iskim86 Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 (edited) what if I leave the sides of the body half-sanded and rough? and if not, why do I have to sand it all the way down to the wood anyway? Edited April 9, 2007 by iskim86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 one more question: when I'm sanding the sides down, the wood is exposed on the outer edges (the corners) a lot earlier, and in order to expose the wood near the center, I have to sand a helluva lot and it kind of eats up the wood near the edges. is this normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelinchld Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 so ur sanding off an existing finish? what kind of finish is already on the guitar? what grit sandpapers do u have/using? are you sanding by hand or by powersander? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 so ur sanding off an existing finish? what kind of finish is already on the guitar? what grit sandpapers do u have/using? are you sanding by hand or by powersander? red sparkle type just a solid color with some poly over it. i'm using a 100 grit by hand and on a few places I went in the edges too deep so now the edges are gone, it's like a small contour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 the finish on the edge is always thinner it just doesnt build up mush there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 can anyone please answer my first question? I don't know if I should spend additional hours to sand the sides down.... thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted April 9, 2007 Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 just rough them up. Knock the finish down so it has some tooth and the paint will stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2007 just rough them up. Knock the finish down so it has some tooth and the paint will stick. the original color is red. I'm planning on painting it arctic white will it show through? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 You could hit it with a white or gray primer first to cover the underlying color if you feel that that might be an issue. I suppose that depends on the chemical makeup of the paint. Some types show the base color through more than others. Unfortunately I don't have the expertise to help you with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelinchld Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 (edited) just rough them up. Knock the finish down so it has some tooth and the paint will stick. the original color is red. I'm planning on painting it arctic white will it show through? i would just rough up all of the body with that 100 grit sandpaper, by hand will work. then if you can i advise that once the whole body is rough, use a higher grit mayb 320 or even higher would be better after that, so that there arnt huge scratches in the body any more. if u r just using spray paint put down some primer, white will work but with an original bright finish i would use a grey primer. then put down some color. if u r using spray paint, what kind are u using? ive used krylon and it worked pretty well, but i read that they changed their formula and its not as good as before. Edited April 10, 2007 by zeppelinchld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 Do not sand anything using 320 grit after sanding to 100 grit - you will end up having massive grit lines after you spray the primer that will be a pita to remove later on. Always progress on grits. 100, 150, 220, 300/320, 400 and you're set for primer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 If you are just going to paint it another solid color then NO, you don't have to take it right back to wood. Scuff it up real good and fill dents, nicks, scratches 'n dings. Type of filler is up to you, auto bondo does the trick for me on those little nasties. Sand everything smooth down to 320 grit, start with your 100, then 180 then 320 is fine. Use a solid, flat block for the flat areas and wrap the paper around a block of firm foam for curved areas. Clean the dust off very well either with compressed air or a quick wipe down with a damp rag making sure you flip the rag over to a clean side every now and then. Mask the neck pocket and inside cavities with paper and blue or green masking tape. If you are going for arctic white then use a primer that has the closest base color. Grey is good white is better. Shoot your primer, about half a dozen good coats, avoid drips, runs, sags etc. I always let primer dry for at least over night. Lightly scuff the primer with 320, clean off the dust and inspect for thin areas, or sanding breakthrus, shoot more primer if necessary. Then shoot your arctic white topcoats and clearcoats. Don't rush things, be systematic and thorough. There are NO shortcuts in doing a good finishing job. Give ample time between top coat painting sessions for your paint to "gas off" before continuing to the next stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiKro Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 If it is poly finish then only poly will work over it. So be careful that you don't use shellac, oil based or lacquer.. UNless you sand to wood!!!! Just my .02cents. MK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 thanks for all the input! i don't know if the original finish is poly so i guess i'm sanding it all the way through....... that should take some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted April 10, 2007 Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 What kind of guitar is it and how old is it? Also, is the current finish the original finish? It's more likely than not that it's a poly finish(this does not mean polyurethane as you would find at a homeowner's store but rather a catalytically cured automotive coating). If it is poly, you should be able to get away with spray can primer and paints from a local automotive store. I've used duplicolor's products before with good results. Be sure to use duplicolor's "scratch filling sandable primer" and not their regular "sandable primer." The stuff you want is gray, I believe. I've had some awful results with their other sandable primers that are red and black, I believe. If I were you, I would buy the paints and test on a section of the guitar that still has paint on it to see if you get any sort of negative reaction. Worst case you have to sand off a little bit more paint. It may end up saving you time though. peace, russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iskim86 Posted April 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2007 What kind of guitar is it and how old is it? Also, is the current finish the original finish? It's more likely than not that it's a poly finish(this does not mean polyurethane as you would find at a homeowner's store but rather a catalytically cured automotive coating). If it is poly, you should be able to get away with spray can primer and paints from a local automotive store. I've used duplicolor's products before with good results. Be sure to use duplicolor's "scratch filling sandable primer" and not their regular "sandable primer." The stuff you want is gray, I believe. I've had some awful results with their other sandable primers that are red and black, I believe. If I were you, I would buy the paints and test on a section of the guitar that still has paint on it to see if you get any sort of negative reaction. Worst case you have to sand off a little bit more paint. It may end up saving you time though. peace, russ it's a 2005 MIJ jackson DXMGT. it is the original finish. before checking this thread I already sanded the majority of the finish off... i might just finish the job while i'm at it I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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