Step 5: Applying Your First Color Coat

You got paint on the body! Congrats on reaching an exciting milestone in your new creation: applying color!

    The next couple steps are where the magic happens to get the infamous striped look the EVH popularized! The process, in short, will be simple. 

     1. Apply black coat

     2. Stripe off and paint white coat

     3. Stripe off and paint red coat

     4. Lacquer up
     5. Sand to a shine

But first things first! Let's get that primer coat smooth!

     After the primer coat has had time to completely dry, you will want to get a piece of 1200 grit sand paper and LIGHTLY sand over the body to ensure that you have a smooth finish. I stress lightly because the paint will sand off easily, especially around the edges and corners. This is your last chance to make sure the body is smooth to ensure the rest of the coats go on smoothly. IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT THAT THE BODY ISN'T SMOOTH, TAKE THE TIME NOW TO EITHER SAND THE BODY FLAT OR BUILD UP A COUPLE MORE LAYERS OF PRIMER AND SAND AGAIN! Don't be afraid or too impatient! You can buildup as many layers as you like and sand down until you get that perfect flatness.

     Once you are satisfied and any buildup layers of primer you may have added have had the time to dry, take a damp cloth and wipe over the entire surface to remove any and all dust and debris, especially focusing in areas such as the pockets and cavities.

     Let the guitar dry off for a few minutes, and ADD SOME PAINT, MAN! YEEAAHH!!

     This process will be exactly the same as the process for applying the primer coat. Start off the guitar and start your spray. Move the spray in an even motion towards the other edge of the guitar and continue off the edge to ensure you don't buildup a "spot" of heavy paint. Continue back and forth, up and down, alternating directions with each layer. Revert back to Step 4: Applying a Primer Base Coat to see the painting process and tips. When you are finished with that, your guitar should look like this!

 Let this layer dry for and cure for at least 48 hours and move on to Step 6: Applying the White!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat
-Step 6: Applying The White

Step 4: Primer Base Coat

 STEP 4: FINALLY APPLYING SOME PAINT!

      At this point, your newly sanded guitar body is AS SMOOTH AS YOU CAN PHYSICALLY GET IT. Right guys??? Like I said before, the better of a job you do on this initial prep steps, the better your end product will be!

      What you will want to do now is one of the easier steps: apply the primer base coat. Not much to it but follow these tips to get the best result, especially when using spray cans. The end result of this step should look like the following:

Front View

Rear View

Notice that I do have some slight bumps and uneven body finish. I took these pictures before my finished primer coat. Because I failed to get a PERFECTLY smooth body, I had to buildup quite a bit of primer layers and sand smooth. Throughout the rest of the tutorial, you will see those dings start to fade. But this is a great example of what any dings in the body will look like once painted, which is why I STRESS, STRESS, and STRESS that you take your time in the beginning steps and foundation. 
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 1. Apply multiple, thin, light coast rather than one heavy coat. I know, I know, you put all this work into prepping your body and you just want to put some damn paint on already! But again, trust me. There is nothing worse than having to put all that work of taking paint OFF just to spray on thick and have to remove THAT layer as well. So, spray on one light coat. Your guitar will probably look half gray, half wood at this point. That's fine. Wait about 15 minutes to dry. Return and spray on another coat about the same density. Let dry. Spray on another coat. Let dry. Rinse and repeat this process until you get a good coverage over your entire body. You don't need a thick layer but be advised you will be sanding this coat lightly. So be sure to get enough primer base to ensure you won't sand to the wood.

 2. Be patient! Be patient! Be patient! Let the paint dry and put light coats on!

 3. When you spray the first coat, start with a horizontal spray from left to right, right to left, in a snake pattern down the guitar body.

 4. When spraying each row, start your spray off the edge of the guitar and move your arm (and inherently, the spray) onto the body of the guitar. This will ensure that you don't end up with a "starter" blob of paint that will drip.

 5. End each row by releasing the trigger off the other edge of the guitar. Start the next horizontal row but repeating the above. Do not continue to hold the spray trigger as you move row to row down the body of the guitar. Doing so will give the guitar uneven coverage and make it more likely to end up with paint dripping.

 6. On the second layer, repeat the above spray technique. However, instead of going in a horizontal pattern, use a vertical pattern. Some paint sprayers have a nozzle that can turn to adjust the flat side of the spray. If so, utilize this. If not, it may be easier for you to turn the guitar sideways (rotate 90 degrees).

     When you finish with applying a good, evenly covered coat, let the guitar dry and cure for AT LEAST 48 hours! Paint, especially from a can, will tend to do some shifting while drying and curing. Now normally this is not a big deal and usually isn't noticeable on other project you may use spray paint on. However, due to the multiple layers of paints and lacquers we will be using, we want to do our best to ensure that everything on the base layers is good and ready for other layer to go on top.

So with that being said, go find a bag of Doritos, a couple good movies, and WAIT for your baby to dry!
Of course you guitar players could be practicing also... But don't worry. Nobody is watching.  :)

After that, STEP 5!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat

Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings

Your next step in the process will be to fill any holes and dings you may have from the body of the guitar. I used some Bondo (the stuff used on cars) to fill any existing screw holes or dents in the guitar. Once I filled the holes and let the Bondo harden, I took some light sandpaper (maybe 400 grit or higher) and sanded the body to a smooth finish all the way around. Again, as this being the prep work, the better of a job and more time you take doing these first steps the better your finish will be in the end. TRUST ME! Take your time and do it correctly! Anyway, you want the smoothest, nicest finish you can get in this step. Sand all the dings out. Any scrapes. Any bumps. And look everywhere! Look in the cavities, on the back, on the sides, in the horn pockets.

