How to Relic A Guitar | Checking The Finish
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2020
- In this video I show you how to relic a guitar with finish checking. I use a can of compressed duster air and a heat gun to achieve this aged affect. This is a great way to set your guitar apart!
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This is hands down the best way of achieving this look
My poly guitar has huge splits all over the finish just from playing gigs in varying temperatures. All it would take is years of letting your guitar be in the heat and then taking it outside in the freezing cold on the way to a winter gig. Or keeping it inside the house and then going outside for a hot summer gig on the backporch. Leaving it in the car overnight and during the day helps too. I was hard on that thing but it held up and looks awesome now.
Excellent, and thank you. FF to 3:40 and you get what you need in a few seconds.
The problem with the extreme temperature change method is it just creates spider web checking pattern. To get the straight line checking patterns you see on a lot of old instruments you have to go in with a blade and put them in by hand.
Yep and the spider web cracks can lead to chunks of clear chipping off in weird patterns. The pros heat the body using a wide chicken incubator light (to get the whole body heated) and then putting it in a fridge. The temp change is gradual enough to get minor checking without the spider web effect.
Keep it up! Thx for the video
From Hot to cold and you Get that? Cool
May you share how do your relic the guitar body? The edge relic is so pretty
great method. good stuff
Thanks!
What kind of bridge do you have on that Tele? I want to switch my own to an ashtray style just like that (with the top loading + option for string through). Also, any recommendation on saddles? What do you have going there? Thanks!
It's a standard tele bridge with steel saddles. You can also find them with brass if you prefer. I like the saddles with the groves already in them, makes string spacing a breeze, no guesswork when restringing. You won't get any slippage like you sometimes do on vintage saddles. Just make sure the bridge has the back string through option as well! I personally prefer the feel of steel to brass. But brass looks better IMO. Go to ebay and type this in "ELECTRIC GUITAR BRIDGE ASHTRAY STYLE CHROME 3 BRASS SADDLE FOR TELECASTER." You should be able to find one that way, hope that helps!
I once got some of that freezing cold solution on my finger and it hurt like hell, but no frostbite though so that's a plus
Yeah it really hurts! Gotta keep those fingers safe!
Excellent video! Any way to tell which finish we have before trying? And what kind of treatment would you do for non nitro? Thanks!!
Thanks! That's a great question. So what you can do is open up a control cavity of the guitar, or remove the pick guard. You will need to access a spot that is usually covered but is painted. Take a q-tip and dip it in acetone/lacquer thinner and rub it on the finish. If the lacquer starts to soften and rub through, then it is nitro. If nothing happens, then it is most likely a type of poly. if it's a non-nit finish, it's really easy to go overboard and make the relic look fake. I would start with a high grit foam sanding pad around #3000 and knock off some of the shine. You can also try to fake the checking with a razor blade. There are plenty of videos out there that walk through how to do that. You can also sand through the finish in certain spots, but I would use a high grit around #800ish going up to #3000. Always experiment on a part of the guitar the isn't always seen, like the back first. Hope that helps and good luck with the relic!
Nice Bro! Great tip.
Thanks!
Hi Van Houten Guitars just want to ask if the guitar has a clear gloss paint?
Hey! Yes, it has a clear gloss nitro finish.
Great video and lesson to learn how to relic. I recently just tried a temperature change alone over the course of about a week. All of my equipment is kept in my room which the temperature is approximately 75 to 80° due to severe arthritis that I have. The heat makes it very comfortable to move around whereas the cold does not. So I put my guitar in the kitchen which was about a 15° drop in temperature. Over the course of approximately five days I checked the guitar and sure enough on the back of the head stock were three checkmarks that were not there before as I have photographs of the Guitar in depth that show absolutely no markings in that area or anywhere else for that matter. From this point on I’m going to let it relic naturally as this was a Chicago music exchange exclusive that was also part of the Gibson mod collection. The mods make the guitar remind me of my first hot rod and 88 Pontiac Firebird formula 350 with T tops kind of like this has T type pick ups. The high gloss yellow color of the guitar in my opinion is perfect for checking. However in the future I’m going to select something that I truly won’t mind doing a full relic job on this would look great fully reliced but being a brand new guitar I can’t bring myself to do that. I will be looking for a gold SG or Les Paul preferably a Les Paul Deluxe that has the 70s specs including a volute. Anyway great video and information already gave the thumbs up and subscribe to watch for any future or past videos that may reveal some thing I didn’t know before.
That's great, glad to hear you did it naturally! If you have the patience, that's the way to go! Thanks for the kind words and support, Tony.
Sir, May i have a question about the checking?
1. Have you add paint a layer of "clear nitro finishing" for this checking? thanks
Yes, I added about 10 layers of clear coating.
