Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: MrBump on January 04, 2008, 10:24:47 PM

Title: Blackburst
Post by: MrBump on January 04, 2008, 10:24:47 PM

Can anyone tell me how to achieve a blackburst effect on a guitar body?  Kinda grey/white in the centre highlighting the woodgrain, darkening to full black at the edges...

Also, what kind of paint/varnish is good to use?

Ta.

Mark.

Title: Blackburst
Post by: Jonny on January 04, 2008, 10:33:12 PM

I followed: http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/burst.htm
Used:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/GrimReapo/c7ba38a8.jpg)

And got this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/GrimReapo/752ba8ec.jpg)

Title: Blackburst
Post by: MrBump on January 04, 2008, 10:42:58 PM

Clever idea, and a beautifully finished guitar!

Title: Blackburst
Post by: WezV on January 04, 2008, 10:57:48 PM

depends what equipment you have to hand and what experience you have spraying

I'm rather proud of the blackburts i have had on some of my guitars so here's the first one we did

(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/10-1.jpg)

The way to get it light in the centre is to use a nice white light of wood.  Or spray it white/ bleach it in the middle

We did nothing to enhance the woodgrain.  You can dye it a darker version of the colour you are finishing and sand back before the colour coats but personally, whilst i can see it enhances the figuring i feel it destroys the dive in 3D effect you get from good figuring.

This was done with rustins plastic coating but could just as easily be done with any other kind of lacquer.  We sprayed it tinted black and built the burst up rather than trying to get the burst looking right in one coat

That means the burst goes from this
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL800987.jpg)

to this
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/XL800991.jpg)
depending on the lighting conditions

It could have been left whiter in the middle if that was a look you were going for


... but bursts are not as easy to do with spray cans, try and find a friend with a compressor if you dont have one

Title: Blackburst
Post by: MrBump on January 05, 2008, 08:37:25 AM

Wez, that's EXACTLY the effect I'm looking for.

Can a finish like that be achieved using watered down paint and a sponge?  I read about using spray compressors and angling the jet so that you get a natural gradient - and what about the lighter colour?  Is that just a initial application of white?

Ta.

Mark.

Title: Blackburst
Post by: WezV on January 05, 2008, 11:07:38 AM

the lighter colour depnds on what you are spraying.  If its a really pale maple then it should be ok.  Some people will use wood bleach to lighten the wood before spraying - i havnt tried that.  it depends if you want to show the wood or not

Hand rubbed burst finishes can be an art in themselves and whilst i had a go once i dont consider myself very successful with that technique

here is a short tutorial that shows the most amazing hand done burst

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=12912

I am not sure how well that would work with just black and grey tones but worth looking into a bit more.  Also it needs the surface you are burstint to be raw wood whereas spraying is more forgiving