Sanding Question

[bcjim]

I just started sanding my guitar body this morning and I'm using 60 grit paper on a 6'' electric palm sander. I've been at it for an hour and only have a spot the size of a half dollar to where I can see the wood. Should I use a courser paper or does it just take alot of time ? Also once I take the laquer finish off, could I use a paint stripper to remove the rest of the paint off of the body? -Thanks

[Southpa]

It very likely taking so long because your paper is gumming up with the old finish. A lot of heat is generated by your palm sander causing the finish to melt down and stick to the paper. If you want to continue dry sanding you have to periodically chip off the gunk that is sticking to the paper. But sometimes the paper will gum up in only a few seconds and the job can quickly turn into an ordeal. Applying too much pressure for extended periods only moves the melted finish around and doesn't do squat in the removal area as well as using up a lot of sandpaper.

Another option is to wet sand by hand with a slightly finer grit like 100 (wet/dry paper). Wet sanding keeps things cool and the water keeps the sanded material in suspension, ie. it doesn't stick to anything. Just wipe up every now and then and keep the holes plugged with pieces of paper towel. Use a flat, rigid block for the flat areas and a foam pad w/ sandpaper wrapped around it for the curves.

The other option is to use a paint stripper and scrape off the gunk. Just be careful when scraping. Its very easy to accidentally gouge nicks into the wood. Then you would have to sand the nicks out resulting in a slightly thinner guitar .

Edited March 12, 2005 by Southpa

[Mickguard]

Should I use a courser paper or does it just take alot of time ?

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I use 40 grit to start with and do it by hand...it took me 3-4 hours to take a tele down to the sealer. A nice tip was to have a piece of carpet next to me, and every few strokes I wiped the sanding block clean on that. This way there's no build up.

Another thought, getting through the sealer isn't easy. Don't know if it's necessary, unless you really really want bare wood.

I don't like chemicals.

[bcjim]

Are the chemicals bad for the wood, or do you just choose not to use them? And if I do decide to use them, what is the best thing to use?

[Southpa]

Chemicals tend to be a little on the messy (and caustic) side of stripping.

I tend to think one brand of paint stripper is as good as another, depends on how its used and what its being used on. I worked with "Poly-strippa" which is painted on and also Circa 1850 , a good aerosol furniture stripper. In most cases I've had to go thru 2 or 3 application / scraping sessions before hitting it with sandpaper.

They can't be bad for the wood because that is what they were made to do! But they can certainly be bad for you. Make sure you don't spray into the wind and keep lots of newspaper handy. You should wear heavy gloves and READ THE LABEL!

Edited March 12, 2005 by Southpa

[Mickguard]

Are the chemicals bad for the wood, or do you just choose not to use them? And if I do decide to use them, what is the best thing to use?

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Oh I just think it's messy nasty stuff, and from the little I've worked with them, I don't think you save all that much time...

Of course, when you're sanding, you still have to wear a respirator....

[Maiden69]

What kinda finish are you doing, I only use the 60 to shape wood, 180 should be fine for removing a factory finish, if it is a spray can paint, not nitro, then use either chemical or heat gun. like mentioned above this stuff gunks up like crazy with the heat generated by the the sander!

If you are finishing solid color, you just need to scuff the paint.

[Mickguard]

What kinda finish are you doing, I only use the 60 to shape wood, 180 should be fine for removing a factory finish, if it is a spray can paint, not nitro, then use either chemical or heat gun.  like mentioned above this stuff gunks up like crazy with the heat generated by the the sander!

If you are finishing solid color, you just need to scuff the paint.

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The stuff I had to get through (on my cheapo Asian tele) was way too tough for 180, that would have taken way too long. With 40, I got right through to the sealer, then I cleaned it up to about 200 before redoing the finish.