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I'm refinishing a guitar that has a simple 1/16" wide outer ring and a 1/8" wide ring inside with a 1/2" space between them. I'm spraying black lacquer for the first couple of coats and I'm wondering what others have done to either mask or scrape afterwards. It seems like it's going to be difficult to mask off with tape and I considere trying to make a couple of plastic rings to glue down. Another idea is to mask the area off and attach a blade to a compass and try to cut the excess tape away. And last was to add some black veneer between them and then make a solid disc to mask it. I'm sure I'm over thinking this. Help.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

If you can find some masking tape the same width as the rosettes, that is what i'd use. Mask them off then spray your black then couple coats of clear. Sand the edges before removing the tape to get clean lines then clear over the whole guitar. This works with lacquer for me.

If you plan to sunburst or stain a top it is always easier to have the outlines of your rosette rings with .020 black lines or thicker. To do a clean masking job you can put some tape on an aluminium ruler or flat bar, and cut to width with a sharp x-acto or utility knife and ruler. It is always better to have your mask a tad narrower than what you want to mask.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Might try something like 3M fine striping tape. Comes in various sizes (1/16, 1/8, 3/16, etc.) and its fairly cheap. Here is a link (may have to cut and paste into your browser) to some on ebay: http://shop.ebay.com/sis.html?_nkw=1+4+ ... +Pinstripe

Never used in on guitars personally, but I've used it with good luck on cars, other 4 wheel toys, and model airplanes.

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Aaron Craig

Thanks. I knew I was over thinking it. I just had trouble imagining the application of the tape and having it come out really round. When I get home after work I'll cut some strips of tape and try it. This is going to be solid black, no grain showing per my wifes instructions.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

It's difficult to get masking tape to lay flat when bent around a sharp radius. Even the fine line stuff tends to crinkle at the bends. You might be able to make a scraping tool that is guided by the edge of the soundhole.

I expected to have to some scraping no matter how well I mask it. I was thinking of putting a piece of wood across the sound hole and find the center and use it with a scraper attached to dividers. Your idea sounds easier except, this is an older guitar and the hole has a bit of wear in spots. Maybe I should fix that before painting. I could make an enlarged sound hole ala Clarence White.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I lay a few overlapping pieces of wide masking tape (I prefer Scotch 2080) on a piece of soft scrap plastic, and then cut a ring or disc of the appropriate diameter with a compass cutter. Lift it off and put it on the guitar.

This one by Exacto is readily available and cheap and it works. There are better ones out there, too.



It's better to be a few thousandths undersized in your mask than to be oversized. You can scrape color that is on your rosette (seal coat first!), but you can't do much about white spruce that didn't get colored by the burst. Come back and scrape with a narrow chisel after spraying the burst if you got any color inside your black purfling lines. Usually you will.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Thank you Howard. You made my day. Now to see if I can find one of these. Probably at a craft store in scrapbook section I'll bet.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Following Howard's idea, you could also try simple contact paper. Make your cuts, peel off the backing and stick it on. Here's an Amazon link - http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-White-Conta ... B000KKOF3I

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Forever a student, always learning.

That 3-M automotive pinstripe masking tape is wonderful for masking rosettes or any other narrow, curved surface. I've used it for rosettes in sunbursts many times. Any automotive paint supply store has it and many more wonderful guitar finishing products and tools. If anyone knows how to paint somethin' its the car guys...
Highly remommended!
Mikey

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!