Fabric Stencil Guitar

I patched up the neck and body that were mangled in my last project, (The Skateboard Guitar) and experimented with spray paint and the idea of using fabric as a stencil.

I used Dupli-Color Truck/Van/SUV paint, which I believe is a lacquer. I'm not sure if the chrome is a lacquer, but it seemed to be compatible with the black and clear on a test piece of wood.

Using this type of paint is good because it dries quickly, so you can add new coats within a half hour or so, but it takes months to really cure and harden, which means after doing the clear coats, it has to hang somewhere for a month or two before you can wet sand it to a shiny mirror like finish.

I'm at the waiting stage right now, I will let you know how it turns out.

The chrome isn't supposed to be clear coated, so it turned out kinda gray. I almost wish I had used red or purple or something, but that will have to wait for the next project.

Step 1: Prep the Body

Here is the body from the skateboard guitar. I have filled in the big hole in the front of the body with 2 blocks of wood and wood putty. The wood putty didn't work out so well, and I ended up using Bondo auto body filler to get it right.

At this stage I wasn't sure what this was going to turn into, but I went ahead and sanded the blue paint off, down to the factory paint or sealant.

After painting it with primer, all the remaining flaws really stood out, and I added more bondo, sanded, added more bondo, sanded, primered, more bondo, more sanding. This was the most time consuming part of the whole project.

If I had started with a used Fender or Squier body, I could have just roughed up the finish with 400 grit and sprayed primer and been ready to go.

Comments

[una_amor]

Awesome work! The fabric looks like a burnt out velvet. Pretty creative way to use that type of fabric. Gives it a real Steve Vai look, or a design you would see on one of his guitars. Love it!

[ubercop]

love it! really love it!!!

[scoochmaroo]

This is beautiful. The applications for this technique are endless!

[bigpeace]

i've been using bondo on one of my project guitars here recently. if you get the stuff in the can, you can add a little less hardner and makes it last a little longer while spreading it. bondo can be VERY aggravating until you get used to it lol. i'm using what you've got in the tube to fill in low spots and chips. cool instructable though, i'll keep this one in mind.

[hardcase]

That fabric stencil idea is brilliant. Nice work. Have to try that! Not on my Les Paul though.

[lufegasa]

it looks sooo cool but i dont understand how u use fabric as a stencil, i would love to do it though, so can u explain a little bit more??

[ntagn33]

Some fabrics, like lace-y stuff, let the paint through in some parts and don't let it through in other parts. The fabric I used is called burnout, and is thick enough to block the paint in some parts, but thin like a screen in others, letting the paint through. It's almost like a silk screen. You put the fabric over it, spray through it, remove the fabric, and you're done.

[lufegasa]

ohhhh ok!! i thought it might be something like that but i wasn't sure....
thank u!!! i'll have to give it a try

[JAZ97]

you think i can do this on a guitar i built it isnt hooked up yet or any thing but i might use red and black instead

[ntagn33]

Go for it. The hardest part is finding the right fabric to use.

[JAZ97]

true that
but i have a plate like on the guitars i build so easy wiring and you can change the cover of it

[ntagn33]

Can I see a picture of one of the guitars you built?

[JAZ97]

i wish my cameras broken and i sold alot of them ill try and get something up k

[JAZ97]

i also dont make meny of them because they are hard to make and you can get cuts like when cutting cheese

[JAZ97]

and then you would basicly put a wood peaice over it and screw it into the guitar for you can have a cool design and let it be inetrchangble

[Sleka]

Damn, that looks mighty fine, I'm about to paint my guitar and this technique is pretty awesome, so maybe i'll use it!

[adhdkid]

sweetness... where did you find this beat up guitar?

[ntagn33]

A guy I knew wanted to mod a Jagmaster to make it like a Jaguar. But after he screwed up the paint and the routing, he gave up on it and I convinced him to give it to me. That's not the first time I took over someone elses abandoned project. You can see what we did to it on my other instructable, 'the skateboard guitar'.

[ERCBIENG]

I LOVE IT...it looks awesome

[Lotus14]

Very cool. When i was a kid (when dinosuars ruled the world), this was a technique used on some hot rod paint jobs, it was called "lace" or "lacing." You could also do a "candy" technique by spraying a transparent color lacquer over the lace job. Where did you get the filters for your mask? I have the same mask but can't find filters anymore.

[ntagn33]

Thanks. I got the idea after seeing someone use the technique on canvas for an art project. I haven't had to replace the filters for my mask yet, but since you mentioned it, I took a look, and the only place I can find them is eBay. Try searching for 3M cartridge 7251. Looks like 3M switched to making the more rectangular style cartridge.

[scott8692]

i might do this to my strat been thinking of repainting it but havent really chose how to paint it ....now i know

[guitarman63mm]

I will attest that the chrome-ish crap they sell at Advanced Auto Parts is NOT a lacquer-based finish. Several months back, I made a tailpiece for one of my guitars, and sprayed on many thin coats of that junk, only to try and topcoat it with lacquer, to which it had a terrible reaction. I ended up just scraping it all off and leaving the metal bare, with a single coat of clear. I don't know if my problem with that combination was totally my fault, or a reaction between solvents, but I'd steer clear of it. It'd be a crying shame for you to go to all this work and then have my problem... Good luck.

[ntagn33]

Thanks. The first type of chrome I tried did have a bad reaction with the black lacquer. The kind I ended up using was the same brand (dupli-color) as the black and the clear. To be safe, I tested them on a piece of scrap wood and let that sit for a couple weeks while I prepped the body. It seems fine so far.

[Sparrow40k]

Cool!, Does it still look perfect if your put a finish over it?

[ntagn33]

A clear finish? I put a bunch of clear coats on it, and it looks good so far. I'm just waiting a couple months for it to cure really well before I wet sand and polish it. Then it should be as shiny as a factory paint job.

[zjgz]

That is a very nice effect. I'm tempted to try that on one of my old strat knockoffs.

[memphissound]

Very cool effect!

[Ben Harden]

It looks amazing! Keep up the awesome work

[inkstainedheart]

This is going to be a GORGEOUS guitar! I've seen the lacing technique done on furniture and other things before, but I had never thought to use it on an instrument. Nice work!

[jcsugrue]

Wow, that really looks pretty awesome. I'm definitely going to give this a try!

[LuminousObject]

Sweet.

[baken411]

looks amazing can't wait to see the whole thing together

[darkstar1]

Wow nice one

[Arkarinum]

Awesome!