left in the can switch it out for a fresh can. Don't try and squeeze every last little bit out of the can as it can start sputtering and dripping and resulting in less then desirable results. That's my two cents worth, adjusted for inflation of course..

[@kayou4955]

Thank you so much for the detailed steps, also teach me what to expect from a rattle can as a beginner

[@Themeatball000]

Man that thing is glossy! Good stuff!

[@sunnys3325]

Great finish. I guess there is hope for me!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Of course! Practice makes perfect.

[@goodsac]

Great videos. I've always wanted to see a complete tutorial on Nitro. Thanks for your effort to show all of us how it's done!

[@LoneStarGuitars]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching.

[@Caeniix25]

These walkthroughs are so complete and approachable, please do more!!

[@TobiLoops]

Best, most informative, well paced videos about guitar finishing! Makes me a lot more confident, and even if it only turns out half as good I'll be happy! Thanks!

[@luci0509]

Great videos. Lot's of tidbits I already knew but what most others leave out for those that don't.👍👍

[@eggman1978]

That end result looks fantastic. 👌

[@dougsaunders5551]

That finish looks SICK! Incredible work and fantastic demo.

[@DrLoveGun]

Again great job just a couple pointers. Personally on such a soft paint like lacquer minimal sandpaper 1500 and at this point unlike video I would not touch no edges. Second off he was standing with his fingers big no no! Use a flat rubber squeegee. This ensures proper flatness sanding that's the purpose. After your first sanding of 1500 just to knock down the main roughage then work your way to the 3000 grit. Now you can slightly do your edges but not much at all needed emphasize best to stay away if you're new as the buffing and polishing will take care of the edges again caution. Quick note compounds and polishes are liquid sandpaper. As mentioned from heavy grit to light grit to super light grit with polishes. Polishes are not sealers like some think. I do recommend sealing fresh paint with a glaze. Glaze is safe for fresh paint but do not wax. It still needs cure time. If you have an older guitar that looks great you can polish it in wax is safe and recommended sealer for paint. Not fresh paint. Glaze is for fresh paint. Hope this helps

[@DrLoveGun]

For those who don't think paint needs to be sealed that may just say I've been doing this 40 years and have seen the results personally. Number one son and environment are brutal it will gradually oxidized over time. This protects it from that and other elements. Also for those who say you can put wax on fresh paint. No you're not going to see no immediate bad effects. After a couple of years you'll wonder why it started crazing and other spider web deformities. This is cuz it was wax early in life while the paint wasn't cured. It takes time and you'll regret it. I've seen paint jobs come back 10 years later because of this. And hate to admit I made the mistake myself on my 67 cougar I owned for 30 years. Hope this helps

[@curbmassa]

Excellent tutorial. A few points I could add. After spraying the last coats of clear, wait a few days and wet sand lightly with 600 grit. This allows the paint of off-gas solvents much quicker and cut the drying time in half. Make sure the polishing compounds are well mixed before you use them as the abrasive tends to settle on the bottom. As you go from one grit to the next make sure you remove any of the previous compound from screw holes and routs. When wet sanding I use a little rubber squeegee that's about 2"X3" to wipe the water off to check for low spots, much faster than stopping to dry it with paper towels. They make good sanding blocks for wet sanding small areas, too. Available at auto parts and auto body supply stores. Been spraying lacquer since 1966, so yeah.....

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you for those additions! Best regards, Will.

[@richardkellberg9181]

I really appreciate the tutorial with no power tools this is exactly what I was looking for, now I can finish this finish coat, thank you!

[@stuart8663]

In your previous life, were you a hands model for Ad Agencies? Seriously these part 1, 2 & 3 has given me great encouragement. As a sign-painter by trade originally, and having used spray cans for years, i'm disappointed with the way some KZbin channels talk about spraying with cans as some "low class" poor-person option. Your unemotional video proves that with the right prep & patience, stunning results happen... with a can-do attitude.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

I guess so! And you are absolutely right, spray cans can create perfect finishes just like spray guns can. Of course a spray gun allows for more customization of the spray pattern and such (which can make things a little bit easier) but the end result is the same. Thanks for your comment!

