Heat Gun Practice

[integra]

So i'm thinking about stripping a body as part of a project but I've never used a heat gun before. I'm looking to get some practice in before I let rip on the actual guitar.

I could just buy an old body from eBay but that looks like it'll be at least £30 which seems a little high just for something to practice on. Is there anything else I could cheaply obtain to practice stripping with?

Thanks.

[SwedishLuthier]

You can practice on nearly any thing with paint on. If you are on the right side on the atlantic i'd invite you to practice on my Windows. They badly need to be repainted

Seriously, if you are afraid of using the heat gun, there are two main alternatives:

Sanding and chemical stripper. Check this out:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...987&hl=stripper

Peter

[integra]

It's not that i'm scared of it, I've just never done it before so i'm not sure what to expect. So anything with paint on eh?.... I'll have a look around! Does the clear coat on guitars make much of a difference when it comes to heat stripping? Should I be looking for wood with a similar finish to a guitar or will any old painted wood do?

I read the tutorial on chemical strippers and the guy was saying it's best used on guitars which have already been refinished. Also the guy in that post you linked to was saying it didn't work on RGs, which is what i'm going to be stripping. Which is unfortunate cos that does sound a safer route to go!

[Drak]

Using heat guns:

1. Do it OUTSIDE! The fumes coming off the instrument are harmful to you, not something to do indoors.

2. Have on-hand 1 or 2 or 3 putty knives of different widths and thicknesses.

3. Keep the heat moving over a oh, 8 x 8 section for a few minutes, and see if you can slip a putty knife underneath the finish.

Be careful not to gouge the wood.

4. If you can't get a putty knife under it yet, keep heating the same area, over and over, keep the gun moving slowly and steadily.

5. Once you get the first piece off, the rest is sort of self-explanatory.

6. Don't sniff the fumes.

[integra]

Thanks for the tips! A question about the actual gun itself. I'm going to be using one from a mate's workshop at uni. So i'm not sure what size it is. Is there a minimum or maximum temp for stripping? I don't want to be standing there for hours waiting for paint to come off and likewise I don't want to burn a hole through the body! Or are they all pretty standard?

[Drak]

No, a heat gun is a heat gun, as long as it's not a hair dryer.

One more tip...

Don't leave the gun in one spot, or the finish will bubble up and go real gooey on you and you might burn the wood underneath too.

If you're having trouble getting it soft enough to get a knife under, then just close down the area you're working on, instead of an 8 x 8 area, try a 6 x 6 area.

To do it right (clean) it does take about 2-3 minutes for the finish to heat up as you keep moving the gun around, so don't get frustrated too fast and just leave it in one place and have a goo blister pop on you...if you get a goo blister, it will puff smoke and fumes. If you do it right and take your time, there is almost no smoke or fumes, it's all about gently heating the finish up to the point where it's like butter, but not catching fire on you.

[Southpa]

Your success will be determined by how well the finish is bonded to the wood. I stripped an Ibanez Roadstar "stratocopy" with a heat gun about 8 yrs ago. It was awful thick in some places and when I was done I had a MUCH lighter guitar . Underneath was 4 blocks of alder. I have a pic of the body after sanding, will add it here later if you like.

I found the best way (for this type of guitar) was to follow the body contours and peel off long strips with a putty knife. Keep moving the heat gun lengthwise covering maybe 3" X 10" area and work your way across the guitar. Try not to burn all the hair off your knuckles. Oh, and endgrain areas can be real fun too.