Snakeskin finish, - created 06-21-2009

Somes, Joe - 06/21/2009.13:32:39

Anyone have experience with snakeskin finishes?

I’ve been practicing airbrushing snakeskin finishes but can’t seem to get it going on as good as the finish on my Jackson SL2H.

I don’t have any problem getting the snakeskin look – using fishnet stockings as the template - going on but when going around corners it always bunches up so the “scales” look wrong. But they are perfect on my Jackson!

Anyone know how they do this? Do they have some sort of fishnet jacket they wrap around the body & neck to get such a perfect “snake” going?

Thanks for any insight.

Joe

How about a photo of your guitar, Joe?

Hi Mark,

Sure - here's a couple photos. First one shows the horn & how the "scales" don't bunch up; what I'm trying to achive.

Joe

...and the whole thing.

So that's the factory finish, right? I like that look.

I am interested because I have always wanted to finish a guitar with a "fish" color and finish. I think I could use this little trick too, so I'd like to learn how to do it myself.

I think the key would be the right stuff to use for a mask, maybe the fishnet stockings have too much stretch and something else that would cling closely but not stretch so much would be the key.

You may be able to use something besides stocking material - search for "fishnet fabric" and see what comes up.

Mark - yep it's the factory finish.

Fishnet stockings are what I have found that gives the best effect - they come in all different sizes of fishnet so you can get a bunch of different looks. I do like the way you can stretch the fabric to get a more realistic looking pattern.

Deb - I did search for fishnet fabric & went to quite a few fabric stores in my quest for the perfect "template".

But, I still can't find what I need to get a consistent scale look around sharp corners/multiple intersections like the horns of an electric guitar. My material always bunches up there so I always get a big "blotch" of the base color.

A while ago, I heard somewhere, that Jackson (now Fender) used metal lath for these paint jobs. Don't know if it's true or not as I can't see how to hold it tight enough against the item being sprayed....

Joe

I wonder if you can stretch your fish net over the guitar, use something to stiffen the fish net so it retains the shape of the instrument, then spray the paint.

I don't do any of this kind of finish work. Do you have to hold the mask off of the surface?

I bet you got a lot of people looking at you as if you had two heads in your shopping trips. "Sir, you say you want fishnet stockings for your guitar?"

Hey Bill, haven't you seen the movie trailers for Bruno?

Steve - you spray your base coat (black if you look at the picture of my guitar), let it dry then put the fishnet over top of that; tight so that when you hit it with more paint (grey in the photo) it doesn't go under the fhisnet. Then put on some snake markings, spray some highlights, remove the fishnet & clear it.

Bill - you got that right!

Joe--Does the pattern on the finished guitar show where they sewed the seam together?

Steve - no, it doesn't.

So, taking this into consideration, I guess I could spray one side plus the edges first. Then do the other side & try to get everything to line up on the edges...

There has to be an simpler method.

This is a whacky idea, but is it possible that they have something rigid that's shaped like the guitar - like heat molded plastic or something like that? That pattern reminds me of certain types of steel grid I've seen.

They use that rubber "non slip" mat material- the kind like you would use on a workbench. You need to find the right one that has diamond pattern in it.

They pull it tight around the body and use clothes line hanger pins to hold the excess.

I did similar to a rifle using a nylon "delicates" clothes washing bag to paint a desert camo pattern.

Whatever material you use, it has to be pulled tight to the surface, or the "scale" will be a blurry blob. You may need to spray different areas by removing and reapplying the mask. Naturally you need to leave it in place long enough for the paint to set so you dont smear it when you remove the mask.

Is this the rubber material you mean, Julian? I'm not sure about the size of the open spaces, but it seems to have a diamond shape.

It's hard to tell Shawn. It looks similar.