Finish touchups without using spray equipment

[Justin]

I have recently became the main guitar tech at my place of business and I have a few questions about finish touchups... I do not have spray equipment in my shop, and I probably won't for a while. I'm sure I'll run into some repairs where I have to re-finish an area of the guitar. Without spray equpment, I'm a little unsure of how to go about finishing large areas of a guitar... Anybody out there with the same issues? If so how do you go about it? 

[FRANK]

stew mac sells spray cans hope this is what you are looking for only good with nitro

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

You could also but an airbrush and a silent 5L compressor (the ones that run with a fridge motor). That was my first spray gear. I even made PU finishes with it. Spray outdoor.

[Frank Ford]

For occasional jobs you can get by without spray gear, but I'd only suggest doing it with the notion that as soon as you can, you'll get a compressor and gun. You could keep the rig at home if you can't use it at the shop, and transport the instruments as needed.

LMI has an alternative spray system available - the Preval sprayer. It's a setup that uses pressure cartridges to spray from a glass container into which you can put any sprayable liquid:

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?NameProdHeader=Preval...

[Justin]

I guess the real solution is to just get the equipment.... Thanks for the input

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

You've got it. If you don't have much room, the airbrush and little silent compressor or pressure cartridge is a good solution.

[LARRY KLOSE]

I've found good deals on compressors and other spray equipment at Harbor Freight, a discount tool company. I picked up a nice compressor with a tank and regulators for about $60. I've seen others for even less.

The tank is important to keep any spray device from transmitting "pulsing" from the compressor. This might not be an issue with a rotary compressor, but a reciprocating compressor can cause this problem. A moisture trap is an absolute must whatever you use.

Harbor Freight also has various spray guns and air brushes, but I don't have any experience with them, except one very inexpensive plastic one which works well, except that the jars are made of a plastic that is soluble in lacquer thinner (the gun itself is not). Duhhh... . Once I found glass jars at a hobby shop, no problem. Not for very precise jobs but good for larger areas.

Also, the Badger air brush company has a section on their web site called "Garage Sale." They sell blems and closeouts at very good prices. Availability varies. Google... .

Another good gun with a little more output is a Binks "Wren" sprayer. It won't go as fine as an airbrush but is good for larger areas. This was my only gun for many years.

I've used airbrushes for scale models for years. They are a good solution for small area jobs. Whatever you get, practice on non critical items or scraps--a lot.

Larry