How does one make a sunburst finish?

[rogthefrog]

I've always wondered how sunburst finishes are applied.

[jackaroo]

Search for a thread on UMGF. It features noted luthier and repairman Willi Henkes shooting one of the most perfect bursts I've seen since Kalamazoo.

[jackaroo]

Try this... 2/3 of the way down the page.
http://theunofficialmartinguitarforu...ost-208?page=7

[billgennaro]

When I was doing sunburst finishes for Guild back in the '80s, we would spray the entire face with the orange/yellow color first, then spray just the outside of the top with the darker color. No big mystery. I don't know how things have changed in the last 30 years though.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[rogthefrog]

Thanks! Is the gradient done by spraying more layers of darker paint as you get closer to the edge?

NM I just saw the link with photos. Thanks for the help everyone.

[Tim McKnight]

Bindings, purflings and rosettes are masked off. Only one face, either the top, sides or back is sprayed at a time while the other faces are masked to protect them from over spray. As Bill said yellow or orange is usually sprayed as the first color coat over wood that has been properly pore filled and sealed. Next you spray the perimeter, with darker colors (usually tobacco browns or reds) and gradually work your way inward depending on the final width you want. Sometimes a dark cherry red is sprayed last to fog or blend a third color.

Honey bursts typically don't have a yellow background but rather use only one or two colors lightly sprayed around the perimeter. All bursts are then clear coated after the color(s) has been applied and the bindings scraped clean.

The finish is then allowed to dry thoroughly, sanded level to remove any orange peel and finally buffed to a mirror gloss. Its a lot more difficult than it sounds to end up with a color gradient that is even and the same width. There are no templates, its all done free hand.

Here are a couple examples of our work:

Honey burst:





Minimal burst:




Single face vintage tobacco burst:

[iim7V7IM7]

And here I thought you applied sun screen to the center and placed the guitar out in the sun...

[HHP]

In some of the small shops, like Bourgeois and maybe Larrivee, I hear that the head guy does the bursts personally. With everything that has to go into a build, it always struck me that the burst is the job they reserve for themselves.

[rogthefrog]

Thanks, Tim, for the detail.