How should I take off white spray paint from body?

lukedlb

In my younger days I foolishly spray painted my vantage guitar with white spray paint (yes, just regular white spray paint). a bit of body heat and the paint still gets sticky from over 25 years ago. I sprayed it directly on top of the varnished wood.
I'd like to restore it to its original state in the easiest way possible. Would thinner do it?

WezV

Test some things in the cavities. Thinners may work, even paint stripper.

If you are lucky the chemicals will work on the top layer but not touch the original finish.  

Corvus

Exactly as above, if the original lacquer is the usual two-pack, it's not much bothered by cellulose thinners. But that will dissolve the 1k spray paint on top of it. Do test though.
Seed trays or the like are handy, you can soak a paper kitchen towel in thinners and lay it on. After a few secs start to wipe off with it. It works but is quite messy and fumey, gloves, mask & outdoors etc. Once the worst is off go over with damper towels and wipe off the leftovers.

lukedlb

thank you @WezV ; and @Corvus. I'll give it a try this week.

Jalapeno

Get a mask ....

Sarge

My default for spray paint removal is acetone, but standard thinners will do the job too. 

impmann

Sarge said:

My default for spray paint removal is acetone, but standard thinners will do the job too. 

Acetone - otherwise known as nail varnish remover...

Sarge

Standard nail varnish remover isn't suitable as It contains oils and perfumes unsuitable should they get into bare wood. 

trolley

I have a Mystic Dream |JP-6 that some dickhead oversprayed white!
The next owner (before me) stripped all of the white off using wire wool. It took months, but now I own a 'relic'ed' JP-6 Mystic Dream. And apart from a couple of dinks & a few scratches it's fine.
He sent me a Word doc with pictures showing the whole process - it's very impressive. I wouldn't have had the patience - but that's the key. Little by little

streethawk

Sarge said:

Standard nail varnish remover isn't suitable as It contains oils and perfumes unsuitable should they get into bare wood. 

This. But you can still pick up pure acetone from Boots etc if you can't be bothered ordering it online, just have a root around the aisle - in a manly kind of way.

Corvus

Apart from needing a good amout of solvent to do a whole guitar, acetone can attack the 2 pack clear underneath so i wouldn't use it in this sort of job.

lukedlb

The guitar in question:
http://www.vantage-guitars.com/vs-650/

thermionic

Ah, Vantage, not Vintage! 

Corvus

If it's that era there's a chance it could be polyurethane, which is attacked by cellulose thinners though less so than 1k rattle can paint, so go easy. Start with 'less' and go wetter as needed when laying on sheets wetted in thinner. After just a few secs the topcoat will soften & wipe off.
Equal or better chance the clearcoat's two-pack/urethane which will be OK with celly thinners.

lukedlb

thermionic said:

Ah, Vantage, not Vintage! 

Sorry , corrected. 

WezV

I de-pollocked an aria cardinal bass that had been sprayed badly  with white paint first

Started like this and you can see someone had already  had a go at cleaning it up


thinners got right through the white pain, but didn't touch the splats


A cheap paint stripper did the rest, and didn't touch the original finish... but it was quite worn underneath



Just try any of the stuff recommended above and see what happens, worse case is you remove the original  finish... but if that happens a clean up and oil would make it look pretty nice

Corvus

Nice save Wez, "de-pollocked" LOL. Enamel toughens with age, for a (usually) cheap paint it can be a bastard to get rid of.

Sarge

Ah Vantage Matsumoku era (lovely guitar btw) 
That'll be catalysed polyester (aka Imron) NOTHING will get through that but a pneumatic hammer  
I've done quite a few of this era Mats poly clean ups (inc a vs600 bass) and acetone was my method, soaked a small pub towel and rubbed it off no bother. 

lukedlb

@Sarge makes it sound so easy. 3 hours in and less than a third done. Perhaps the pub towel's abrasiveness helps. I can't see any damage to the original imron. Photos coming. 

lukedlb

http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w588/lukebash/8A61A969-2217-4D84-A13A-FEBCE2E2F907_zpsvjvvyo0c.jpg

lukedlb

http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w588/lukebash/329EB1B8-9130-4BFE-A4BE-31765DEF0283_zpsueqefkok.jpg