[@aj88gaming91]

@@LoneStarGuitars are you going to keep doing great videos like you did over the past? i really hope you do!

[@lousekoya1803]

Your channel is addictive,..........moving on to the next one !...............really well done !

[@StormofCrows]

I'm literally going to start finishing my first guitar tomorrow and only just stumbled across these videos. While you've just seriously added to my workload, I'm looking forward to hopefully getting the final finish looking as good as you do here.

[@igorivanov1160]

Great video brother, thank you! I wish all instructional videos were this good

[@LewisShieldsUS]

Triple, for the win. Yet another great lesson and show, thank you.

[@MagneticPool24]

This series is absolutely amazing. thank you!

[@1WastedMango]

Great stuff. I'm getting ready to build my first kit and yours are the best finishing how-tos I've seen or read so far. I especially like the tip about letting the nitro cure for a few weeks before the polishing step. I'm doing an alder Strat body and going for the cherry SG look.

[@alastairmacdonald6794]

very helpful tutorial which I used on my first nitro paint job ... thanks

[@mrwaffles1394]

This is hands down the best nitro at home tutorial out there. I just wonder where you are? It’s been 2 years.

[@nitewkr8507]

Thanks dude, watched all 3, I'm ready to go

[@SimonMac]

we're still all out here waiting to see the completed guitar - please!

[@n84434]

Great tutorial. Very thorough and helpful.

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you!

[@nez1703]

Great tutorial - i'll be using this to re-finish an old Ibanez JEM 777. Thanks!!

[@jmisolis]

Thank you very much for these videos. I'm starting this process. Certainly a lot of work.

[@Rogijimbex]

Very helpful - thanks for a great explanation!

[@Colhogan06]

Wow I am really impressed with the results you got here!! Great job!

[@bobsaturday4273]

great job . it was a beautiful slab of ash , I wouldn't have the heart to paint it green

[@matthewcoombs5298]

Awesome job mate. I'm going to have a go with a tinted blue lacquer on a spalted maple body then polish polish polish!!

[@MascarasMil]

Great job! When I saw “LoneStar” guitars I figured, “he’s a Texas boy!!” Thank you pardner! (Texas joke).

[@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland]

I have a couple of basses to refinish which I've been wanting to do however it seemed so daunting until I watched your videos they are awesome. I hope you do more videos!

[@sambagenie]

Great tutorial the best I've seen , got a guitar to do and will follow every step. Thank you for doing this it is so very helpfull.

[@TomGlander]

That was extremely helpful. Thank you very much. I subscribed!

[@camaperture8116]

Great tutorial! I got a lot of orange peel with my clear coats. Tried wet sanding with 1000 as suggested but was taking forever. A luthier friend of mine suggested dry sanding with 400 but I was getting too much corning on the paper so wet sanded with it. I've been terrified of sanding through the finish but he told me that if there's still orange peel, you won't sand through.

[@leo._.vincent]

thats a great tip. I would never thought about that!

[@candiceleilagordon4241]

I was cleaning up my Gibson SG to sell it and someone had put a load of gaffer tape on it that left a lot of stuck on crap. I read somewhere to use acetone to remove it. Oh no, don't do that. Well, I'm going to give this a go, and I'll let you know how I get on! thanks! really nice videos :)

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Ouch! You're definitely not the first one though... On a poly finish it wouldn't have been a problem. Sound like a nice project though, best of luck!

[@DEVAULT.]

Wanted to Thank you for your super Excellent tutorial style and professionalism. I watched and listened the 3 parts carefully. My thing is to paint illustrations on gluedneck guitars which will leave uneven paint all over them. I guess I understood very clearly where I will start the process you have explained so very well. Sending Positive Vibes to you.

[@davedupuis2069]

Great series of videos! Thanks for the level of detail that most leave out

[@nullmeyer1]

Thanks great instructions and much appreciated!

