Anyone removed a poly finish before?
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
oh and that rosewood is damn hot! I've got a yearning for some walnut....
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
Molly wrote:Stop. Will post some tips when I get home.Hollowpoint wrote:Most things I've read online seems to recommend using a heat gun/scraper online, but if possible I'd prefer to use a stripper so I don't burn or dig into the body.
Anyone done it before and have any recommendations?
Thanks!
Awesome, thanks!
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
nah, get the grinder out
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
I'm definitely no expert but have done enough to know I wouldn't use paint stripper. At least not for the bulk of the job. It's so bloody messy.
I've removed poly finishes with nothing more than a hairdryer. Heat guns are OK too but don't overdo it. It'll just blister and lift. You can pierce the blisters and peel it like an orange; chasing the edge with the heat so it softens and comes away cleanly. I used a feeler gauge as it was flexible and didn't scratch the body. I ended up with a 'bag of chips' in the space of an hour once when I stripped a Malmsteen Strat. However, the filler between the joins came away too so that needed tending to before I could apply more paint. Wouldn't have expected a wee line of filler but this particular Strat was a total POS with three poorly matched pieces of random alder. No better than a cheap Chinese guitar truth be told. The heavy poly finish hid a multitude of sins.
At the other end I've stripped some Custom Shop guitars and found wood with such a nice grain it was a shame to put more paint over it.
Anyway, main thing was I didn't want you scraping away for hours unnecessarily when the job can be done really cleanly and quickly.
I've removed poly finishes with nothing more than a hairdryer. Heat guns are OK too but don't overdo it. It'll just blister and lift. You can pierce the blisters and peel it like an orange; chasing the edge with the heat so it softens and comes away cleanly. I used a feeler gauge as it was flexible and didn't scratch the body. I ended up with a 'bag of chips' in the space of an hour once when I stripped a Malmsteen Strat. However, the filler between the joins came away too so that needed tending to before I could apply more paint. Wouldn't have expected a wee line of filler but this particular Strat was a total POS with three poorly matched pieces of random alder. No better than a cheap Chinese guitar truth be told. The heavy poly finish hid a multitude of sins.
At the other end I've stripped some Custom Shop guitars and found wood with such a nice grain it was a shame to put more paint over it.
Anyway, main thing was I didn't want you scraping away for hours unnecessarily when the job can be done really cleanly and quickly.
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
http://stompage.juansolo.co.uk/bajage.html
A guy's account of stripping his Baja tele. Seems straightforward enough.
A guy's account of stripping his Baja tele. Seems straightforward enough.
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
Thanks Alan, I hope it's that simple!
Here's the before pic:
Here's the before pic:
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
Yeah it's not bad but it is quite a bit rougher than the photo makes it look. I'm tempted to keep it as is but I did buy it specifically for this project... hmmmmm. Yeah I can never get sick of that view!
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
Looks great. Nice job.
I have a similar task to perform on my Tele. The black poly already has a large chip in it and you can see the paint is really thick. It's the lightest of my guitars and I'm hopeful that by the time I've got that crappy paint off and maybe given it a thin nitro refin it'll be the better for it. Suspect I won't actually be able to tell the difference tonally speaking...
I have a similar task to perform on my Tele. The black poly already has a large chip in it and you can see the paint is really thick. It's the lightest of my guitars and I'm hopeful that by the time I've got that crappy paint off and maybe given it a thin nitro refin it'll be the better for it. Suspect I won't actually be able to tell the difference tonally speaking...
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Re: Anyone removed a poly finish before?
Thanks guys! Now I just have to fill some of the old pickguard screw holes (new ones don't quite line up) and find somewhere that can print waterslide decals in white!
Good luck with yours Molly! Getting my finish off turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. I tried a hair dryer, a heat gun, and poly stripper and really didn't get very far other that the very top coat of of the poly off with a heat gun and scraper. That still left a thick coat of poly that i went at with sandpaper for days on end.
Good luck with yours Molly! Getting my finish off turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. I tried a hair dryer, a heat gun, and poly stripper and really didn't get very far other that the very top coat of of the poly off with a heat gun and scraper. That still left a thick coat of poly that i went at with sandpaper for days on end.