@@VanHoutenBuilds i have tried so many combination and failed, the checking was not ideal because the layer was too thin, thanks for your help, u have solved my question over 2 years..i didn't thought that it need so much layer,, again thanks u so much
What would this do on a enamel finish with no clear?? 🤔 I would love some cracking but definitely would want unwanted damage, for reference the paint has already darkened and has light and dark areas
I'm honestly not sure how it would work with an enamel finish. I know that enamel is pretty strong stuff, but I would maybe spray some enamel and experiment on a scrap piece of wood first.
Love the channel. I also love relic’d guitars. I tried the air duster method and got lots of “broken glass checking that I wasn’t exactly looking for, but that’s life. How do you do it to get longer check lines as opposed to broken glass? I read somewhere to have the spray can farther away from the target area. What’s your take?
Hey Jeff, in order to get the longer check lines you have to use a razor blade. The freeze method doesn't really work for those. You will get some of the longer lines with freezing, but more of the broken glass look. Some guys use the razor method. A razor blade will take a while, but it will be more the look you're going for!
Do you put the can with compressed air in the freezer before using? Or is room temperature cold enough to get the cracking?
No, I use it at room temperature. When the can is tilted upside down it will start to freeze while being sprayed.
where did you buy that tele bridge? I want one as well without the strings going through?
I found that one on ebay!
Is there a particular direction you spray the freeze spray to get vertical vs. horizontal checking?
Unfortunately when you're using the canned air and spraying it like this, you don't really get much control over the direction of the checking. It kind of just does it's own thing and goes in all directions. The only way to make it primarily vertical vs. horizontal is to use a razor blade to emulate checking. It takes a while but builders like Nash Guitars do this and get awesome results!
@@VanHoutenBuilds thanks! You got an awesome result with this guitar!
Buddy, what should I do if I want to remove the cracking effect in nitro without removing the paint?
No idea, I've never tried to remove the cracks. You may be able to hit it with more nitro clear?
How hot do you let it get before applying the spray?
Honestly not too hot, because you can easily bubble up and melt the nitro. As you can see in the video I'm constantly touching the finish with my other hand to monitor the surface warmth. Using a hairdryer would be safer than a heatgun. Also placing it outside in the sun on a warm day will work too! Just make sure that if you use a heat gun, set it on low and keep it moving from far away.
Do you ever use anything to darken the chequing? Thanks for the video
Yes, dark brown kiwi shoe polish is great for that! A little goes a long way!
Great video. What is the colour on this Tele? It’s the exact blue I want for a ‘65 Mustang build I’m planning.
Thanks! It's an ice blue metallic nitro finish. That mustang is going to look awesome in that color!
Hi Van, is it possible to crack the Finnish on a poly guitar?
Hi Tristan, unfortunately it's not possible to crack/check the finish on a poly guitar.
I'm making a replica Jason Voorhees part 3 hockey mask and I am trying to get a cracked finish look. I've looked and looked all over the internet trying to find a way get a clear coat to crack or even using epoxy resin to crack by bending the mask (ounce it's cured) to get it to crack. This is the closest method and the finish of fine cracking I'm looking for. Does this method work on any type of clear coat, acrylic, enamel, lacquer? Please explain thoroughly. Thanks.
No, this method only works with nitrocellulose lacquer! Other finishes are made to expand and contract with temperature changes. Nitro is not. You can use a satin nitro finish and get it to crack, that way your mask isn't shiny.
@@VanHoutenBuilds What's a thickness I need to spray on to get a good checking pattern? I sprayed 5 coats on a practice pice and it hardly checked. I put another 7 on to have 12 layers total. That brand is Watco by the way.
@@blainemurphy1351 I would do about 10-12 coats, minimum. The more, the better. I'm not familiar with Watco.
Hi, excellent video. Do this works on gloss urethane finish ? Thanks
Not really. This will only really work on a nitro finish.
Hey Man, loving your vids. Can I ask, will this work with any nitro finish?
Thanks! Yes, it should as long as you're sure it is a nitrocellulose finish.
Thank you. I only ask as I'm poised to buy a 2007 Strat AVRI and I've hear there's different types of nitro finish. Thin nitro, nitro over Poly.... blah blah blah....
@@VanHoutenBuilds
@@spacialinstallations As long as it's a true nitro finish, then yes, it should work. The thicker the finish, the better chance you have of it actually cracking.
Nice
Hello, nice video. I’m trying this method on my stratocaster that I painted full nitro (2-3 coats of white primer, 4 coats of color and 5-7 coats of clear gloss) I’ve tried your method and it does make little check but you can only see it on certain angle, very discreet. (the nitro has dried for 3-4 months) any idea on how to increase the checking??
Hey there! Yes, you will have to repeat the process multiple times over the same areas in order to get the checking to really stay, otherwise it sort of melds back together. To accentuate the check marks you can take a brown kiwi shoe polish and put a small amount on a cloth and go over the check marks, if it's a light color finish and the checking will be much more prevalent. I go through at least 2 cans of that stuff on each guitar I check, you have to be patient and take your time with it.
