One of the most striking and enduring aspects of modern Rickenbackers are their consistently beautiful finishes. What makes them so special starts with the bare wood and is built up layer by layer to the mirror-like surface we all know and love. I have to say up front that finishes are not my area of expertise so the text of this post will be fairly thin. I am really only aware of the broad strokes of how they are achieved. The practical aspects of doing finishes properly are complex and impossible to outline in a single volume of text. Given that, I am sure I will leave much out so please feel free to fill in any missing pieces if you know them.
For much of the modern era (1952 to the present) Rickenbacker has used some kind of catalyzed varnish (sometimes called conversion varnish). I say “some kind” because constantly changing polymer technology and tough California VOC emissions laws have prompted frequent reformulations. The actual composition of the finish material is something of a moving target. Conversion varnish in general is a blend of polymer resins and a chemical hardener. The two parts are combined just before they are applied and react chemically releasing heat and causing the polymers to harden (cross link). What makes them special is that CVs tend to harden from the inside out as opposed to air-dried polys which tend to harden from the outside in. CVs are typically used in applications where durability and moisture resistance are important such as on burial caskets and upscale cabinetry. Conversion varnish is well suited to layering and can be used to build up more durable finishes than can be done with conventional poly.
Preparation
The wooden surfaces are carefully cleaned then sanded with progressively finer abrasives until there are no visible scratches or machine marks. This is a labor intensive but necessary start. Only after each section of the instrument has been properly sanded can the finishing process begin.
Sealer Coats
The first sprayed coats of finish are the sealer. The sealer sets up a dull, matte-looking surface that fills in and levels grain inclusions and gives the subsequent coats something to grab. If you recall from part 1 of this series, Rickenbacker uses mostly closed grained woods. Closed grain woods require a lot less sealer than do open grain woods. By the way, sealer is what is found as the finish on the natural 4001C64S and on the bare-looking fingerboards of Cheyennes and Laredos.
Color Coats
Whether solid color or burst the next step is when the color goes on. Solid colors are generally easier to apply than bursts - but not always. Apparently the metallic finishes like Ruby, Desert Gold, and Midnight Blue require some extra care that is not necessary for the opaque solids like Jetglo. The basic idea is to apply even coats of color to each section of the instrument until the desired coverage is achieved. Once each coat is dry it is carefully sanded smooth before the next coat is applied.
There has traditionally been a lot of variation in Rickenbacker bursts. That was the case anyway until a few years ago when they suddenly became very consistent. The bursts on older instruments can vary quite a bit with some being smooth and gradual from the center out while others are more abrupt. I prefer the gradual ones. Shooting bursts is an art form. It takes time and practice to develop a good technique. No two painters do it alike.
The Autumglo finish on my '80 4001 is a bit too abrupt for me. The burst starts out nicely but then gets far too dark.
After the color is applied and set, the binding (if any) is scraped clean of paint. There is some final sanding and cleanup before the next step. At this point, the finished color coat is dull in appearance because it is the foundation of the glossy layers to follow.
Gloss Coats
This is when the final look of the instrument begins to emerge. A layer of CV is applied and sanded leaving it smooth and thin. It is then covered by another layer that is rubbed the same way. The layering process is repeated until the desired thickness is achieved. I don't know how many layers there are in the finished product but it takes most of two weeks to complete. Finally, progressively finer abrasives are used to put a shine on the top layer of CV.
Buffing
Once the CV has been polished, the final step is buffing. The factory uses a Turtle Wax product (I don't remember which) for the buffing. This stage is critical and difficult because too much pressure too long on the buffing wheel can burn through the finish. A skilled and delicate touch is required for this operation. Once the buffing is complete the instrument is ready for assembly.
Colors
Over the last 5 decades Rickenbacker has offered many different color options. The single most identifiable finish of them all has to be Fireglo. This burst has been available for more than 50 years and the most amazing thing about it is how little it has changed since the beginning. Yellowing varnish over time has made many Fireglo instruments appear darker or more orange but the scarlet pigments used to make the color coat have remained essentially the same.
Four decades of Fireglo 1963, 1975, 1980, 1998
During the 80's it became fashionable for guitar makers to black-out chrome and and use opaque colors. Rickenbacker followed suit in 1985 with Red.
I have gone and confused it with another manufacturers color naming. 
