Removing Paint From Guitar Neck

[Rincewind]

hi all, i own an ESP explorer and i have decided to do a custom job. I have so far stripped down all the hardware from the guitar and have used an electric heat gun to remove the paint from the body. So far i am sanding the body with fine sand paper then moving onto finer grades of wet & dry. I am ok on that part of things, until i move onto the neck...which is also painted.

Now i have already done alittle test burn with the torch on the front of the headstock, and it is the same wood as the body. I have still got to remove the plastic nut, which i will do tomorrow. Now the whole back of the neck is painted and lacquered straight from the factory. The lacquer also covers the sides of the rosewood fretboard, so it is seamless. So my question is, how do i remove the paint safely without damaging the rosewood fretboard in anyway?

I thought a heat gun was to risky, unless i turn the heat down to setting 1 and take it nice and slow. Chemical paint stripper might damage the fretboard or stain it?? or i could rub the paint of by hand using wet &dry and this could change the contours of the neck. So is the particular way of doing this task? All help or ideas are appriecated because as you can imagine, if i make a mistake i have ruined my neck and therefore my guitar and project. Which is why i am asking for your advice.

Many Thanks

Stephen

[american_jesus]

get some paint stripper. it shouldn't damage the wood on the fretboard, so you should be fine.