Here’s how I spray sunbursts without a spray gun
If you've got some finishing experience under your belt, this will be a piece of cake. But if this is your first time finishing, start by practicing on scrap wood like I did. You’ll get the hang of it quick. (Here’s my pile of scrap covered with test-bursts.)
Start with a guitar body that’s been prepped for finishing: grain-filled if necessary, sanded to 320 grit and sprayed with 2-3 coats of clear sanding sealer.
Sunburst Step 1: Black on the outside edge
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I wanted to blacken the sides without getting overspray on the front or back, so I used a brown paper mask. A few very small pieces of double-stick tape held the kraft paper in place, with the edges loose so they didn’t interfere with a nice feathering to the edge of the black spray.
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With the guitar face-up on your workbench or in a homemade stand, begin spraying the outside edge. Point the nozzle at a 45 degree angle down at the top, coming in from the edges with the nozzle of your spray can set for a horizontal pattern. Make light passes all around the top edge, then flip the body over and do the same on the back. You want a nice black band around the outside edge. Avoid spraying directly into the gap between the mask and the body, which would put black where you don’t want it.
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Once the black dries, remove the mask and clean up any unwanted overspray with 320 grit paper. Be sure to clean up any sanding dust before proceeding.
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Sunburst Step 2: Vintage amber on the front and back
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Now we apply the vintage amber coats, followed by a couple of clear coats. Let the guitar dry.
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Sunburst Step 3: Tobacco brown blends the black and amber
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With the guitar still face-up, it's time to add tobacco brown to the outer edge. Spray from the inside out, with the can at a 45 degree angle. Keep half or more of the spray pattern off the body, gradually bringing the spray inward until you’ve got the blend you’re after. Use multiple passes to get a dark outer edge fading into a nice reddish transition from the brown overspray on the amber. To prevent runs, spray only a couple of coats and let it dry for a few minutes before continuing.
Keep in mind that the further you hold the can from the body, the wider the spray is going to be.
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This step is a good time to run some tests on scrap wood.
The secret is patience: don’t lay down too much color too fast! That would cause runs and a badly shaped spray line. |
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Clean up the overspray
After the color is dry, look for unwanted overspray in the amber area. Since you sealed in the amber with a couple of coats of clear, you can very lightly sand away any brown speckles using 400 grit sandpaper without sanding through to the color. Again, clean away the sanding dust.
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Tips for using aerosols:
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Use warm cans, not cold.
Cold aerosols will spit and spatter, so heat your cans to 75 or 80 degrees F. by setting them in a pan of warm tap water. This does the trick.
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Use multiple cans!
Keep one can warming while the other’s spraying. When one can becomes cold to the touch, swap it for the cozy warm one. And if a nozzle becomes obstructed by built-up lacquer, pop it off and drop it in lacquer thinner while the other nozzle takes a turn.
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Keep out of the spray!
Make sure your fingertip is on the back of the button, where it won’t get into the finish. Otherwise you'll have a mess on your hands.
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With the body ’bursted and cleaned up, apply 4-10 clear coats. Then buff it to finish off the job!
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