2013 Gibson EB bass mods

[dadagoboi]

But do you have a tip on what kind of gun to 'start out' with?  I'm not going to offer finishing in my shop, but I have a bunch of old basses and guitars messed up by kids (including myself) so I'll be doing many projects the next couple of years..

Is the DeVilbiss i mentioned good enough? Or are there other good starter guns(!) ??

Devilbiss makes good guns, I don't remember seeing your post on the model but it should be fine.  I had a half dozen $200-$400 USA guns when I had my furniture business in the 80s, Devilbiss and Binks.  These days I use Chinese copies of Binks 2001 guns.  They cost around $25 at Harbor Freight in the USA.  Suction feed, old school, what I learned on.  I'm sure there are decent quality gravity feed  guns out there at a reasonable price.  Most important is keeping them clean and properly adjusted.

I taught myself to spray paint using a Binks autobody repair manual.  A compressor that has adequate CFM is important but truth is you can spray lacquer at 25 psi, get good coverage and not blow paint all over your shop.  So you can work with a small compressor in bursts with your eye on the regulator.  When you get it right, it's really satisfying!

[uwe]

And I wondered whether you guys might be talking about the actual thing ("guns") ...  Relieved. 

[amptech]

Thanks for the tips, looking forward to spray some...

Uwe: I'm a pacifist. I shoot from the hip!  (AC/DC again)

[Highlander]

Don't panic, Uwe, he's talking blow jobs...

[Lightyear]

Devilbiss makes good guns, I don't remember seeing your post on the model but it should be fine.  I had a half dozen $200-$400 USA guns when I had my furniture business in the 80s, Devilbiss and Binks.  These days I use Chinese copies of Binks 2001 guns.  They cost around $25 at Harbor Freight in the USA.  Suction feed, old school, what I learned on.  I'm sure there are decent quality gravity feed  guns out there at a reasonable price.  Most important is keeping them clean and properly adjusted.

I taught myself to spray paint using a Binks autobody repair manual.  A compressor that has adequate CFM is important but truth is you can spray lacquer at 25 psi, get good coverage and not blow paint all over your shop.  So you can work with a small compressor in bursts with your eye on the regulator.  When you get it right, it's really satisfying!

What about the HF HVLP guns?  I thought you were using these and not the gravity guns?  I've been looking for an excuse to buy one but haven't had the project to use it on.  I've heard some decent stuff about them in the past.

[Pilgrim]

the only project I shot, I used an auto detail gun from Harbor Freight.  I learned not to set the nozzle too open because the result was a somewhat bumpy lacquer coat which required more sanding.

[uwe]

Don't panic, Uwe, he's talking blow jobs...

As usual, I had fears of not just decorum going down. Thanks for the relief, Kenny.

[Highlander]

As usual, I had fears of not just decorum going down. Thanks for the relief, Kenny.

Ah... two puns hidden in there...?

Sorry Sir, not those kind of extras at this establishment...

[Andrew]

Swapped the Gotoh's for Hipshots. I think they look much better.

Managed that nice circular scratch around the E tuner not paying attention. String end popped out when I was restringing it.

[Barklessdog]

Devilbiss makes good guns, I don't remember seeing your post on the model but it should be fine.  I had a half dozen $200-$400 USA guns when I had my furniture business in the 80s, Devilbiss and Binks.  These days I use Chinese copies of Binks 2001 guns.  They cost around $25 at Harbor Freight in the USA.  Suction feed, old school, what I learned on.  I'm sure there are decent quality gravity feed  guns out there at a reasonable price.  Most important is keeping them clean and properly adjusted.

I taught myself to spray paint using a Binks autobody repair manual.  A compressor that has adequate CFM is important but truth is you can spray lacquer at 25 psi, get good coverage and not blow paint all over your shop.  So you can work with a small compressor in bursts with your eye on the regulator.  When you get it right, it's really satisfying!

So do you have a spray booth?

That was the on thing I found being a problem finishing basses is a dust free, moisture free place.

[dadagoboi]

Much better!  I can't see the scratch from here.

What about the HF HVLP guns?  I thought you were using these and not the gravity guns?  I've been looking for an excuse to buy one but haven't had the project to use it on.  I've heard some decent stuff about them in the past.

I bought one of their cheaper HVLP, didn't work well for me.  Need a stand for the guns  and too much cleaning and wasted material for small jobs.  Their more expensive HVLP stuff looks good.

Plus I'm used to siphon feed.  I use 16 oz mason jars to hold paint, it's easy to see if there's enough paint left for another coat.  Also eliminates a lot of cleaning and wasted material.  Just unscrew the jar from the gun, put a lid on it, done with that.  Wipe off the siphon tube and run a couple of ounces of lacquer thinner through the gun. 

I've found that if I hang a gun and don't pull the trigger when it's disconnected from the air supply paint stays in the tube all the way to the nozzle.  It doesn't dry out and you can come back a week later and shoot again.  Pull the trigger which lets the paint flow back into the jar.  Unscrew the jar, stir paint. Screw the jar back on.  Make sure the nozzle doesn't have any paint on it (lac thinner and a brush will take care of that) and fire away.

So do you have a spray booth?

That was the on thing I found being a problem finishing basses is a dust free, moisture free place.

Difficult to get away from moisture  around here.  I do have a temp/humidity thermometer.  I try not to shoot unless the humidity is below 65% and I  use No Blush and Flow Out additives when necessary.  Afternoon is usually when the humidity is the lowest.  It does keep the dust down but it's not really a problem with lacquer.  After at the most 5 minutes it's dry to the touch.

This is my "booth".  Lately I haven't bothered setting it up.  Overspray is another thing that's not usually a problem with lacquer if you're careful and get air pressure/paint viscosity/ gun settings right.  What doesn't hit the bass is dry before it lands on anything that matters.


Sorry for hijacking your thread, Andrew.