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Stripping/ Refinishing Guitars with Binding


lowe9

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I have a gibson les paul with a black finish on it. It is quite old and the guitar was in a fire and some of the finish is burnt. I am planning on stripping the paint and painting the guitar black again. I don't want to damage the binding. Can i use a paint stripper? i have already stripped the neck with something called "Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint and Varnish Remover. It worked great. can i use this on the body, or will it damage the binding? as well once the guitar is done, what is the best way to mask of the binding when i respray the guitar?

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It depends on the stripper that you are using...I don't think that the citrus based ones will harm the binding. However, I wouldn't do this unless you have some spare binding lying around and test it with the stripper first!! Acetone will turn binding into goo - and I assume most other strong solvents will. You should be using more sanding than chemical with a guitar.

As per spraying/finshing with binding; tape the side edge off (thickest part of the binding). I just had excellent results using an automotive pinstriping tape. You leave the binding on the front (and rear) of the guitar uncovered and you shoot over it. Then, after the black has dried a bit, you take a razor blade and CAREFULLY scrape the top coat off to reveal the binding. Use your thumb as a guide. Then remove the tape from the side, clean up any black that got through (shouldn't be much). Now clear coat the entire thing.

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