<VV> Paint car-vs-lacquer band instrument

[Tony Underwood]

At 08:49 hours 08/17/2006, Paul Abel wrote:
>You're exactly right Steve, Lacquering a horn is much harder I think.


Yep, did this to my horn a while back and it's no fun at all if you 
want it to look right.

It's a Bundy Cornet that's almost 50 years old now.    Had it since 
the 4th grade and it was bought used then.

>You have to buff the base metal to a mirror finish, with zero 
>imperfections, the spray with a clear lacquer. No hiding bad body 
>(dent) work, or sanding out runs or anything like that. We have to 
>get it right the first time, or strip it, rebuff it and start from 
>scratch. I wish I could just fill dents in a sousaphone with bondo. 
>Hey, I guess I could, but I'd have to paint it Marina Blue or 
>something like that. <ggg>


Or, white like all those Conn variants with the ABS plastic bells on 'em.


The end point here is that if you can lay down a decent coat of 
lacquer onto brass, you should be (with a little practice) able to do 
the same thing on a Corvair.   Lacquer is very forgiving and can 
indeed be done in a driveway or a back yard if you take some simple 
precautions like wetting down the surrounding yard etc to keep dust 
down, try to arrange things so as to keep bugs off the paint, and of 
course try to stay out of the sun by shooting later in the day and 
avoid shooting the car when the sheet metal is hot.    Even if you 
hit it too hard with the spray and get a run, lacquer lets you 
correct it pretty easy.

I need not acknowledge the pending comments about how lacquer is 
environmentally fragile compared to more serious paints, but then 
again a clear coat will make lacquer hold up a lot longer, and it's 
not gonna give you cancer if you breathe the fumes.    Buzz you up a 
little, maybe, but that's about it... lots of "career" lacquer men 
out there who lived to be old and gray and looney...   hell, maybe 
lacquer fumes helped to preservative them...  ;)


tony..         already looney and yes I attended band camp