How to Marble a Guitar's Finish
Creating a marbleized guitar finish can be done easily with a few simple techniques. These are the same techniques used by professional guitar shops. Marble finishing will make any guitar stand out and can be done at a fraction of the cost of professional finishing. It's a great way to refinish an old guitar in need of painting. All that is required are a few painting tools and glazing compounds.
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Things You'll Need
- Painter's masking tape
- Fine steel wool
- Cotton rags
- White, grey and black glazing compounds
- Clear spray lacquer
- Sponge brushes
- Bristle brushes
Instructions
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The fret board must be covered prior to glazing. Prepare the guitar for finishing. Remove the strings and all hardware. Store the hardware and mounting screws in plastic bags to avoid losing any parts. Apply masking tape to the guitar's neck and fret board. Special attention should be given to the area where the neck mounts to the guitar's body. Glazing splatter and drips can ruin a fret board, which is why it must be covered with tape.
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Rub the guitar's body down with fine steel wool. This allows the glazing compound being used for this project to adhere to the body's surface. Lightly work the steel wool across the surface of the guitar until a dull finish is achieved. Use a clean cotton rag to remove any debris before applying the glazing
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Black forms the base of this marble pattern. Apply the base coat. Apply a small amount of black glazing compound to a 1-inch sponge brush. Drag it across the surface of the guitar's body in a spiral motion. Use a clean rag to blur the paint by gently smearing the paint to the left and right of the spiral brushstroke. Use a second rag to lift off any painted areas that have hard edges, leaving only small amounts of black on the surface. Allow eight hours drying time.
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Other colors can be used for a marble finish. Place a small amount of gray glazing compound onto a clean 1-inch foam brush. Apply the paint in small splotches on the area painted with the black base coat. Use a clean cotton rag that has been balled up to lift the majority of the gray glazing compound from the surface. This leaves small sections of gray that add depth to the black under glazing. Allow eight hours drying time.
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Paint the veins. Marble has white veins running across its surface. Use a 1/2-inch bristle hair brush to create the veins. Apply a small amount of white acrylic paint to the brush. Pull the brush across the surface of the guitar, using a jagged hand motion. Veins are uneven and angled, so avoid painting a straight line. Add secondary veins using the same technique. Allow eight hours drying time.
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Spray the guitar's body with clear lacquer to give the surface a polished look. Hold the spray lacquer 10 inches above the surface to avoid drip marks, quickly spraying left to right. Allow at least 24 hours drying time before removing the masking tape and reassembling the guitar.
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Tips & Warnings
Gather photographs of marble before glazing. Use these photographs as a glazing scheme for this project. Other colors can be used for this project. However, these colors need to be in the same color group, such as light brown and dark brown.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
