Preparing to paint
Unless you have a purpose-built spray booth, paint outdoors. Lacquer fumes are toxic and explosive. Even if you are outdoors you should wear a dust mask to avoid breathing the spray.
The Saga kit bodies are already sealed with a coat of polyurethane sealer which gives a good surface for your top coats. If you are using a body from another manufacturer you may need to seal and grain-fill first.
Lightly sand the body with P800 wet-or-dry to provide a key for the lacquer. Use a tack-cloth to remove any dust every time you sand and in-between coats to remove any particles of dust.
Attach a short length (approx 75cm) of wood to the body using 2 screws. This will allow you to suspend the body horizontally (or at any convenient angle) for easier spraying.
Primer and colour coat
In order to get an even colour, you should prime the body. This is especially important if you are finishing your guitar a light colour. Spray the edges first, being careful to avoid applying too much paint and causing runs which you will have to sand flat again.
Once the edges are covered, fill in the front and back of the body.
Don't forget to prime inside the cutaways.
Colour coats
Before applying the colour coats you must fix any problems with the primer coat. Sand out any runs and re-prime if you sand through to the wood. When everything is even, lightly sand so as to de-nib the primer coat. This is to remove any small rough spots due to dust. Don't forget to use your tack cloth before spraying.
Just as with the primer, start with the edges of the body. Take special care on the cutaways and horns to get an even and thorough coverage.
Fill in the front and back of the body. Spray the lacquer, moving across the body in overlapping stripes. Keep the paint wet so each stripe of spray flows into the previous giving a glossy coat.
Here is the back of the body after 2 coats of colour.