The trick on this step is to apply the Bondo to the point where it is a little bit higher than the surface of the rest of the guitar. That way when the Bondo dries, you can sand down the high points to make the surface flat. If you apply the Bondo at surface level, you may see some low spots when the Bondo dries and will be forced to apply a second layer of Bondo, which means you will have to... do I dare say it???..   WAIT! AHHHHH!

But get that body flat, flat, flat! Once you have your "precious" flat and smooth go on to Step 4, the primer base coat!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat

Step 2: Stripping The Paint

This step is one of the harder steps in the process. However, with the right preparation this step can run a lot smoother. This step will get messy so lay down some old towels or drop cloth in order to keep the mess local.

First, start out by choosing one side of the body to work on (I started with the front). You will stay on this side until it is complete. When you have chosen which side you will be working on first, pour a liberal amount of paint stripper onto the center of the body. Take your paintbrush and spread the stripper around the body working in small areas at a time. I divided my body into quarters to give you a good idea of how big of an area to work with. Let the stripper soak into the paint for about 10 minutes. Then, take your plastic (not metal) scraper and scrape off the stripper. More likely than not, you will not be able to get all of the paint off in the first try. You will have to repeat the process a couple of times especially on some guitars which use a higher quality clear coat. Here is a (blurry,sorry) picture of what my guitar looked like before and after my 1st coat of stripper. 

Starting body

After 1st application of stripper

As you can see, I worked on small sections at a time. 

Continue this process until the paint is completely off the side you are working on. Use a screwdriver with an old t-shirt or towel wrapped around it to get into the pockets and hard to reach areas. Patience is the key in this step. Do your best to remove all of the paint. NOTE: When working close to the edge of the guitar, allow the paint stripper to run off the sides a bit. It will make it easier when you finish both faces and have to move on to the edge of the guitar. Be sure to keep your area clean throughout the process as this will make it much easier to work. When you are done with the side you are working on, clean your area and get it ready for the next side.

Next, flip the guitar over and repeat the above process to clear that side of paint. Continue this same process on all areas of the guitar until all the paint is off. Your guitar should look a little something like this:

Front face after paint is removed

Back face after paint is removed

When you have all the paint off the guitar, you are ready to move on to Step 3!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat

Step 1: Materials

 To start out you will some materials. If you are a modern weekend warrior, you should have most of the materials on hand. However, here is a complete list of everything you will need. Read through all my instructions on how to create this guitar to familiarize yourself with the process. You might find out that you can substitute some materials with others if you would like to do so. Also, there are two different methods of removing the paint. I did the chemical stripping way however you can sand down the paint if you would like to. And here's the list:

1. Krylon Primer (Interior/Exterior; #1318)
2. Krylon Spray Paint (Glossy White, Glossy Red, Glossy Black, and Crystal Clear Gloss)
3. Wet/Dry Sandpaper (3-4 sheets each of 220-, 320-, 400-, 600-, and 1200- or 1500-grit)
4. 1-2 sheets each of coarse, medium, and fine sandpaper
5. Sanding Blocks (you can make your own. Try to get one large one for large surfaces and one smaller one for the final sanding)
6. 3M Rubbing Compound (I suggest the 3M brand is it has never failed me where others have. Here's a link! 3M Rubbing Compund If link doesn't work just Google "3M Rubbing Compound")
7. Old T-Shirts (or new if you want to buy some)
8. Guitar Hanger (used to hang guitar while drying. Grab a 2x1stick and attach screw or bike hanger to other end. I will go over the process later in detail)
9. Painters/Masking Tape (get the GOOD QUALITY stuff. No $.99 stuff. This could possibly make or break you. 3M has some green tape that works well. You want some stuff that will leave a straight line when lifted.)
10. X-Acto Knife or Fine Blide (used to cut masking tape)
11. Bondo (used for filling in holes and dents/dings in the body of your guitar)
12. Spray Sanding Sealer (provides a good canvas to paint on)
13. Protective Surface for Paint Stripper (I didn't use this as I have an old table I used and I put some old towels down however Styrofoam works great)
14. Paint Stripper (I used Jasco and it was the only thing that would take off my old finish)
15. Plastic Scrapers - Try to get a 2" wide scraper, not the big ones. (NO METAL!!!! It will ding the wood! Use plastic!)
16. Fender Stratocaster! - You can always piece together parts from Ebay if you are knowledgeable with that sort of thing. Keep in mind, guitar parts will run your cost up. I bought my guitar from Ebay in all different parts and pieced it together. My total cost for my parts was about $100 ($40 for body, $30 for neck, $30 for pots, tuning pegs, switches, etc. I already had pickups I wanted. Guitarfetish.com has these pickups and they sound AMAZING!!!

Like I said above, these are just guidelines. Some of you may be more knowledgeable about materials than me so if you believe you would be able to use something that is better or feel you can substitute some of these items for other items, feel free!

So without further ado, let's get to working! Click here to go to Step 2!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat

Overview

Hey there everyone! Here's a How-To on painting the all-famous Frankenstrat Guitar by Eddie Van Halen. I am going to show you a step-by-step on how to get the classic red, white, and black striped look for about $200. All the pictures I post are my personal pictures taken from my replica that I painted. With a little effort and care you can have your own replica of Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat Guitar.

Click here for the next step!

Step Links: 
-Overview
-Step 1: Materials
-Step 2: Stripping the Paint
-Step 3: Filling Holes and Dings
-Step 4: Primer Base Coat
-Step 5: Applying First Color Coat