Harley Benton Paisley refinish

Babyfrank

Thought I'd share my HB Tele refinish job, which started life as a black Harley BentonTE20. My first attempt, so definitely not perfect, but I'm pleased with the overall result

Paisley Telecaster refinish https://imgur.com/gallery/4Q89j

BigMonka

Nice one, looks great!

WezV

looks very good, especially for a first go.

JCA2550

Looks really good 

John_A

Looks great - Any chance of a few details on how you did it?

dedekind

looks great!

freakboy1610

That looks great. Well done.

SimpleSimon

Very impressive @Babyfrank Ive been lusting after a Pink Paisley Tele for ages but there is no way i'm spending £900 on an MIJ one. mIght get myself an all parts body and swap my Baja over.

usedtobe

That looks great!

Babyfrank

Thanks all!

Babyfrank

John_A said:

Looks great - Any chance of a few details on how you did it?

Sure - basic process was as follows;

• Sanded back finish on donor guitar using 400 then 800 then 1200 grit Wet & Dry
  
  
• Sprayed the sides of the guitar with the paint (Halfords, it's a Ford metallic blue colour)  I'd selected for the matching burst.
  
  
• Paisley finish was from a roll of wrapping paper. I cut this roughly to size, leaving approx 3cm overlap around the edge of the guitar
  
  
• Using "Mod-Podge" (From Hobbycraft, for glazing craft projects), stuck the paper to the front and rear of the guitar, trimming off the excess and cutting out the control cavities once it was dry.
  
  
• THIS WAS WHERE I MADE THE MISTAKE - Coated the paper with multiple (approx 15) brushed coats of Mod-Podge.  This was a mistake because I didn't realise it always remains slightly fluid/plastic... so I now have a thick but soft layer of clear coat over the paper.
  
  
• Sanded the Mod-podge back using 400/800/200 Grit to flatten it.
  
  
• (GAP OF ABOUT 8 MONTHS HERE WAITING FOR WARMER WEATHER FOR SPRAYING!!!)
  
  
• Made a spraying template for the front and back burst: Draw round the guitar on cardboard, then bring the whole thing a couple of cm in from the full  size body outline, making it slightly smaller.  Use cocktail sticks pushed through this to raise it up slightly from the body of the guitar, so you can see a little bit under it.
  
  
• Spray the burst, with the nozzle of the can always pointing towards the center point of the guitar... you'll cover the edges but always get some going under the template to give you the burst effect.
  
  
• Covered this with 6 coats of Dartfords clear acrylic from Rothko and Frost
  
  
• Wet Sanded this with 800/1200/2000/2500 Wet and Dry, then 0000 Steel Wool, then buffed with T-Cut, and finally finished off with 2 coats of car wax

So what impact did my mistake have? Well, I now have a very clear hard mirror finish, but unfortunately because the Mod-Podge stuff never really dries properly (despite the 8 month wait), my finish is VERY susceptible to dents, with the slightest pressure or contact making its mark... it's like a choc-ice, hard on the outside but softer on the inside.   If I was doing this again, I'd use a few coats of Acrylic to cover the paper, rather than the Mod-Podge.  It might be fine for crafts, but not for guitars!  on the plus side, it will, "relic" well through regular playing, and it does look great on stage :-)

Hope this helps.

John_A

Thanks for that -  I'll put it on the list of things to do when I have some time.  Its a long list

UnclePsychosis

That looks really great. Well done! 

marktheharp

That looks ace. Especially for a 1st attempt,  very professional.well done.

pintspiller

Looks fantastic!

usedtobe

They sell a Paisley tele, and strat, you know...