I have been following the different refinishing threads in hopes of finding an answer to my quesiton with no luck. So I thought I'd ask on a seperate thread. That way I don't derail someone elses thread.

What I am looking to do is to paint one of my Strats in flat/matte black. I can't seem to find any info on keeping the flat color. I would like to be able to add a protective layer of poly or nitro or what ever I can use. But wouldn't the clear coats on top turn the flat color to a golssy color?

I have seen a number of companies recently offering flat black finished guitars such as Ibenez and the company that makes the fake Les Pauls. So I know i can be done.

How do I paint my Strat flat black and still protect it?

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

get a profesional to do it.

Talk to the people at your paint supply store. They should have a flattening agent to do what you want and be able to instruct you on its use.

OK, were you planning on doing this yourself, or having it done for you? If you are planning on doing it yourslef are you willing to accept that you may destroy all resale value of your guitar? If you are NOT planning on investing in a lot of expensive paint equipment and want a "flat black" guitar, want to do it yourself and are willing to "sacrifice" the value of your axe consider this ... strip all of the hardware off of the body. OK, get some flat black exhaust paint from your local auto store. You might want to consider a coat or two of primer first. After the flat black, follow it up with Deft (or possibly MinWax or other) flat clear lacquer Make sure it's lacquer and not polyurethane!. Use a whole can of it in as many coats as the can holds being sure to keep the coats thin. Reassemble your guitar. Voila! A flat guitar that cost you probably less than $20 and how much ever time it took you to do it. Your guitar is probably poly finished (if not, I would be even more reluctant to do this!) so ... if you don't like it, buy some lacquer thinner, strip your flat black off and you've got your original guitar's color back. Will the flat paint wear off over time? Probably will ... it's an option. As long as you are willing to accept your responsibility for damaging your guitar ... enjoy making it your own. That's my philosophy.

no thanks

it's a project guitar. The whole reason behind the project is to do it myself

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Thanks you for the info!

It is a project guitar bought specifically for this purpose. I'm Not going to sell it.

Anybody have any idea how Ibenez is doing the flat black on their new guitars? It has got to be something that will last I would think. I'm curious to find out what they are finishing them with.

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Whatever Ibanez is using, you aren't going to be able to do it yourself without professional spray equipment and expense. Automotive quality paints can be bought that are flat ... check out Kustom Shop Hot Rod Flatz ... but those are like $80.00 a quart and require professional equipment. The method I told you should last quite some time ... a few years with normal use at least. If you want it to be more lasting, and aren't worried about possibly taking it off the guitar one day, replace the exhaust paint with a black poly and the clear lacquer with clear polyurethane in a flat. You can find it at Home Depot and the like, Minwax makes an excellent one. Spraying a full can on a single guitar body in successive thin coats will produce a finish close to as durable as a factory poly finish as you will be able to do yourself. You have to be much, much more diligent with poly though, and time the coats. Any sags or runs will have to be sanded out only after the finish has fully cured. You want the last coat to gel but not harden before you spray the next one. The cans give a good indication of the time, normally between 45 minutes and an hour and a half between coats, so you need to dedicate several hours to it. Runs and sags are much harder to fix than with a lacquer, which is why I would recommend that for a novice finishing project. To get the surface smooth once the poly has fully cured, normally at least 72 hours after the last coat, wet sand with 800 grit, 1000, then 1200 grit. No need to go to the polishing step on a flat. It should last a lifetime. If this is your first project, don't expect professional results. It takes practice.

Thank you for the info.

I don't plan on ever getting rid of this guitar. I bought this one specifically for this. That's why I bought a MIM and not a MIA. I really like the flat black look and Fender doesn't offer a Strat in Flat black other then the Highway one series. Which would be ok. But I can not stand the huge headstock. And I don't want to pay Custom shop prices just for the color I want when I can do it myself. Plus I like the idea of playing a guitar that I made. (painted at least) I like the idea of doing it myself. More pride in ownership type of thing.

I have another guitar to use as a project that I will do a regular paint design on. Plus I have a third Guitar for a project. It's a Les Paul copy that has been sitting in my closet for 20 plus years. I plan on using that one as a test bed to try things out before I try it on my Strat. I don't care if I screw up the LP.

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

You don't need a flat color coat but you want to use a matte finish clear coat. you can use 3x to 4X steel wool on the color coat to take the gloss off. many flat color coats don't have the same amount of pigment in them so the finish is less durable. If the clear is a little too shiny for you the steel wool will help with that. you still want multiple coats of clear. Take a piece of scrap wood and play with it first, just remember to sand it well and seal it just like it's the real thing before you start painting. Plus the pratice will help you with the finished project

Well Scot I like your eagerness to get out there and give it a shot as Kemmerycustomshop sure sounds like he knows his $@!& and says it is not going to be easy. Well you can only get good at something by digging in and getting your hands dirty. Good luck and keep us posted. You could also drop in on the Ibanez forum and ask around to see what they know.

I didn't realize there was a matte clear coat. That makes more sense now. I will be trying everything out on scrap stock before I try it on a guitar. Then once I feel I can do it successfully I will attempt it on the Les Paul. Then again on the Strat once I feel I can accomplish it with confidence.

Thank you for the info.

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

I never thought about checking out other forums for info. It just feels wrong. Like I'm cheating on Fender or something

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Thank you Kenny for the help!
I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

By professional spray equipment are you reffering to the spray set ups that StewMac offers? Or something more involved?

The reason I ask is because I was planning on getting all set up with the StewMac sprayer and other misc. tools for the job. I plan on learning how to paint guitars so I can paint more in the future. I'm not looking to paint just this guitar only. I'm looking to get set up and be able to paint a number of guitars in the future.

Would the StewMac set up be good enough for what I'm looking to do? Or should I be looking at something else instead?

As far as cost of paint, I'm not worried about the cost as long as I can get the results I want.

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

does anyone know of anywhere where you actually can get a professional to re-finish a guitar??? I've been trying to do that but no one seems to know of anyone who will do it.

Check your local custom car shops. Hot Rod type shops. I contacted one here in my area because I loved the work they do. They had actually done other guitars so he has an idea of what is involved. This shop does custom work on pretty much anything. They also do amazing air brush work. They are not cheap, but they will do it.

You can also try custom guitar makers in your area. That would be your best bet. Again, it wont be cheap. But it would be a decent paint job.

_________________
2009 Fender Strat MIM
2002 Squire 20th Aniv. Strat
30 year old Les Paul copy which is currently in the process of being rebuilt.