“Magma” guitar made with Marblizer and Candy Red paint

Here is a paint job done by the artisan luthier Remige Lutherie.

The Special effect chosen is the marbled effect “Marblizer” which is a relatively simple paint to apply and which gives an impressive visual effect. Its optical effect of depth is amplified when applying a colored varnish “Candy” to its surface

We invite you to discover all the stages of the work carried out with brillo by Remige Design in its video below.

Like every week, we have the pleasure of presenting to you, through an interview, a talented applicator who uses a special effect paint on a particular support.

@stardustpaints Marblizer – peinture marbrée avec candy rouge @remigedee ♬ son original – stardustcolors

Applying the Marblizer

It is a manual application which is carried out with a sheet of cellophane which is dropped on the surface freshly covered with a thick layer of products. The plastic sheet can be removed and reapplied several times within the 30 second time interval after applying the marble effect, in order to modify and cross the patterns, or to remove material.
The product has a silver appearance and gives maximum contrast with the black background: the silver particles reflect the light, while the black background catches the light.

Applying Candy varnish

With a choice of twenty Candy colors available in the range of Candy Stardust paints, it is possible to color the Marblizer effect in any shade. In general, 3 coats are necessary to obtain intense color and a significant depth effect. If more layers are applied, the damage will continue to darken until it reaches a transparent black color.

Interview and presentation with Remige Lutherie

How many years have you been working as a luthier professionally? What is the name of your brand?

I have been operating since 2016 under the name Rémige Design/Lutherie.

Do you make instruments entirely? from A to Z ?

Yes it’s even my main activity, I work with clients on demand, no project is really alike!

What type of string instruments do you make?

I make electric and acoustic guitars and electric and acoustic basses.

About your customization work on a Guitar with Marblizer effects? What difficulties have you encountered? and what are some tips and advice that you can share with those who would like to try the “Marblizer candy” technique on their guitar?

I first had to discover the product that I didn’t know at all, I had to understand how to use it and what it allowed to do, it dries very quickly it’s not easy to do exactly the desired patterns before the latter freezes, it is also necessary to open the flow of the gun to avoid having only dry extracts which dry even faster.

How did you achieve this special finish on this Morphée Guitar?

Here it is a poplar burl table (a kind of tumor that grows on a tree) tinted with colored inks then varnished, the pattern of the wood being already very spectacular at the start, it takes little to create an exceptional finish

How many instruments leave your workshop each month?

I would rather say each year, an instrument takes on average 3 months to manufacture, it’s around 2/3 instruments per year, obviously these are unique and exceptional works.

Can we have an idea of price for a personalized instrument?

It’s very variable, there isn’t really an upper limit, the higher the range the materials and the violin making the more the price goes up, we can go from around 2000 euros for a very simple instrument with quality equipment, to 6000/7000 € for an instrument like the AFD which is made of exceptional woods and whose violin making is very complex. Inflation doesn’t help matters by pushing up absolutely all prices…

How do you make yourself known to your customers? Where can we see your physical or online store?

I started by making videos on Youtube, after a while and working hard with drastic quality requirements, people who appreciated my work helped me to make myself known, I then settled on Instagram which is ideal for the visually spectacular aspect of my activity; I am now also trying to establish myself on TikTok and evolve with different media, I always demand an atmosphere of sharing and kindness, my workshop is located in Olargues in Herault (34) and my website remigedesign.fr is for the moment only a means of contacting me because I have no commercial activity but only artisanal.

Instagram : remigelutherie

TikTok : RemigeDee

Steps and tips for successful crystallized paint

The Crystalizer is a completely exotic product among all existing products in the world of decorative paint or bodywork. It allows you to create a surface with patterns of crystals, and when combined with the Candy technique (transparent colored clearcoat), the Crystalizer produces a real illusion of depth, a sort of crystallized optical illusion effect.

It is possible to use the Crystalizer technique on any surface, any primed material, and on objects or devices of any size : motorcycles, helmets, countertops or tables, joysticks, video console, sculptures…

What exactly is the Crystalizer ?

It is a liquid product, based on alcohol and also containing a salt ; during its evaporation, the product creates a crystallized surface, with slight reliefs formed by crystals.

The product once dry is very delicate, and can be removed with a simple rinse. This decoration can only be fixed with a light coat of black paint*, before the rinsing phase. During cleaning, we just “decapitate the edges of the crystals” and only the deep areas retain the black paint.

Setup for a Crystalizer effect succeeds

It is possible to use any colored background, as long as this background color will contrast with the shading color.

It is much more interesting to use a reflective paint under the Crystalizer and a colored varnish, in order to reflect the light well and create a luminous and powerful color.

Usually aluminum paint is used.

However, you can use mother-of-pearl, Chameleon, chrome, glitter…

Attention ! It is not recommended to apply the Cristalizer directly on the aluminum paint. The latter produces a surface composed of metallic micro flakes which overlap in all directions and it does not form a favorable and ideal surface for the propagation of crystals. It is therefore important to have a varnished bottom, to obtain a smooth and perfect surface.

Of course it is necessary to sand the dry clearcoat with 400 grit paper. This will allow the crystals to adhere well. With a finer sanding, the crystals come off the surface too easily when rinsing.

Application and drying

It is not a paint, so it is unnecessary and not recommended to apply this product with a spray gun, making multiple coats and expertly applied !

No, you just have to wet the surface copiously, all at once and as quickly as possible. Especially if the temperature is over 20°, in which case crystallization can develop rapidly.

It should not be disturbed or covered with a second layer.

So once the part has been well covered with the product, the excess can possibly be evacuated, by leaning or shaking the part (if this is possible of course).

On very large surfaces, such as a boat, for example, we will try to apply the right dose, and we will move all around the boat as quickly as possible.

Successful crystallization is done with a dry and warm atmosphere. On the contrary, it is impossible to succeed in the application in a humid and cold atmosphere.

You can keep the Crystalizer dry as long as you want without covering it, provided you store the piece in a dry environment.

Shading

It is convenient to use a solvent-based paint.

As for the color, it is necessary to use a solid color, not transparent, not pearly, and sufficiently different from the background color.

It is important to apply the right amount :

If you apply too little paint, the decor will be too light.

If too much paint is applied, rinsing and cleaning will require too much pressure and insistence, and this will always risk washing away the fragile crystals.

The Crystalizer does not form any thickness after rinsing because it simply disappears.

It is important not to delay after applying the paint, to clean it with water and an old abrasive sponge. A well-worn dish sponge is ideal !

Beyond 2 or 3 minutes, it will no longer be possible to clean the crystals without applying too much force.

When practicing the technique on large surfaces, it is necessary to act with 2 applicators, one to apply the paint, and another applicator which follows immediately behind to carry out the cleaning without delay.

Once the black crystallized decoration has been cleaned and sanded with an abrasive sponge, it can be varnished or left as it is, for as long as needed.

Coloring and clearcoat

A Candy varnish is used, to choose from among the 24 Candy colours, and depending on the number of coats, the final color will be more or less dark.

2 types of effects are possible : discreet, dark and deep finishes, and finishes with bright and intense colors that will make the crystal decoration very visible.

On a classic crystallized decor in aluminum and black colors, the most vivid colors are Green, Yellow, Orange.

Dark and deep colors are Reds, Violets, Blacks, Browns, Blues.

With the latter, the effect is particularly discreet and is revealed when the sun hits the paint.