[@Trollolol-kt8od]

I'm just starting to build my own G.. This helps me a lot.. TY sir

[@anotherstart1]

Thank You for helping me out! Appreciate it. Really fantastic Job 👏👏

[@mboyer68]

Wow, you did an incredible job! You could make a lot of money refinishing Corvette's! Can you imagine doing all that work on the surface area of a Corvette? You'd go through a lot of paper!! I'm in the middle of a Firebird guitar build. I lucked out and got an absolutely gorgeous body. The neck was okay in terms of wood figuring but after I sanded it I noticed a crack. They replaced it without question and the one they sent was awesome! I've researched and there's a million different names for similar wood grain features..but I think it's most commonly referred to as flamed. There's gorgeous flame lines perpendicular across the neck. Sorry for rambling..I have a question and hopefully you'll have time to find this and answer! When you watch factory tours, most manufacturers do a buffing process at the very end, but no wet sanding. They've got a couple different buffing wheels with different compounds. Question is what are the pros and cons of wet sanding versus buffing? Thank you very much, and thank you for creating editing and posting videos. I know it's time consuming but it's very helpful for us regular folks who aren't experts!

[@luckycarlbuna]

Awesome, Finally I've Got it. Thanks to your tutorial.

[@keithzibrat5721]

Excellent tutorial. Great job! And thank you

[@ianbraganza3065]

Very helpful series. Thank you!

[@bintangpentas4298]

Thank you sir, you're my best teacher

[@codyjay5634]

awesome tutorial. very useful!

[@easyfingerstyleguitar9755]

These three videos are amazing!

[@warner631]

I agree with the others, your videos are head and shoulders above the others. especially how you show so much of what you do and and show the actual problems that you have and how to deal with them. Will you do a set on using wood dye and how to get the best result from consumer level materials?

[@LoneStarGuitars]

Thank you for the kind words. A tutorial on how to finish with consumer level materials sounds like a good idea, I might pick that one up!

[@warner631]

@@LoneStarGuitars That's awesome. I really want to see if there is a way to avoid the blotchy looking dye jobs I've seen on other videos. I am confident that if it can be done, you can teach us. Also, what would you think about maybe introducing us to low priced spray equipment and techniques? Not sure where you are on the globe, but Harbor Freight has an $80 set of 2 cup guns. With your level of detail and understanding, it would be cool to see what you have to say. It would be the next step for some of us.

[@Mattwest1985]

This is the perfect video for me rn! Thanks bro. I even used the same color on my tele just now. Lol Gonna polish it as soon as I’m done

[@rockanroleros]

Great video, awesome job, it really works even If don't get those polishing creams, I used those for cars, Thank you for your video.

[@gordonsteeves9950]

Thank you this finishing series.

[@thomasgarner2921]

amazing vid series. thank you!

[@kenalverson9755]

Great series. Nice job Lone star.

[@craigyoung8692]

Amazing finish.

Thank's for this vids.

[@edcaffey4248]

Excellent video and process Thanks for sharing

[@nickf2170]

OK, now lets relic it. Only kidding, looks fantastic.

[@j.schaefer5622]

Really great tutorial and a beautiful looking finish...thank you...

[@michaelhermsmeyer2155]

Wonderful job! It’s gorgeous!

[@cmcustomcarpentry]

Great video. Your finish looks great

[@gergemall]

Excellent video

[@SD_Marc]

Great video, just what I needed.

[@briansimpson8116]

These videos are very helpful.

[@emiurra7122]

Muchas gracias por los videos saludos desde argentina

[@elvis8burgers81]

Really enjoyed this - informative and such a pro result - excellent vid

[@combatOracle1]

Excellent video. 👍👍👍👍

[@harrypalmer3481]

Brilliant, shiny brilliant! - Thank you!

[@TommySG1]

Beautiful.

[@essentialjudge2279]

You should sand with a block first and then all through the entire project. The lacquer will shrink but if it doesn't have any scratches to shrink into it won't appear fuzzy. the block will keep the surface flat for a good reflection if you sand it with your fingertips it'll get all wavy . For an example you should have picked a dark color. Black lacquer.

[@grull1066]

Well done sir

[@paraviolence]

Very helpful, thank you

[@stevep8363]

Extremely beautiful work. Very well done. If you ended up finishing this project out with the rest of the components please let us know if there's a gallery of pictures to check out. I would love to see them!