car spray paints - can one get away with them for an ultra cheap job?

What's Hot
....... for spraying a dented old guitar body?

My 18 year old daughter wants an electric guitar so I said I'd knock something up from old spares. I have some tele bits to hand. She really wants an orange guitar, but I'm loathe to fork out mega bucks for my usual nitro cans, money being tight. I'm just wondering if I can get away with a cheap & cheerful finish with some car sprays from Halfords?


1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom

Comments

  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    Yes and No!
    I consider all Halfords rattle cans to be utter shite, (except their Satin Black)......however if you vist you local supplier of paint for car body shops, they will usually mix aerosol paint in virtually any colour, in Cellulose, far superior coverage and quality....you can get a really good finish for not a lot of money...
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • randellarandella Frets: 4086
    paulnb57 said:
    Yes and No!
    I consider all Halfords rattle cans to be utter shite, (except their Satin Black)......however if you vist you local supplier of paint for car body shops, they will usually mix aerosol paint in virtually any colour, in Cellulose, far superior coverage and quality....you can get a really good finish for not a lot of money...
    Same here.  I've found the Halfords tins to be mostly thinner and really quite stingy with the pigment.

    I bought some paint online once to respray the mirror plastic on my old car from a car body supplier and it was night and day different, so much more colour in the paint.  And I got some clearcoat bunged in as well for roughly the same price. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    I never use clearcoat....
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • randellarandella Frets: 4086
    paulnb57 said:
    I never use clearcoat....
    Nor do I on a flat colour, but it's come in useful for a bunch of other little projects around the house and it was basically free :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • CorvusCorvus Frets: 2924
    tFB Trader

    Some 1k is 'topcoat' i.e has its own gloss, some dries satinish and meant for clearing after. O'course you don't have to, but for gloss that's the idea. Pearls/metallic all need clearing to cover the particles over.

    The std tins are only 300ml which is titchy but OK for small car touch-ups; any such paint is going to be ~50% thinners so in a 300 tin that's a small amount of solids. The round dot nozzle doesn't help if you're trying to cover a flat area either. It's not that the paint is terrible as much as they're not set up really for anything but touch-ups.

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • CorvusCorvus Frets: 2924
    tFB Trader
    But re OP, short answer is 'probably' but if it's a dark colour  yr better with a white primer or base, or you'll need tons of orange to cover.
    Many moons ago since I used their cans but they were Ok within the limits of what they're meant for, and their paint supplier might be totally different now.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • gary_macgary_mac Frets: 66
    I certainly wont be using Halfords sprays again, made that mistake with their lacquer.  :/
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheOtherDennisTheOtherDennis Frets: 2010
    edited August 2019
    I used Halfords car spray on my first couple of kit builds, and the results were dreadful. They took literally weeks to harden sufficiently to sand, and were like sludge when on the bodies initially, even when dry. The lacquer was equally shocking. Never again.
    If you must have sex with a frog, wear a condom. If you want the frog to have fun, rib it.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • breakstuffbreakstuff Frets: 10227

    I sprayed my recent partscaster build with Wilkos own brand spray paint. 

    Few light coats of primer, a whole can of colour in several very light coats and a few coats of clearcoat. I warmed it slightly first and it goes on really quite well. Flatted and polished and I'm really happy with the results, especially as it was my first time spraying a body from scratch. 

    https://imgur.com/a/Y9qWOgQ



    Laugh, love, live, learn. 
    0reaction image LOL 3reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775

    I sprayed my recent partscaster build with Wilkos own brand spray paint. 

    Few light coats of primer, a whole can of colour in several very light coats and a few coats of clearcoat. I warmed it slightly first and it goes on really quite well. Flatted and polished and I'm really happy with the results, especially as it was my first time spraying a body from scratch. 

    https://imgur.com/a/Y9qWOgQ



    That looks very good indeed!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • breakstuffbreakstuff Frets: 10227
    John_A said:

    I sprayed my recent partscaster build with Wilkos own brand spray paint. 

    Few light coats of primer, a whole can of colour in several very light coats and a few coats of clearcoat. I warmed it slightly first and it goes on really quite well. Flatted and polished and I'm really happy with the results, especially as it was my first time spraying a body from scratch. 

    https://imgur.com/a/Y9qWOgQ



    That looks very good indeed!
    Thank you. 

    Laugh, love, live, learn. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22515

    It was a long time ago, but I've done 4 or 5 spraycan finishes on guitar bodies (and necks). 

    Holts Dupli-Colour, if I remember right.  They made a grey filler/primer which was good for getting a nice flat surface before spraying colour coats.  Turned out fine, and they still look OK 30 years later. 

    The only time it went wrong was when I used a metallic colour then sprayed clear coats over the top - the clear coats went all checked/crazed, but not in a relic kind of way...

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • CleckoClecko Frets: 295

    I sprayed my recent partscaster build with Wilkos own brand spray paint. 

    Few light coats of primer, a whole can of colour in several very light coats and a few coats of clearcoat. I warmed it slightly first and it goes on really quite well. Flatted and polished and I'm really happy with the results, especially as it was my first time spraying a body from scratch. 

    https://imgur.com/a/Y9qWOgQ



    Wow! That's fantastic.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • randellarandella Frets: 4086
    Clecko said:

    I sprayed my recent partscaster build with Wilkos own brand spray paint. 

    Few light coats of primer, a whole can of colour in several very light coats and a few coats of clearcoat. I warmed it slightly first and it goes on really quite well. Flatted and polished and I'm really happy with the results, especially as it was my first time spraying a body from scratch. 

    https://imgur.com/a/Y9qWOgQ



    Wow! That's fantastic.
    Yeah that does look very good - the Sonic Blue/cream pickup/knurled knob/maple neck combo puts me in mind of an early Charvel.

    Like it a lot.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • breakstuffbreakstuff Frets: 10227

    Thanks @randella @Clecko ;

    The whole project was based on a picture of an old Charvel. Good spot. 

    Sorry for the thread hijack @axisus ; :)


    Laugh, love, live, learn. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489

    Thanks @randella @Clecko ;

    The whole project was based on a picture of an old Charvel. Good spot. 

    Sorry for the thread hijack @axisus ; :)


    One more hijack! Looks great, I take it, it is not nitro..?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • breakstuffbreakstuff Frets: 10227

    No not nitro. It's this...... (gratuitously framed picture)...... 


    https://imgur.com/a/xil0yu2




    Laugh, love, live, learn. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • lovestrat74lovestrat74 Frets: 2489

    No not nitro. It's this...... (gratuitously framed picture)...... 


    https://imgur.com/a/xil0yu2




    :+1: 

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280


    Sorry for the thread hijack @axisus ; :)

    Not a hijack at all, it's all related. Nice work with that guitar!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.