Finished my latest project

mrblanche

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Finished my latest project, a double-neck guitar/mandolin. It's finished enough for photos, but not really for playing. I had to construct a new tailpiece for the mandolin strings, and it looks like I may have to build a new bridge; the one on it sags in the middle!



This is my first one with a true lacquer finish. I think I'll stick to polyurethane!
 

pushylady

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Looks great, well done!

What's wrong with lacquer compared to polyurethane?
 
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mrblanche

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Thanks.

Lacquer is a very old-fashioned paint, supposedly better for tone. And it's very forgiving; you can actually get a good finish with a brush (ever seen a Chinese lacquered box?) or even a very poor sprayer. You have to put on lots of coats, wait a long time for it to cure completely, and then sand it a lot with wet sandpaper in increasingly fine grits.

But lacquer is worse for the environment, especially because it has a lot of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that go into the atmosphere as it dries.
 

pushylady

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

Thanks.

Lacquer is a very old-fashioned paint, supposedly better for tone. And it's very forgiving; you can actually get a good finish with a brush (ever seen a Chinese lacquered box?) or even a very poor sprayer. You have to put on lots of coats, wait a long time for it to cure completely, and then sand it a lot with wet sandpaper in increasingly fine grits.

But lacquer is worse for the environment, especially because it has a lot of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that go into the atmosphere as it dries.
Hmm, I didn't realise it was so bad. I guess these days they are making paints and varnishes in a more environmental responsible way, which is good. I remember we used a water-based urethane when we did our floors.
 

bedweary

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That is a very nice looking instrument!

Do you make them as a hobby or custom build for other people?

Do you have photos of your other projects? I'd be interested to see them, if available.

Once again, very nice work!
 
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