Peelings. Wo-oh-oh-ooo peelings... (BaCH NR and a stripper)

[OldManC]

That looks GREAT!

[chromium]

Thanks!

The bodywork took me longer than expected, but if I can pull the clear off without any major mishaps I think it'll come out pretty good - good enough for government work, as they say  

[Nocturnal]

Looking good Joe!! Can't wait to see it finished.

[Daniel_J]

Awesome! I really like that color! Good luck on the clear coats! The only real useful tip I could give you is "Be patient, be very patient".

[Highlander]

Oooooo... Blue... 

[exiledarchangel]

That blue is nice! 

[ramone57]

lookin' good, Joe.  and as they remind me at the office, good enough for govt means pretty damn good, mister!   

[Lightyear]

That looks great! 

The only problem with the clear coat is that when the last coat is laid down you have to wait around for an entire month to buff it out

[drbassman]

Yeah baby!

[gearHed289]

DROOL!

[chromium]

Thanks everyone!

I do have a few questions:

1) I was going to try to follow the rule of threes that they talk about on the Reranch site- 3 passes in each coat, 3 hour dry time, and no more than 3 coats per day.  Do you all find that works the best in your experiences?  I'll be hanging the guitar for the clear coats... I just sprayed the metallic flat and slightly dry based on RR's suggestions.

2) Before I spray those first couple light coats of clear, is it advisable to wipe the metallic color coat down with naptha?  or should I just stick with the tack cloth only?  My only concern is the couple of places I've touched it to flip it over.

3) I was reading on Reranch that you can start finish sanding within three days after the last clear coat; however, I see a lot of folks recommending waiting 30+ days.  Is there some advantage to sanding early, before the finish reaches its effective hardness?  or is that only if you don't have the luxury of time?

Thanks again for all the advice along the way.  I would not have gotten anywhere near this decent of a result to this point without all of your inputs!  

[Lightyear]

I wouldn't rush it - better to wait and be safe as there are probably five times more horror stories about rushing cure time as opposed to waiting

As a rule I stick with rule of 3 for the most part. One thing that I do is shoot extra coats on the edges as these are real bitch to sand without sand throughs

As for the color coat flaws I would post some closeups at RR - you'll have an answer by days end.

[chromium]

Thanks

As for the color coat flaws I would post some closeups at RR - you'll have an answer by days end.

Actually, it not flaws I was worried about, but rather just the couple parts of the painted surface that I touched after it was dry to reposition it.  Probably nothing to worry about, just didn't know if I should give it a naptha wipedown before spraying the clears.  I'll probably just stick with the tack cloth...

[Pilgrim]

As a rule I stick with rule of 3 for the most part. One thing that I do is shoot extra coats on the edges as these are real bitch to sand without sand throughs

A-Freakin'-MEN!  Mo is mo'bettah on those edges.

[Daniel_J]

As a rule I stick with rule of 3 for the most part. One thing that I do is shoot extra coats on the edges as these are real bitch to sand without sand throughs

I second that, even though that body has quite rounded edges, be careful when sanding.