Hello,
I have a Sonic blue strat which is signed in black permanent ink. I would like to put a clear finish on it to protect the signatures. Does anyone have a suggestion for a product to use.
thank you

A rattlecan is likely to produce orange-peel no matter how skillfully applied. And what comes out of it will probably discolor with age. You'd be wise to disassemble the guitar and take the body to an auto-painting shop then instruct them to shoot it with a light urethane clearcoat, preferably catalyzed.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

This is good advice.

The problem is that to get a new clear coat to adhere well you'd normally want to lightly sand all over to around P300, to provide a "tooth" for the new lacquer. But in this situation it is going to be hard to do that everywhere because it would take off the very ink signature you want to preserve.

So the job needs to be in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing and can be sure to get it right without slip-ups. I'd also second the suggestion of urethane, unless the Strat is an RI or similar with a nitro finish. In that case clear nitro would be better.

Good luck, woodworq.

Cheers - C

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How about getting some clear plastic sheeting that they use to protect auto and motorcycle paint. You could cut it just enough to cover the autograph, and you can later remove it if you wanted to. I did this with a signed motorcycle helmet. You can buy a sheet on eBay, or a local shop that puts clear bras on cars might give you a scrap.

Far out! I've never driven a car that needed a bra, but if I did then clear sounds like a good choice.

Cheers - C

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The clear film option sounds good to me.
I have sprayed clear coat (poly) on many autographed prints. Most permanent markers are fine.
Some are not. They run and bleed like crazy, turn blue and/or purple and make a real mess.
The trouble is, you never know what kind of pen your hero has used.

....Mark.

It's only necessary if the car's bumpers are saggy.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Or if it has prominent hooters.



Cheers - C

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BRILLIANT!!

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

That's what I call a real "honker"!



Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

OK guys, knock it off!

Hee-hee - wondered where you'd got to!

Cheers - C

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I've done finish jobs on quite a few guitars, I've only been doing it for a littleb over a year, so I'm by no means an expert. But I amv at the point where I can do a job with nitro finish, which is the most difficult finish to use and still get a good smooth, glossy finish. Polys and urethanes are much easier. So while I'm no expert, I am getting there.
That being said what you want to do its going to be very difficult. And most of the reasons why have already been pointed out; to use a urethane, you'd need to prep the finish by sanding some off, or the clear coat will eventuallyb flake off, and sanding the base has obvious problems, like removing the signature you're trying to protect.
The clear plastic coating mentioned that's designed to protect a cars finish (as well as phone,digital camera, and computer screans pose more issues. First being; polyester. Finishes are the least desireable finish for guitars. Though they are VERY easy to apply, they leave a thick, dense covering over the wood, and blankets the wood in a layer of plastic. Putting these sheets on the body would balnket the sound even more. The real issue with this though comes from how its applied. I was in the car business for over a decade, thank god those days are over. But it goes on like aftermarket tint. You spray thesurface with soapy water. This allows you to shift the plastic coating around into place, and squiggie the excess bubbles out. I'm sure I don't have to explain why soaply water andink doesn't mix.
You're kind of screwed. The only thinngs I can think of, but this doesn't mean of course they're the only ways, is to either get one of those clear plastic pickguards that people use on acoustics that don't come with pickguards. These stay on with static electricity, so there's no adhesive that will pull the ink off. Or get a custom clear oickguard. I know I've seen the plastic decals for guitar bodies in the ad section of magazines, and while they all have some design, I'm sure they have clear ones.

What about using a small sheet of clear "water float" decal to protect the signature, and then clearcoat the body? It's done on the headstock, so it should work for the body as well.

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http://www.somethingwithdigby.com
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
Aldous Huxley

That's a great idea Digby. That solution gets my vote. Just cut the decal material shape around the signature and coat in clear. COOL.

The only down side I can think of is that it would make the signature look like a decal.