Decent Satin neck finish from a can?

[socalscott]

The gtr is a tortured electronics/pup test mule, so it's a good subject.

I'm thinking there's no reason to completely remove all of the necks current finish?

Would I sand after each coat or just once after a few?

[Earl Norton]

sand between each coat. It is not just to smooth it out, but to provide tooth for each coat to hang on the previous one.

[David Schwab]

There's really no need to sand between coats for adhesion. Lacquer partly devolves the previous coat and won't have a problem sticking as long as it hasn't fully cured, which takes about 15 days. Even then you can sand the finish and start spraying more coats.

Some people like to sand a bit between every three or so coats to level out any bumps.

Take care spraying the new finish over the old, as they might not be compatible, i.e., nitro and acrylic lacquer don't mix, and may cause the lacquer to peel off after it cures.

There's a good finishing schedule at Stew-Mac

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-NITROCELLULOSE.html

I never recommend using sanding sealer. It causes adhesion problems.

I've done some good rattle can finishes. For satin lacquer, you can either use gloss lacquer and just don't buff it out (though it might polish up over time from your hand rubbing on it) or get satin finish lacquer, which is gloss lacquer with flattening agents in it.

[jeepney]

I agree with David. I recently shot two necks with satin lacquer. One neck I spray-bombed with Deft (satin) Clear Wood Finish and the other with Minwax (satin) Clear Aerosol Lacquer. Both products featured flat-pattern spray buttons and similar directions for use. That meant 30 minutes between coats.

If you don't use sealer use your first coat of lacquer to seal, allow to dry and sand any raised grain. Once that is done, you can shoot in 30 minute intervals. I shot both necks 10 times and left to dry for three weeks. You can sand them after two weeks but, I like the surface a little harder.

Barring imperfections (which should have been fixed in the coating stage), wet sand lightly starting with 800 grit, then 1000 and finally 1200. I finish with Plastic and Plexiglass Cleaner and Scratch Remover. Smoother than a baby's bottom. This technique was done on my Warmouth and MusicKraft necks with great results, so don't hesitate to try it on yours!