The Story of Guitarbage

This guitar has a bit of a story and has come a long way.

My husband spotted this guitar sticking out of a garbage dump at a landfill site. It wasn’t worth repairing so it ended up being used for this art project.

Art Resin Canada contacted me with an art challenge and offered me some art resin. A big thanks to Art Resin Canada for Guitarbage becoming the project for the challenge. Guitarbage now has a new life and is very happy. LOL.

Prior to painting and prepping the guitar for a fluid acrylic pour the following steps were done: All the hardware was stripped from guitar; Two coats of Kiltz 2 gesso were applied to the sides and top; Masking tape was applied around the edges on the bottom side of guitar; The side was painted with two coats of black acrylic enamel; Fluid acrylic paint was prepared for the project. Colors used were turquoise, purple with a bit of deep magenta, yellow, white and black. Gold highlights were also added.

Guitar after it is painted and prior to resin finish

This project was a considerable challenge due to the fact that the surface of the guitar is curved and not flat. It took a bit of planning to figure out how I could add the Art Resin without it all falling off the edges.

On February 17, 2021 I received the Art Resin. It was exciting. The next phase of the project would begin the next day.

I poured the first layer of resin. Calculation was that I would need 8 oz. There was plenty of resin. The resin has a nice viscosity for stirring and is crystal clear. I mixed the Hardener and Resin  together and stirred it for 5 minutes. There is about a 45 minute window of working time after you pour it so that was plenty of time. I used a foam brush and wide popsicle stick to spread the resin out.

The guitar has a curved body so some of the first layer of resin ended up running off. Prior to adding a second layer of resin I taped the edge with painter’s tape to create a well so that the second layer would not run off. It worked fairly well and I took the tape off after approximately 6 hours.

Tip: Never add silicone oil to a fluid acrylic pour if you are planning on using resin to coat your project after.

The final phase of the project was to add some battery operated lights. My husband pulled the lights through various open spots in the guitar prior to pouring resin into several of the open cavities. I had to add a few layers for this to work. The guitar turned out quite nice and Guitarbage is much happier now that it has been revived.

Overall I highly recommend using Art Resin for this type of project. The final finish is hard to the touch and brings out the vibrancy of the colors. The photos do not truly represent the brilliance of the colors it creates. Again, thanks to Art Resin Canada for providing the product for this project.

Guitarbage’s First Night Out

Guitarbage on Display