The Welder

The body that I ordered on ebay is alder. Should be here soon. I have a complete Squier Strat that's made out agathis and it is nice but it weighs a ton. The alder body will be combined with a Mighty Mite maple neck and a double-humbucker set-up. It's for my son. OK...so the wood won't be suitable for a clear finish. I still plan on stripping it to the bare wood. I want to do a complete re-finish from scratch. Will probably go with some kind of red, maybe a metallic.

Hi guys... I'm waiting on a Squier Strat alder body and a Mighty Mite maple neck to come in the mail. ebay purchases. The Squier body is black. I'm thinking that I want to totally remove the factory finish so that I can see how the grain looks. If the grain is nice, maybe I'll go with a clear colored finish. If not, I'm thinking about a metallic red. Does anybody know if the original black is polyurethane? If I use paint stripper will that damage the wood? It seems like paint stripper soaking into the wood could create future problems... Otherwise, is sanding my best alternative? Thanks.

Thanks Maiden69....OK....if I leave the black on, what should I use to fill scratches, dings, etc. in the original paint?

Hi Vox...I'm new too and I'm wondering the same thing about removing paint...specifically a solid color on a Strat body. I know there's got to be a right way...last time I refinished a guitar, I used an electric sander to take off the old finish, but I'm wondering if it is OK to use paint stripper out of a can? I'm building a custom Strat...the body that I have is black, but I want to paint it sea-foam green.