dalandser Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 I was considering refinishing a solidbody that has an interesting marbled paintjob in a way that will leave the original finish on parts and reveal the natural wood on other parts. This look is sometimes used by PRS in their neck scallops that are natural while the rest of the guitar is painted. Also Hamer and Parker will do this on some of their headstocks. It seems that I will have to mask off the part that I would like to keep the original paint job and be very exact with the stripping process to make it look good. The guitar is an import so I'm pretty sure there will be a poly clear and sanding sealer. I would appreciate any suggestions for how to do this. It seems like chemical stripper is necessary as well as a masking material that won't melt or allow the stripper to soak through the masking to make sure that the original finish is preserved under the masked areas. Thank You, Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 I think it would be difficult to mask a finish from a chemical stripper and have any real control. Sandpaper is the way I would go. Please note that others here have a lot more experaince so if they so different believe them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 It would be easier to strip the guitar and start with a flat surface and new paint. them paint the pattern back on. there are several reasons the whole idea will bite you on the butt and make you squeal, so here is just one. Just getting a level surface with a decal is a good deal of work imagine trying to level the finish in what you are planning. Expect to add coat after coat of clear and then spend hours sanding that down over the old paint until you build it up enough in the areas you removed. Plus the cost of all that paint will be excessive. If you dont have spray equipment it will be a shocker buying rattle cans. Not a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted June 16, 2010 Report Share Posted June 16, 2010 my experience is only with stripping a mim fender (never gonna do that agian) and chemicals wont even knock the shine off a fender. not sure what you got though so hopfuly its not quite as bullet proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalandser Posted July 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the info. I was thinking that a dremel and a steady hand could do the trick nicely since I was thinking about improving the neck access to the higher frets. If I were to do this I would put tape (blue tape) down and just dremel through the tape to protect the existing finish near the work area and keep it there until all the sanding was finished. It turns out the guitar was plain black though and the pictures that I had purchased it from were simply pixelating the black finish into a blue / black look. I'm going to sell the guitar because it didn't fit me. I do have a new project and it's time to figure out how to strip it completely - searching the forum for chemical products that will work on new guitars. Here we go! EDIT: I bought a heat gun. If everything goes smoothly according to plan with my custom aanj neck joint then I'll try taking the finish off. Edited August 23, 2010 by dalandser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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