Refinish

Adam_MD

I had a NGD thread up for this a few weeks ago and finally found time today to start getting rid of the horrible burst.  The current plan is to stain and then ronseal hard glaze or an oil finish .  I'm undecided on colour but I'm leaning towards purple or oxblood.

I had forgotten just how tough the sanding sealer layer is on these it took me all afternoon today to get to this stage.  I think this one might take a while.

http://i.imgur.com/hxrpPsN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4H7q4yO.jpg

Deadman

You say sanding sealer so is it nitro? If you mean poly a heat gun and blunt scraper would have made lighter work of it. Still, it's looking good and look on the bright side; at least you'll have some big guns afterwards 

Adam_MD

Deadman said:

You say sanding sealer so is it nitro? If you mean poly a heat gun and blunt scraper would have made lighter work of it. Still, it's looking good and look on the bright side; at least you'll have some big guns afterwards 

I tried a heat gun before and the tele body I was working on split at one of the glue joints.  I've been too terrified to have another go.  

I'm pretty sure the base coat on this is polyester it's seriously tough and a lot harder than the finish on my classic vibe tele which I sanded in an afternoon.  I might have another go with a heat gun then switch to the sander if I'm brave enough. 

Deadman

Probably too much heat to cause a split. I find it's better to strip a really thick finish as opposed to a thin one as it comes off easier because there's something to bite into (and bubble up). Obviously you wouldn't want to go at it at the top now that it's too thin.

Adam_MD

Yeah if I have another go with the heat gun it will be the back and sides. 

Sarge

I find using the heat gun on a low setting, from a fair distance and keep it moving,  the idea with poly is to warm it rather than get it hot,  if it's hot and bubbling /blistering then it'll take forever,  a warming will help it come off in big pieces, nice and clean. 
I've done a few now and every time I accidentally get it bubbling, that patch sticks to the body requiring a sander to remove. 

impmann

Looks 1000% better already.

Adam_MD

Sarge said:

I find using the heat gun on a low setting, from a fair distance and keep it moving,  the idea with poly is to warm it rather than get it hot,  if it's hot and bubbling /blistering then it'll take forever,  a warming will help it come off in big pieces, nice and clean. 
I've done a few now and every time I accidentally get it bubbling, that patch sticks to the body requiring a sander to remove. 

I think part of the problem was I had borrowed a heat gun which basically just had on and off it had no high or low settings.  Just had a look on Amazon and they're pretty cheap so I'll grab one for the back and sides.  I can't spend 5 days just sanding the finish off with 60 grit which with the free time I have will translate into 5 weekends.  

Sarge

Have a quick gander at my Westbury strip here mate
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/44392/westbury-standard-gettin-nekkid/p1
using a blunt paint scraper and low heat gun it comes off lovely.

Adam_MD

Sarge said:

Have a quick gander at my Westbury strip here mate
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/44392/westbury-standard-gettin-nekkid/p1
using a blunt paint scraper and low heat gun it comes off lovely.

Thanks for that @Sarge it looked like a really thin finish on that westbury.  I've sanded a few guitar bodies now and these prs se are the worst the finish is seriously tough I'll grab a heat gun and have a go next weekend.

Then I can bust out the calligraphy ink and see what works

Sarge

It was actually very thick, like most of the Matsumoku finishes of the time.
thicker the better with a heatgun, good luck.

Rocker

Are there any sonic differences before and after (assuming the hardware is unchanged) or is it merely because the colour is uncool or the finish damaged?

Adam_MD

I couldn't tell with the tremonti I did because I also changed the nut, tuners, wiring and pickups.  My classic vibe tele, however, sounded noticeable different after the refinish.

My main reason for this refinish is just for fun to end up with something a little different from the norm which I couldn't just walk into a shop and buy.  i specifically bought this to refinish because it was cheap and the colour was horrid. 

Adam_MD

Right this is just pissing me off now.  I bought a nice new heat gun from Amazon and have been heating the back on the low setting once I get to the point where it almost burns my hand I've tried a putty knife and a paint scraper to get under the finish and it's just not happening.  I've chipped off a few bits and even gouged the wood once!  It doesn't seem to want to soften rather it's going quite brittle.

Anyone have any experience of this? I really don't want to try and sand the rest of this after my experience last week with the top. 

@Sarge @Deadman ;

Deadman

Maybe using it on the low setting is the problem. Give it some high heat, quite close, but not for long. It at least should bubble or lift slightly enough to enable you to get it going. 

Adam_MD

That's Deadman I'll give that a go today.  I had a tele body split on my last year so I might be being too hesitant. 

Adam_MD

Thanks for the advice @Deadman I was a bit braver today :-). I got the back and sides stripped much quicker than sanding the front last weekend.  

The finish didn't peel off at all though and I basically had to blast it till it bubbled then scrape it off with a putty knife.  The top layers came off this way but I still had to sand the bottom layer, however, it was definitely quicker than just sanding alone.  

Just a bit of the top and the neck to do next weekend and I can start staining and finishing.

Some gratuitous progress pics after I used naphtha to clean off the sanding residue

http://i.imgur.com/qSsUZXQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/fB6vNYz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ztnpPk8.jpg

mart

That's looking good! 

Deadman

Job's a good 'un 

Sarge

Well done, nice piece of wood is that! 

Adam_MD

Thanks gents I've been really impressed with the wood on both the se's I've stripped now especially for the price I paid for them.  I might see if I can get some time during the week to finish the top and get the neck done so I can start staining next weekend.

i think I'm going to varnish the body and oil finish the neck I like the look of varnish but really love the feel of an oil finished neck.