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85 Posts
My process for finishing grips is kindof cool technology that many have never seen, so I thought I'd shoot a video of it. I know most here want checkered, or natural wood which I totally get, but this is just a different flavor - not advocating high gloss. Sometimes your baby needs formal wear, and this is a cool way to do it.
20 years ago I used to be coatings chemist with 100% solids radiation cured coatings, which was rare then, but now is a bit more common, especially amongst guitar builders. Grips are the perfect shape for these coatings using a dip process. If the finish is thin enough, it looks cool right after curing, but I prefer Cabot level quality, so I "flatten" the finish on my 1200 grit diamond lap prior to buffing.
The addicting part of UV is that you can apply 15 to 25 mils of coating, let gravity take it glass flat, cure inside of a minute, and you're DONE. Coating not look right? Sands to powder after 45 second cure time, then recoat. Each coat nearly welds into previous, and buffs evenly, even if wet sanding into previos coats.
20 years ago I used to be coatings chemist with 100% solids radiation cured coatings, which was rare then, but now is a bit more common, especially amongst guitar builders. Grips are the perfect shape for these coatings using a dip process. If the finish is thin enough, it looks cool right after curing, but I prefer Cabot level quality, so I "flatten" the finish on my 1200 grit diamond lap prior to buffing.
The addicting part of UV is that you can apply 15 to 25 mils of coating, let gravity take it glass flat, cure inside of a minute, and you're DONE. Coating not look right? Sands to powder after 45 second cure time, then recoat. Each coat nearly welds into previous, and buffs evenly, even if wet sanding into previos coats.