@@VanHoutenBuilds Thank you for your answer ! Your advice are much appreciated ;-) One more thing, how many coats of clear gloss do you usually apply ? i've read the more coat (the thicker the finish) the easiest you can get it to check.
@@AreWeGuilty Yes, the more, the better. I apply any where from 12-15 coats. Sometimes more, depending on how heavy I go. That will also eliminate the likelihood of sand-through to the color coat.
@@VanHoutenBuilds Top! Now I believe my problem is that my clear coat is too thin and cannot crack properly. I’ll try with more coats !
Very nice but, I'd like the paint to flake off a little . How could I do that?
The only way I know how to get it to chip/flake off would be to take something super sharp like a chisel and very gently working it through the top layer of paint without and down pressure. That way you don't gouge the guitar body. You could also try an exacto knife. Just take your time with it and maybe start on the back of the guitar until you find what works best for you.
You could also maybe try dry ice? Although you need something in-between the guitar and the dry ice, like a cloth. Not sure if that would help to freeze the lacquer and make it easier to chip?
What's the knobs on your guitar?
Silver Tone knobs from Radioshack
How long did you wait to cure the nitro before checking it ?
minimum of 2 weeks in dry, warm weather. The longer you wait, the better
How does the number of clear coats on affect this?
It definitely affects it. You need a decently thick clear coat in order to get it to check!
@@VanHoutenBuilds Thanks so much!
What are those knobs called?
Those are Silvertone Radio Knobs from Radio Shack! I highly recommend grabbing a set!
Not many play a top loaded tele, check out Jim Campilongo…dope vid btws
Thanks! Yeah I thought I'd try something a little different on that on. It also cut restringing time down a lot haha. Definitely has a little bit of a different feel due to tension and the break angle.
I would think you would take the guitar apart to avoid damaging hardware, no?
I actually leave the hardware on when checking the finish because I want the pressure of the hardware to mimic the checking you would see naturally over the years around things like the bridge and neckplate. That almost spiderweb effect coming from the corners where the screws are pushing down, if that makes sense. But also since this is a relic, I'm not too worried about the hardware, not wanting it to look new anyways. Only thing I wouldn't put on it is water.
Does just the clear coat need to be nitro or all the paint?
It's important to stick with the same type of top coat as the under coats. You don't want to spray nitro over a non nitro paint, it will not hold up well and you will most likely get peeling, etc.
Hi, great video, I have a 2003 Highway One J Bass which has a thin nitro coat over what I believe is poly, would this technique work?
I think you can aktually get checking on a poly finish, I saw it on a guy's RUclips video and he did it to a Squier strat
hmmmm I wonder if it was actually poly then? You can technically crack any finish, but it would be incredibly hard to do it on poly and make it look natural. Would love to see his video! What is his channel?
@@VanHoutenBuilds it was how to relic a strat from Dr nerd
I wanna c the "How to relic your shelfs" tutorial hehe
Hahah, sandpaper is my secret there.
I'm trying to figure out how to stain the white pickguard with cigarettes
Haha, good luck. Even brown shoe polish doesn't really work very well. It helps if you remove the gloss with a higher grit sandpaper, then whatever you are staining with will adhere a little better. I've been testing a pickguard just sitting it in the window for the last year and a half to see what would happen in the sun every day and it hasn't even really changed that much.
Why would you keep the hardware on during the process?
To make the checking look as natural as possible. Over time, as a guitar ages, the pressure of the hardware will cause the nitro to check and crack around it, especially where the screws are. Leaving the hardware on during the process, does not negatively affect it at all.
@@VanHoutenBuilds Thanks for the info. I was under the impression that it could potentially hurt the electronics by melting the solder or wire insulation.
@@sidgenocid No, the spray is actually freezing cold, so cold it can give you frost bite if it comes in contact with your skin. As long as you don't have any electrical components exposed, you should be fine.
Nice touch to the guitar. One question tho. Would this work on a gibson les paul tribute? It is a "satin" nitro finish.
Typically it will not. The satin nitro is usually applied much thinner and therefore usually will not check like a thick gloss nitro will.
SO CLOSE ..... back away there handsome. HaHa
Hahah yeah, didn't realize I had the camera partially zoomed in. Whoops
I've seen someone fo this on a poly finish.
Pretty good video but try and get a little closer to the camera than you did at the end next time.
"This mark, here? Lenny Kravitz and his belly ring rash. Aaaaand this one- this crack? Tom Morello dropped it. Dick. And this mark? Well, that's where I bumped it walking from room to room looking for my pic box.
And see how it's otherwise pristine? That's because I take really good care of my sh°t and want it looking as good as the day I bought it."
Relic Deez. 😁
😮😢😊i don't see anything
How to ruin a guitar would be a more accurate title.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and have different tastes. To each their own!
4 mins of waffle
nob
Cringe