Any tips on getting a brittle finish?

hugh · Post by **hugh** » Thu Feb 27, 2014 6:36 pm

I've got a dopey idea for a project. Want to reshape my first bass (bought 15 years ago?) into something more offset/jag-like. Headstock would be a biatch to reshape, but I always though that it looked cool. The body is hella late 90s new metal. That top horn is too long for my tastes. Wanna get the pickups going to separate channels and do some guitar amp/bass amp/separate effects chains tomfoolery.

Anyways, I want to get a couple of coats of paint on there in contrasting colours, the topcoat being a bit brittle. Not looking to do the relic with a screwdriver thing, just want something that will take dings and bumps well. Fuck it, maybe get a whole rainbow of coats on the mofo, that'd look sweet.

What should I do? Get each coat to a high gloss so that the next layer doesn't adhere to it as well? Put a layer of wax/some sort of soft finish between coats so the paint is on a malleable foundation?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 8:47 am

I don't really know, but an alternative is crackle paints. You put on a coat of , let dry, and then a second colour that reacts and dries with cracks. A friend did it to a guitar, and I believe they are a certain brand. She called them Crackle paints, so gooogle that!

hugh · Post by **hugh** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 11:13 am

Cheers. From what I can tell you can get a crackle effect by putting a layer of glue between coats of paint, or use some crackle specific solution. Not quite the look I'm going for. I'm hoping to get a finish that ages super quick to reveal the lower layers.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:47 pm

If you don't prep the original surface very well the paint won't adhere properly, that may get the effect you are after, but TBH just paint it properly with nitro and then bash it about a bit, that way it will look natural.

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 4:49 pm

I used this Polyvine stuff on my tv cabinet with good results..

Instructions

Hope that helps!

Tv cabinet..well, DVD player etc...

jculpjr · Post by **jculpjr** » Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:51 pm

No idea if this would work- but what about painting the body normally and then put it in a freezer for a few hours- then throw it in an oven at 200 degrees or so.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:39 pm

jculpjr wrote:No idea if this would work- but what about painting the body normally and then put it in a freezer for a few hours- then throw it in an oven at 200 degrees or so.

This tends to exacerbate a non-vintage looking checking in the clear, I don't know if it would get him the worn down contrasting colour patches he's after. Would definitely remind one of the word "brittle" though.

I'm with nick; use re-ranch nitro which doesn't have a load of polymers in it, don't use sanding sealer on the wood, etc... and then take the bass everywhere without a case.

Alternatively you could just spray it with two colours in light coats of cheap spray paint literally taking no other steps. That's not gonna hold up and it'll rub off rather than flake in certain places. That might not go fast though, it's hard to know what specific brands do until you've sprayed stuff with them.

h8mtv · Post by **h8mtv** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:50 am

Here's how I've done it.

Heat the finish with a heat gun, then spray it with canned air until frosty shit spews out. Crackle goodness.