lap guitar

[phil harold]

My daughter has a lap guitar kit she wants to assemble
She wants it red
How can we make this look good
I have no spray equipment, krylon/rust-oleum work?
I am open to ideas and the procedure to make this look good

here is what the kit assemble looks like

http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2013/07/10/10918047/45580-01_Lap_Steel_Kit.jpg

thanks

[Robert Parent]

How about a brush applied lacquer or Waco oil finish? Both are easy to apply and a dye could create any color even red.

Robert

[Julie Moriarty]

What wood is the body? Would you want to paint it or finish it with something to show the grain? As Robert mentioned, dye would work, if you want the grain to show. Otherwise, sand it flat and find a good quality spray paint. The key is getting it to flow well. The picture looks like a satin finish. That will make things easier than gloss.

[george wilson]

To get a piano smooth finish,you will have to sand the body and seal it with a few coats of shellac that has no wax in it,and sand it very smooth. All traces of open grain must be eradicated . I don't know if you have spray equipment. If you don't,spray on several coats of colored lacquer from a spray can. MAKE SURE it is lacquer,and not enamel. I am not sure if all Krylon is acrylic lacquer or not,since I don't use spray can finishes. After you spray on several coats of that,and all is smooth,run free and grain free,spray transparent gloss Krylon over it. Again,several coats.

After you have sprayed enough coats,and several will be needed to build up the thinned out lacquer that spray cans spray,you need to rub the finish.

You must let the finish dry for a few weeks. Lacquer drys fast,but it keeps on drying for a very long time,even years. Sand the finish with 600 wet or dry paper with soapy water. Be careful to not sand through around edges. If you do,you'll have to start again with colored,then clear lacquer.

The finish needs to be rubbed after sanding. Stewart MacDonalds sells Meguair rubbing compounds. They sell a foam rubber buffing pad that attaches to an electric drill,which will greatly assist in rubbing the finish to a high sheen. Be careful to not overheat the lacquer surface when polishing with the pad. You can soften the lacquer,and it will "pile up" and become ruined.