Custom colour nitrocellulose lacquer in aerosols

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Nitrocellulose lacquer in aerosols

I offer aerosols of nitrocellulose lacquer in a number of colours suitable for finishing guitars. One can of colour is enough to spray a guitar body.

I can supply popular guitar custom colours of the 1950s and 1960s. These should be used with a white primer and finished with a clear coat of lacquer.

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• Transparent and translucent colours
• Clear coats
• Custom Colours
• White Primer

You might have noticed that colours come and go subject to demand and availability. I try to ensure that everything on the site is in stock.

NOTE Lacquer should only be used in a well ventilated area. You should wear a properly fitted vapour respirator during the application and drying of nitrocellulose lacquer. Machine Mart sell an ideal respirator for about £10.

Please note that I cannot supply lacquer outside of mainland United Kingdom.

Transparent and translucent colours

Specially formulated to show the wood grain, these colours will intensify as you apply more coats.

Please see my quick start guide to sunburst finishes.

Clear Blue Shown sprayed thinly but more coats result in a deep blue. It has a greenish hue here due to the yellow of the wood showing through. Looks great over figured maple.	Clear Red see example Shown sprayed quite thinly. Builds with more coats to a deep cherry. Also can be used for cherry sunburst or 3-colour sunbursts.	White Blond see example Gives a typical 60s and 70s blond look. This lacquer is translucent white and the colour in the picture is the colour of the ash wood showing through. For a 50s style butterscotch just overcoat with tinted gloss to your desired depth of colour.
Clear Amber Yellow Great for transparent amber on wood and also for sunbursting. Sprayed thickly it gives a deep orange colour.

Clear coats

I'd always recommend that you clear coat almost any finish before flat sanding and buffing. Not only does a clear coat provide a much deeper gloss (or a soft satin sheen if that's your thing) but it acts as a barrier so that you don't rub through your colour.

Clear Gloss Lacquer Crystal clear and water white for natural finishes. Contains no colour and shown here on maple but also essential for clearcoating your lacquer before flatting and buffing.	Clear Satin Lacquer Also crystal clear and water white, but a softer sheen than the gloss. Contains no colour. Use for necks or when you want a softer finish. Can be used to give an aged appearance.	Tinted Gloss see example An amber tinted gloss for giving a vintage tone to guitar necks. Needs to be used with clear gloss so that you can control the colour depth. The more you spray the darker the tint. Great for butterscotch telecasters!
Light Tint Gloss Lacquer A light tint, useful for taking the edge of the custom colours. The low dye loading makes getting an even colour much easier.

Custom Colours

These colours have been created by studying and colour-scanning original items from the 50s and 60s. Please note that colours may change from batch to batch.

For each colour below I have tried to illustrate the effect of using a tinted lacquer over the base colour to replicate the yellowing of an old clear coat. Whether or not you add a tinted coat is up to you.

I would almost always recommend that you use an undercoat of white primer and a clear coat over all these colours. A clearcoat over metallics is essential.

Olympic White see example What can I say? It's white. Looks best with the edge taken off by using a slight tinted clearcoat and a mint-green pickguard.	Black see example None more black. The first Fender Esquire launched at the 1950 NAMM exhibition was black and black has been available on Fender guitars ever since.	Fiesta Red see example This is one of my favourite colours and was originally found on 1956 Ford Thunderbirds. It is one of the earliest custom colours available from the late 1950s through the whole of the 1960s. A white pickguard is a must for Fiesta Red to look its best and all Fiesta Red guitars left the factory with a white 'guard. A tinted clearcoat changes the shade from pinkish red to orange-red.
Daphne Blue see example Daphne Blue was only available for a few years in the early 1960s before being superseded by Blue Ice metallic.	Surf Green see example Surf Green was originally used on 1957 Chevrolets. It is one of the classic colours of the late 1950s and early 1960s.	Shell Pink see example Shell Pink is not just for girls! Only available for a few years to 1962 I think it looks great on a rosewood-board Telecaster. A slighly yellowed clearcoat will give that flesh-tone that the aged examples have become.
Sonic Blue see example One of the most popular Fender custom colours, this chalky blue looks superb on Stratocasters and Mustangs - in fact any Fender!	Vintage White see example The quintissential 70s and 80s colour, this is matched to my own early 80s Stratocaster.	Dakota Red Originally found on 1958 Cadillacs, Fender offered this colour from 1960 to 1969. As you can see, a yellowed clear coat makes very little difference to this colour.
Competition Orange As used on the early 70s competition series mustangs. Limited availablity.	Burgundy Mist Metallic This is a 1959 Oldsmobile colour and one of my favourites, especially for Jaguars and Jazzmasters. Available on Fender guitars from 1960 to 1965.	Firemist Gold Metallic A 1964 to 1965 Cadillac colour. As you can see, a yellowed clear coat over Firemist Gold makes the colour very golden and is highly recommended.
Inca Silver Metallic Fender used Inca Silver metallic from 1960 until 1965. I recommend that a white primer is used and that you always clearcoat. Inca Silver can also be used to make a great Candy Apple Red by combining it with my Clear Red Lacquer above.	Lake Placid Blue Metallic see example My most popular metallic colour by far. This colour is true to the original, and shimmers from dark to light blue, but is quite unlike the pale blue that passes for LPB on some modern Fender guitars.	White Primer White nitrocellulose primer for under the solid colours above.

This lacquer is sold for guitar finishing. Each application is different however and it is completely up to the user to determine whether this product is suitable for their particular purpose. By making a purchase you indicate you understand the proper and safe use of this product. Nitrocellulose finishes are fragile and sensitive to changes in environmental temperature and humidity.

Copyright © 2003 - 2008 Steve Robinson