Customize the body of a guitar with swirled paint.
Learning to play the guitar is a skill that takes a lot of hard work to accomplish. Many artists, once they have done so, strive to make their sound and their appearance stand out from everyone else. A popular method of decorating a solid-bodied electric guitar body is to create swirled paint patterns on the surface, mimicking the psychedelic trends of early rock and roll. The advantage of this procedure is that you can customize the pattern to whatever color and style you want, but take the time to properly test your paint mixtures to ensure you get the proper design for you.
Instructions
1. Fill a 50-gallon plastic container, such as a storage bin or trash can, with cool water.
2. Pour one cup of Borax into the container and stir with a stirring stick until the Borax is completely dissolved. The Borax will enable your paint to spread out into the swirl pattern you need for your guitar. Allow the water/Borax mixture to sit for 30 minutes before continuing.
3. Drip one to two drops of oil-based paint into your water and observe. You should see the paint spread out and swirl through the water. If not, add another ¼ cup of Borax, stir and wait. Once the oil paint spreads out properly, you can begin.
4. Pour in your chosen oil paints, starting with the dark colors and then the light colors. Allow one color to spread out completely before adding the next. The actual amount of paint you need will vary by your design preference; you may want an even mix of color, or one color more dominant than the others.
5. Carefully swirl your paints around with a long dowel or wooden stirring stick. You can use a stiff bristle brush to create lines of mixed colors as well. Do so quickly, however, or the paint will begin to dry out.
6. Dip a plain white piece of PVC pipe or any other clean object into the paint for a test run. Once you dip it through the paint, use a piece of newspaper to move the paint aside and create a hole of clean water through which you can extract the object. Otherwise you will end up covering the object twice and losing your design.
7. Remove the test piece and inspect the pattern. Make any adjustments to the paint, pattern or extraction procedure as necessary. Test as many times as necessary until you get the perfect design for your guitar.
8. Line all sides and faces of the neck of the guitar with protective blue painter's tape. Cover any area that you do not want painted. This will stop the paint from clinging to the neck of the guitar while you dip it.
9. Dip the guitar body into the paint and allow it to rest for about 10 seconds. Make sure you submerge the entire body in the water. Using the same method as before, brush aside the paint, leaving a clean water space through which you can pull out the guitar.
10. Twirl the dyed guitar or place it in front of a fan to blow away excess beading water. Lay the guitar on a flat, dry surface for 24 hours to allow it to dry fully.
