Bestie bought this guitar for dirt cheap due to it's beaten appearance and he'd like to do a refinishing on it with a new, glossy paint job. We've been stripping it for several days but the finish is still on; what's the best practice to get this guitar cleaned and ready for repaint? I think I have to sand the finish but I didn't wanna start until I knew more.
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Flat top makes things way easier. Those bridge anchors/inserts can be removed with a bit of heat. Stick a soldering iron in there for a few minutes, thread the post in and pull the whole thing out. That wire is a ground and will be pressed under the RH insert. you'll need to make sure you put it back during reassembly unless switching to active pickups.
Then hit it with an orbital sander. The outer layer may be a urethane or similar, and that finish looks to be possibly a mix of paint and stain. Likely paint if it's a cheaper instrument. Just try to not remove too much of the actual wood and pick your color of choice. Looks like a Dean, from the shape of the tailpiece and the bolt-on neck. I've had a few Dean guitars I really liked.
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
Thanks bro!
Pretty sure it's a Dean, probably a mixture. It's definetly got Urethane on it as you can see from that worn patch on the left. Good to know just an orbital sand with fine grit should be enough. How low should I go in grit? Maybe start with 800?
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
Only if you really want to "savor" the process. I'd probably start at 220, that urethane will be tough stuff.
Of course it depends on how you want to refinish it too. I tend to go down to bare wood, but if you're just wanting to paint it black (for example) I'd just get the urethane smooth and prime/paint. It'll wear off under heavy use, but it adds character.
Almost all modern factory built guitars are finished in Polyester. Are you going to a solid color? If so treat it like your base coat and do not strip all the way to bare wood. Smooth out whats there and spray over it.
Trent said:Almost all modern factory built guitars are finished in Polyester. Are you going to a solid color? If so treat it like your base coat and do not strip all the way to bare wood. Smooth out whats there and spray over it.
Yeah we're doing a solid color. Think we should figure difference between polyester and urethane first?
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