Help with Finishing

[nzhorsey]

Hi Everyone

Firstly, thanks so much to everyone here who reads and then shares your advice and experience, it’s very appreciated!

So, I made a ukulele back in 2015 and never got around to finishing it with a lacquer/oil/clear coat, but want to finally get it finished now.

I have a friend who is a Panel beater and I had been told that I could finish it with 2 Pack Clear Coat. Here are my questions:
1. Do I need to do anything else to my ukulele to prepare it for it’s final coat in terms of sanding or a sealant?
2. Can I just paint the uke with 2 Pack clear coat direct to the raw timber or will it need some sort of sealant?
3. Will 2 Pack (the clear coat used on cars) work for a high gloss and hard finish without affecting the sound of Ukulele to much?

Thanks for your help:)

[Allen]

It would totally depend on the timber and the 2K clear coat. As far as being durable, shinny, impervious to water, alcohol etc. no worries there. But the flexibility is really an unknown. Metal doesn't move anywhere near what wood will. Flex agents / additives are added to most automotive finishes that are to be sprayed on rubber - plastic components so they stand some sort of chance of not shattering when they deform.

Modern automotive clear are most often designed to be high build in minimal coats. Generally 2 coats or even 1.5 for full build. This wouldn't be ideal for an acoustic instrument because it takes a fair bit of work to get a good high gloss finish. Pore filling being the first step. You would then want to level sand the finish and then shoot another coat or two. Then later level sand and buff.

If the system is designed to be high build then by the time you are at the end of the finishing process, you will have applied more product / build than you would want.