I also own a 1994 Style O, a 2003 Delphi Vintage Steel, a 1933 Style O, a 1999 Resolectric Jr., a 1930 Style 2 Tricone and a early 90's Continental Style 3.

I love all of them and play them all regularly.

I have searched high and low on the web, checked threads here,asked several luthiers and older industrial paint manufacturers and no one claims to know or is sayin' nuthin'!
Surely there is someone out there who knows the formula and how to shoot this finish?

I am a believer in leaving original finishes alone, no matter how battered they are, but I can't help but think how cool it would be to have a new model with that finish.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Kind Regards,

Reson8r

Doesn't look exactly right, but pretty close, no?

quote:

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I've seen pictures of the results and have bought some napthalene flakes but have not gotten around to trying it out.

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Where did you get them? It may be cool to buy a painted Johsnon or Regal to strip and experiment on. I have lots of NC at work (I'm in the ink biz).

Hmmmmmmmmm.....

Michael Segui
Est. 1974
"The electric guitar is a fraud." - Mance Lipscomb

please post some pics of the finished results of the DUCO finish??? I am sure everyone is interested!

Altering the various components changes the amount of crystallizing and also the "depth" of same. Must be done in a still room. Also The crystal "flowers" are started by lightly touching the wet paint with the tip of a nail in different places.

Too bad these finishes are illegal in Calif, but how about in Houston Texas? It' "Anything goes" there, pollution-wise!

Kay did a guitar (in the 30's) with the frosted Duco finish on it too, I believe.
I nearly bid on one about two years ago but had to keep the money for the tax man instead (after anxious calculator calculations left me depressed) !!!!

I wonder about regulations in the UK. Perhaps we (Royal we) could do the Duco finish ?

This sounds so exciting !

I like the idea of the bead blasted surface for primer to cling too. It would provide an excellent bond. However, you'll need to build up a primer thickness that will level out smooth for the following top coats. Otherwise, a rough surface may give you a satin finish effect, which would be cool if that was what you're after. I've done this both ways using automotive polyurathane with good results. I'd get a couple of scraps of sheet metal and experiment before you committed the body to a certain procedure.

I beadblasted a coverplate (only) and stripped the body on a late 30's Duolian. The coverplate turned out satin. Over time and wear, fine line alligator cracks formed on the coverplate as a result of the primer and top coat shrinkage. The lines filled with dirt and grime with made the lines appear black. It was a pretty cool, yet unplanned effect. Here's the pic of Peaches:

http://www.mair.bizland.com/id10.html

Good luck!

[This message has been edited by cole (edited September 23, 2004).]

Thanks for the advice. The guy who has the spray booth also has a sandblasting rig. I talked to him about it, and he said we would use pecan shells as they are less aggresive. I checked out "Peaches", what a cool peaches and cream burst. Very nice.

Cool! Blast away....

Wow ! That is looking good.

Just a few tweaks needed really to make it even more authentic.
Sunburst it (so that more silver/clear colour visible in areas around coverplate and F-holes)

I wonder how easy or difficult it was to obtain that stunning result ?

Actually, this post is mainly to see if I've managed to successfully add an avatar !

Ya beauty ! (Scottish expression - pleased about something !)

That's me with my Kay "Elmore" axe.

Sorry to hijack the post.

Just checked out the Tron Theatre website for your gig.

Amazingly you are going to have in your band, rather unusually for blues, a Harp player.