How to paint Lake Placid Blue with the yellow/green ageing

[Reg18]

Looking to paint a project Jaguar guitar in lake placid Blue but I want the already aged colour.
How do i achieve that?
I can obviously get the paint code for Lake Placid Blue but not the code for a 50 year old version that the lacquer has yellowed on.
Is a simple Amber Lacquer top coat or 2 going to get close?

[GrantB]

A properly mixed clear, 6-9 coats will work

For every 50mls clear (thinned) drop in one brown and two amber tint ...shake, spray, done. Stop when the colour is right and then one or two clears, wet, over top.

[GrantB]

StewMac has the tints

[Molly]

Grant, have you experimented with UV ageing on nitro?

[Molly]

Looking to paint a project Jaguar guitar in lake placid Blue but I want the already aged colour.
How do i achieve that?
I can obviously get the paint code for Lake Placid Blue but not the code for a 50 year old version that the lacquer has yellowed on.
Is a simple Amber Lacquer top coat or 2 going to get close?

Did you see that recent video in the 'are CS worth it?' thread? They compared a reissue LPB with an original and the original had turned almost green. They said it was down to the clear going yellow over time. I guess that's what you're looking for. Looked great.

[kdawg2a]

I got the Stew Mac finishing book if you want to borrow it. Lots of formulas.

[Lostininverness]

I've got some tints as well if you need some.

[Reg18]

Turns out you can buy Nitro in cans in NZ (or just in tins) it’s PPG 262 Speedlac.
Anyone used this type?
I’ve used the stuff from Spraystore before in the cans and although it’s thinner than poly it’s not actually Nitro and it doesn’t crack the same for some reason.

[Lostininverness]

Adrian from Ash Customworks was saying he used a PPG nitro product. I don't recall the exact product, but this maybe it. If it is, it can be made to crack.

[GrantB]

Grant, have you experimented with UV ageing on nitro?

No...UV may yellow pure clear a bit faster (but I don't know) but it's more controllable to paint the colour you want straight away.

[jeremyb]

Following...

[Reg18]

Grant, have you experimented with UV ageing on nitro?

No...UV may yellow pure clear a bit faster (but I don't know) but it's more controllable to paint the colour you want straight away.

Do you have any pictures of before and after of doing an Amber lacquer over a colour? I’m thinking I’d buy a can of clear and do the sealing (2-4 coats?) then paint colour to taste (3-6 coats?) then amber/brown tinted Lacquer (1-4 coats?) and a couple of clear top coats (2-4?)

Does that sound right? Seems like a thick layer on the guitar this way or is that just normal?

[GrantB]

If your solid colour is behaving properly you can get away with fewer coats. Spray the amber clear on white paper first to get the feel for how strong you’ve mixed it. Go weaker over stronger. Easier to build it up with just tinted clear if you wanted....

[Jehu]

I'm always supportive of DIY luthiery, but I hope that prospective sprayers are aware of the issues of working with nitro... both in terms of the potential for explodiness while spraying, and the toxicity during the following weeks of curing.

That said, I've got yellow, vintage amber, and tobacco brown stewmac transtints if anyone in Auckland needs a few drops. (A little goes a looong way, and one of these little bottles is pretty much a lifetime supply at my rate.)

[GrantB]

DO NOT SPRAY BY CANDLELIGHT.