so i have a maple /ebony neck and i had painted it almost a year ago with krylon clear coat. i opened the box to check it out and guess what cracks so i sanded them down re paintes it now i have line checking. sanded it down again and the same thing so what do i do. im thinking of striping the neck and starting all over again with a diffrent paint. also if you looked closely you could see this weird pattern dont know how to explain it but its making me angry.

Can you post pics?

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1986 Fender Sidekick Reverb 35
1990 Fender Red Knob - "The Twin"
1992 Fender Newporter - Acoustic
2000 Fender American Series Strat - Natural ash
2010 Fender Mustang 1
2011 Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster -Sunburst
2012 Fender Champion

Hi masterofinsanity: many questions that need answering. Are you spraying on top of a previous lacquer, or bare wood? How did you prep the surface? What was the ambient temperature when you were spraying? Did you spray from too close or too far? (Too far and the droplets of lacquer will be starting to dry before they hit the surface and so will not bond properly. Too close and the coat can be too thick, leading to checking problems later.) How many layers did you spray? How long did you leave it to cure before buffing the finish? What was your buffing process?

Without knowing these and other things it is hard to diagnose where your problem may lie. However, there are some things we can say in principle.

First, if your Krylon product is the one I think it is, then it is not ideal for this purpose. Was it this one?

http://www.krylon.com/products/acrylic_crystal_clear/

If so, that is acrylic based, and while that should function if used correctly nevertheless polyurethane would be better - it is what Fender and most other makers use on most of their necks. This is a good one to look out for in a big hardware store or online:

http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/Product/pc ... ode---3621

I've used that on numerous necks and it has never let me down.

It sounds from what you describe as if the lacquer you have sprayed has not bonded properly with the substrate. This will be because you didn' prep it correctly. Whether spraying on bare wood or a previous lacquer coat you need to sand it carefully all over with something around grade P300 paper. If bare wood you then need to damp it slightly (not soak it) with a wetted, wrung out cloth. This will raise the grain fibres slightly and you then sand all over gently again to slice those fibres off, making the surface smoother.

Next, you need to degrease the surface using first naphtha and then denatured mineral spirits. From this point on you must only handle the neck wearing rubber gloves: natural oils from your fingers will corrupt the surface and cause your varnish not to bond properly.

When you spray do so carefully following instructions on the can regarding distance, speed and times between coats. As a general guide, you need to spray from around 12 inches keeping the nozzle constantly moving, each pass overlapping the last by about half. You need to move the can at a speed such that all the droplets join together on the surface to form a continuous layer, but not so slow that the lacquer starts to puddle and run. On bare wood you will need six or eight or more coats, doing about three coats per day. If you get runs you need to let them dry thoroughly for a day or two and then gently sand them out. You also need to de-nib between spraying sessions and lightly sand out any dust or particles that have stuck to previous coats.

Once you've finished spraying leave the neck to cure for at least a week for urethane and preferably longer. Like the spraying, this needs to be at a temperature of around 20C/68F, give or take. Too hot/humid or too cold can both lead to checking issues in the finished lacquer.

Then wet sand all over with P1000 wet-and-dry paper soaked for an hour or more till you have an even, matte surface. Then wipe it down to remove sanding dust and do the whole thing again with P1500 wet-and-dry. And then again with P2000. Then polish to a low or high gloss using automotive buffing cream or household metal polish. The degree of shine is up to your personal preference.

There's more to be said than that, but that's the bare bones of the thing.

Any help?

Good luck - C

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Ceri awesome advice... Now that you've solved his problem would you mind solving America's debt crises?...

Hahaha - thank you!

Odd thing: I seem to have far more faith in your country than so many Americans right here on this Forum. Your politicians are acting up a bit at present, but I have a strong idea you're all going to come through just fine, and on to bigger and better things.

Cheers - C

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Oh I am not worried about the debt crisis as much as I was merely attempting to add to your resume here on the forum. It would certainly look good on your list of accomplishments. I could solve the crises easily. Don't spend what you don't got...

thanks for the help ive painted before im not trying to act like a smart $@! but i know many of the things you posted.except for painting close that may be it im just gonna start over from bare wood thanks for the help. haha and again sory if i came out to you as a smart $@!.

Hi again masterofinstanity: nobody thinks anyone is being a smartarse, rest assured.

However, we don't know your skill level, so I gave you as much as I could in case the solution was in there. And I suspect it is, since something went wrong with your neck lacquer within a year last time round.

Take your time, take care, and it'll come right for you.

Good luck - C

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