Question For Re-finishing

[bigred84]

Hello all, I am new to guitar making, and to this forum.

My first project is to re-finish an old Gretsh guitar.

The body is stained a dark brown color. I have started by stripping the finish off, and rubbing with lacquer reducer, then naphtha (per Reranch).

Now that the bare wood is exposed, I have begun sanding to remove the stained color from the wood.

Here are my questions:

What grit sand paper should I be using, and how smooth should get the wood?

The Reranch recommends to use grain filler after cleaning and sanding. Is this completely necessary, and is grain filler the same as wood filler or sanding sealer?

I plan to paint the guitar metallic blue, but I would like to know the answers to these questions for both painting and staining (for future projects).

I appreciate any feedback!

[CrazyManAndy]

What wood is the guitar body made out of? Maple doesn't require grain filling, but Mahogany or any similarly porous wood does. Grain filler is different from wood filler and sanding sealer. The ReRanch 101 recommends going up to #220 grit before you start finishing.

CMA

Edited May 27, 2007 by CrazyManAndy

[bigred84]

Thank you CMA!

The wood I think is poplar. Is there a way I can know for sure, or a reference guide that everyone uses?

Thanks again

[CrazyManAndy]

I'm pretty certain Poplar is grain filled (it can't hurt, either way). Also, you might want to go up 320 grit, just to be sure you have a really nice surface to start with. You can never be too careful when it comes to finishing.

CMA