Customizing my Mainland Gecko

chindog said:
Mr. Pueo, have you made any more progress on your project?
Click to expand...
Yes! Top and back completely sanded, just some lingering paint on the "waist" between the upper and lower bout on the sides and a little on the heel and neck. I am working on the mask I am making for the paint. I do hope to paint this Sunday. I will be working from home tomorrow, so I will update with more photos tomorrow.

Thanks for the tip about Frog tape. I am trying to do this project primarily with what materials I already have at the house, and I have two rolls of blue tape, so I will probably end up sticking with that.
 
Sanding is really really really really really really really really boring. There is still just a bit of paint left around the heel. Really tedious. I think I am developing carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. I want to just paint over it and paint it RIGHT NOW! But I feel that since I have come this far, as I might as well complete the job correctly.
gecko6.jpggecko7.jpg
 
Looks good. Did you do any painting this weekend?
 
Just wondering if you were able to accomplish anything more on this Ukulele?
 
Great so far Damon.... Were you considering a pickup in this at all..... Could be very interesting...
 
Sanding is 100% complete!
I had to use an x-acto chisel to get some of the stubborn paint off around the bridge and neck areas, as I wanted to keep the clearcoat on the sides of the fingerboard intact. I mostly succeeded. I know how I want to paint the headstock, and will be doing the masking tonight. I still have three ideas for the body and top, but I will force myself to make a decision before I go to sleep tonight because I want to paint this weekend. I also have some feelers out for what type of pickup I am going to install.
 
I finally got all the paint off and re-masked the ukulele to prepare for the new paint. I decided to let a little of the natual wood show on the headstock.
geckomasked1.jpggeckomasked2.jpg
I had hoped to paint on Saturday, but it was too cool and too humid to do so. I woke up to rain! I was dejected but hopeful for the next day.
I got to paint on Sunday! I am not done though. I had a disaster happen. The first coat was supposed to be flat white just to make the top color coat pop better. When I started to spray, the paint came out all clumpy and it looked like Jacskon Pollack had painted it! Oh no! So I had to wait for that to dry, and then sand that off. I really had hoped I was done with sanding, but no such luck!
I bought a new can of white, and that went on nice and smooth. Then after that dried I shot a top coat of color.
The color coat looks amazing, but there is some orange peel in a few spots. I have some ultra fine sanding film (I REALLY hoped I was done, but alas...) and I am going to try and get the orange peel out, then another very thin coat of color, then clear on top of that.
geckopurple.jpg
 
Pueo said:
I finally got all the paint off and re-masked the ukulele to prepare for the new paint. I decided to let a little of the natual wood show on the headstock.
View attachment 28372View attachment 28373
I had hoped to paint on Saturday, but it was too cool and too humid to do so. I woke up to rain! I was dejected but hopeful for the next day.
I got to paint on Sunday! I am not done though. I had a disaster happen. The first coat was supposed to be flat white just to make the top color coat pop better. When I started to spray, the paint came out all clumpy and it looked like Jacskon Pollack had painted it! Oh no! So I had to wait for that to dry, and then sand that off. I really had hoped I was done with sanding, but no such luck!
I bought a new can of white, and that went on nice and smooth. Then after that dried I shot a top coat of color.
The color coat looks amazing, but there is some orange peel in a few spots. I have some ultra fine sanding film (I REALLY hoped I was done, but alas...) and I am going to try and get the orange peel out, then another very thin coat of color, then clear on top of that.
View attachment 28374
Click to expand...

Hey! I have that design on my headstock too! All I can say is...

:bowdown:
 
As a newbie following this, can you go into a little detail on the paint process please? What type of paint and how do you apply. I'm really enjoying follow your progress.
 
vanflynn said:
As a newbie following this, can you go into a little detail on the paint process please? What type of paint and how do you apply. I'm really enjoying follow your progress.
Click to expand...
OK. Just to let you know, I am pretty much a newbie myself when it comes to this kind of thing. I used to be really into radio controlled cars, airplanes, helicopters... So I do have some experience painting car bodies and model airplane fuselages. Since the Gecko body is ABS plastic, I figured that lacquer paint from the hobby store would work well. It is inexpensive and comes in many colors. The only thing I really know about sanding is that you need to use a sanding block to keep the pressure even and to try and work as evenly as possible. The complex curvy areas you just have to get in there and do the best you can. I wrapped a strip of sandpaper around a wine cork to do the back of the neck and the heel area. Mainland Mike said he just sprayed white over what was already there, then painted over that - I just wanted to start with the bare surface.

The white undercoat I painted just using a can of spray paint - Pactra Sprint White lacquer paint.

The purple top coat is also lacquer paint, thinned 50/50 with thinner and sprayed on with my airbrush - but I am sure just a can of spraypaint would work just as well. I think I may not have thinned the paint enough (or it was old) and that is why I got the orange peel in a few spots. I am going to sand those down using 400 grit sanding film, and then shoot another thin coat to even out the color before I spray over the whole thing with clear lacquer. I will leave the tape over the bridge and fingerboard, but will lift the mask on the headstock before the clearcoat so that the wood will show through. I'm getting excited about the result.
 
I did some more sanding yesterday. I used 400 Grit and then 600 grit to take down the orange peel. I will try to spray the final top color coat and clear coat this weekend.

I may have decided on a pickup as well - super excited about that, it will be overkill gadget-wise in a good way!
 
Aloha everyone!
I have some sad news to report. My recent relocation has wreaked havoc on the finish of my Gecko. The increased ambient temperature has made the paint (and clearcoat) tacky and it stuck to the inside of the gig bag. I went to play it today and after unzipping the gig bag, I had to PEEL it off the back of the ukulele, and a good portion of the paint and clearcoat stuck to the bag!

Can anyone recommend a better finish that will stand up to ambient temperatures of around eighty degrees Farenheit?

What is the clearcoat made of for my Pono, and/or my Epiphone Les Paul, Nitro-cellulose Lacquer? Where do I get that? Is there an inexpensive plastic/acrylic alternative? How do they get it on that thick? I must have sprayed four or five coats of clear lacquer but it does not have any depth like on those other ukuleles.

Any suggestions?
 
Pueo said:
Aloha everyone!
I have some sad news to report. My recent relocation has wreaked havoc on the finish of my Gecko. The increased ambient temperature has made the paint (and clearcoat) tacky and it stuck to the inside of the gig bag. I went to play it today and after unzipping the gig bag, I had to PEEL it off the back of the ukulele, and a good portion of the paint and clearcoat stuck to the bag!

Can anyone recommend a better finish that will stand up to ambient temperatures of around eighty degrees Farenheit?

What is the clearcoat made of for my Pono, and/or my Epiphone Les Paul, Nitro-cellulose Lacquer? Where do I get that? Is there an inexpensive plastic/acrylic alternative? How do they get it on that thick? I must have sprayed four or five coats of clear lacquer but it does not have any depth like on those other ukuleles.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Take it over to Kanile'a in Kaneohe and see if they can shoot it with their urethane gloss.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
DIY Customizing Your Ukulele
Replies
0
Views
632
kelaska
K
G
customizing string sets for baritone uke
Replies
3
Views
767
lauburu
L
L
Customizing an Ukulele Case
Replies
12
Views
1K
Phluffy the Destroyer
P
UkeKiddinMe
String Illness / Combining, customizing sets
Replies
7
Views
652
Bucky
B
A
customizing my uke need help.
Replies
4
Views
652
ArtyUke
A
Top Bottom