STEP１
First, scrape the existing paint using an electronic sander. In order to remove the polyester coat, which is almost penetrating into the wood, use force and forget about some small scars you may have to leave with the sander. Our veteran craftworkers then polish the surface carefully to erase the scars.
STEP 2
Because the normal type of urushi lacquer tends to change its color to darker brown when wipe-lacquered and solidified, we use a transparent type of lacquer called nashiji-urushi, which is resistant to discoloration over time. Mix the lacquer with color pigment and dilute the mixture with turpentine, a distilled oil from the resin obtained from woodchips or sawdust of pine trees. Apply the liquid over the bare wood, and then wipe it with a soft cloth. This unique process, which is the distinctive feature of wipe lacquering, reinforces the wood.
STEP 3
After the first paint-and-wipe process and coloring, the body is dried in a high-humidity drying closet called urushi-buro or lacquer bath. The temperature inside the closet is maintained between 20–25 degrees C (68–77 degrees F) and the humidity between 75–85%. The laccase enzyme contained in urushiol, an oil content of the urushi sap, reacts with oxide and moisture content in the atmosphere to form polymer resin and solidifies urushiol.
STEP 4
After another paint-and-wipe process of the nashiji-urushi solution diluted with turpentine, apply the paint-and-wipe process a few more times but this time with colored urushi. This seems similar to the see-trough painting process, but the process is quite different because the wipe lacquering requires painting multiple times. These processes may be the main feature to create the beautiful texture that is unique to the wipe-lacquered guitar.
STEP 5
Next, paint and wipe with nashiji-urushi only. In order not to disturb the created color, we do not add pigment here. Simply repeat this process more than a dozen times to obtain the rich aesthetic tone.
STEP 6
This is how the body looks after applying the above step 5. Because we use a cloth to wipe the lacquer at this stage, the body is not yet glossy enough.
STEP 7
After repeating the paint-and-wipe process for about 10 times. From this point, we use soft paper instead of cloth to have some amounts of lacquer remain on the surface to give the body a nice gloss.
STEP 8
Mix a superior quality lacquer with the one we have used so far to add further paint-and-wipe applications. By gradually upgrading the quality of the lacquer and by changing the touch of the wipe, we add a glossy finish.
STEP 9
Attach hardware and pickups to finish the setup. The guitar now has a unique touch and feel that the original model had never had.
