Ki swordsman Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 just wondering if anyone's got a good way to sand the curvy sides of a stratlike guitar? other than simply going at it with sandpaper in hand.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Heat gun and scraper. But only if you plan on doing a solid-colour refinish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 nah i'm sanding it this time and it'll be a swirl finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Most swirls start out with a solid white base coat so you can get away with the heat gun easily bro..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 yeah i gotta sand though 3 reasons= don't know anything about heatguns don't have a heatgun do have sandpaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 You're removing the paint? Why? If you're going for a "solid" swirl, why go through all the hassle of removing the finish, just to refinish it again? Sand it down enough for the primer to grab, and off you go....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 I.. Can't.. answer.. hypnotized .. by .. Brians..new.. Avatar...... PS.. Eddie can't hold himself in there, might jump right out of the Avatar and chase Brians..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 You're removing the paint? Why? If you're going for a "solid" swirl, why go through all the hassle of removing the finish, just to refinish it again? Sand it down enough for the primer to grab, and off you go....... is this healthy? i just assumed...i'd take the old paint off, won't it affect the guitar? (bridges height would be raised slightly...guitar....getting....bigger...captain!..) i got the front and back down in no time...too late to turn back.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 (bridges height would be raised slightly...guitar....getting....bigger...captain!..) How much paint are you planning on putting on it? Seriously, smooth what you've got to 400 grit or so ( make sure it's dead flat, no finger grooves, and be sure to sand the gloss off so the primer will stick), prime it, paint it white, swirl it and clear it. If you can put enough paint on it to raise the bridge enough to cause problems, the bridge will be the least of your problems. If it worries you, mask off the bridge mounting area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Drum sanders work nicely for the sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 what's a drum sander? lovekraft, i guess i just like the theory of starting clean, maybe next time i'll try and get a heatgun anyway.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 It definitely would have been easier to just rough up the previous finish and prime over it. If you're down to bare wood, now you might need to fill the grain (& sand), then apply sanding sealer (& sand), before priming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 If you're determined to take it down to bare wood, use an orbital sander with velcro-stick-on sanding disks. Just be sure to keep it moving along the edges, or you'll get a bunch of little flat spots that will stick out like a sore thumb. For finer-quality sanding (like sanding the finish coats) I do the edges strictly by hand. A drum sander is a tube of sandpaper on a rubber cylinder that is chucked into a drill or drill press; most off-the-shelf ones that I've seen have a very coarse grit, but I suppose you can get finer-grit tubes (though I haven't seen any in hardware stores). For inside the horns I just use an old 6" length of closet pole, wrap the sandpaper around that, and have at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 I used a sanding spunge (that are generally used for finishing). wrapped it in sandpaper and used that for the edges. It worked quite well but probably isn't the best method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Ok, I calm him down... ^^^ they sponge works great, it won't get those nasty finger grooves that you will get if you use the sandpaper by itself. Als o3M makes a wet/dry sponge that is already coated with abrassive material, this is what I'm using when I'm refinishing bikes and stuff that have rounded contours. And it's reusable, that stuff will last for ever, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 well, i did the front and back no probs with an electric sander, and did half the sides tonight by hand, i tried the sponge(which is great for certain contours) but paper in hand seems more efficiant, though the sponge would kick ass if it was coarser... i don't see how you could get finger grooves though, how big do you mean? i see no evidence of any at the moment, is it the sort of thing that might only show through the finish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 If you sand on an area using just your fingertips eventually you will wear grooves in the surface. It all depends on what sort of quality you are after. Some folk's level of perfection will be different from other's. But things DO show up in the final coat if you are going with a high gloss. Also, imperfections are more noticeable with darker colors. You can use fingertips or the side of your hand for inside radius areas. Cup your hand around outside radius areas, always sanding along the length of the radius, never across. I prefer a rigid block on the flats and a sponge w/ sandpaper wrapped around for the curves making long strokes. I don't buy those sponge blocks with the paper already attached. I actually have some "special" sponge material that was given to me by my old boss. I wouldn't trade it for anything, it has just the right amount of give. Also, I can just tear off any grit I like and wrap it around the sponge. I'm used to block sanding huge surfaces (boat hulls) with very close tolerances, that is, up to 400 grit and checking with a batton (long metal straightedge). It gets to the point where you can't actually "see" the dips and humps but they are there. You have to rely on your ears by "tap tap tapping" your way along the length of the batton. Mark the areas with a pencil and then work at getting that happy medium, ie. knocking down the highs and filling in the lows. On a smaller scale I use a steel ruler with guitars in much the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotrock Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Als o3M makes a wet/dry sponge that is already coated with abrassive material, this is what I'm using when I'm refinishing bikes and stuff that have rounded contours. And it's reusable, that stuff will last for ever, Yup, that's what I'm using albeit a cheap ripoff. DOesn't really matter what grade sponge because you can still wrap sandpaper around it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Southpa, is it a black one like a soft rubber? I got them in a auto paint supply like Car Quest. They are the best ones, and they are 3M also (no grit on this one, smooth as a babys butt) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Hey! I just got the day off! nyahnyah nyah nyah NYAAH NYAAAAH! Just shot another laquer coat on the SG. I'm waiting for the UPS guy with a BDay present from my father. He didn't tell me what the package will be, other than its from Future Shop. T'would be cool if its a digital camera, then I can take a picture of this mysterious sponge material I speak of. It originally came in long strips, about 4" across (may have been in sheet form before that) and 3/4" thick. I only have a couple pieces. Color is white, I don't know what it was originally used for, possible some sort of sound dampening insulation in the marine industry. It readily springs back to its original shape when used even when wetsanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 i don't think finger grooves will be a problem with just a little care, it's not like you sand in one spot for ages i'll have to see if i can get some better sponges, cos they're ingenious!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ki swordsman Posted June 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 just did a bit more, the sponge is kicking ass today but i need one that keeps it's grit for longer... i came down to a rather thick clear coat over the wood, must've been used as a sealer, there'd be no need to sand through that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 If you are refinishing it for a swirl nope! just make sure that it's smooth and that all the gloss is gone before applying the base coat or primer what ever you are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 I'm more than open to the fact i may have not done this in the best way, but.... On the only total refinish i've done (ok, doing - i've got the buffing out left to do!) i stripped the incredibly bad paint job that was on a start (i think it was household emulsion) with paint stripper and very course wire wool... which took about 4 hours one afternoon. It didn't seem like a huge effort and i was left with bare wood to start afresh with. I do have some pics if you want a nosey. Denny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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