Have I over-sanded my guitar?

[ZENith]

Hey guys, new poster here and I'd appreciate some input into my project. I'm refinishing my Jackson Kelly KE3, looking to do a wood stain/lacquered finish. Started by using a heat gun to take the paint off (solid black) but in this top corner i scorched the wood pretty bad (the guide said to heat it til the paint bubbles... I say he was talking ****). Had to sand out the burn marks but in the process i think I've sanded too far, or more likely the scorching had gone further than just the top layer? :smack:




What are my options now? I've tried sanding with a fine grit paper to bring out the finish but its not done anything and still feels a little rough textured.

Do i stain that area more? Rough up other areas and try to make it look age-worn? Or sand the whole lot to that finish so the stain will at least be even?

I'll try and do a post later on where i detail the project so anyone else can avoid my mistakes :fing2:

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

get a orbital sander on it

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

It kind of looks to me like you have sanded through the sealer coat, though I can't tell for sure.

If I am right about that:

You will never be able to blend in a repair well enough for a translucent finish. But you also wouldn't have been able to go ahead with your original plan to stain the guitar anyhow; you'd need all the sealer off to do that. So you have two options: 1) You can either patch that area with spray poly or whatever else, and then go for a solid color paint job. 2) You can remove the rest of the sealer and then go ahead with your original plan.

If I am wrong, and you just sanded a little deeper in that spot, all you need to do is sand the rest of the guitar to match.

 

[ZENith]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

It kind of looks to me like you have sanded through the sealer coat, though I can't tell for sure.

If I am right about that:

You will never be able to blend in a repair well enough for a translucent finish. But you also wouldn't have been able to go ahead with your original plan to stain the guitar anyhow; you'd need all the sealer off to do that. So you have two options: 1) You can either patch that area with spray poly or whatever else, and then go for a solid color paint job. 2) You can remove the rest of the sealer and then go ahead with your original plan.

If I am wrong, and you just sanded a little deeper in that spot, all you need to do is sand the rest of the guitar to match.

okay, i think you're right about the sealer as i tried sanding that area but no difference occurred. I guess its a day of hand sanding for me! I want a quality stained finish so I'll have to pay the price

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

A heavy duty paint stripper might help you out a bit, though it won't do the whole job. Look for something with methylene chloride as the main active ingredient. Scuff up the surface really well first with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper. It took a while, but I used to remove Fullerplast sealer once, without having to take the risk of inadvertently reshaping the guitar while sanding. Another great benefit is that it keeps all the poly dust out of your work shop and your lungs.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

You'll get a mechanic's arm trying to hand-sand all of the sealer off. Use an orbital sander on it. Remember to wear a dust mask.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

acetone (fingernail polish remover) should take it off

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

acetone (fingernail polish remover) should take it off

If it is not lacquer, then acetone would just be a waste of money buying the stuff and a loss of brain cells breathing it. It won't touch poly.

 

[ZENith]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

Workshop? Kitchen table more like sanding is done outside obviously. I don't want to spend any more money than i need to so I'll sand it by hand and be careful not to go too far or alter the body shape lol. Thanks for your help, especially itsabass

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

You won't alter the body shape from sanding by hand...your hand will fall off first.

ItsaBass is right on track. That's sealer. You have to sand completely through the sealer coat into the natural wood if you are going to stain it. Start with 100 grit paper on a sanding block until all of the sealer is sanded off. Then use 220 grit to get a smooth even surface before staining.

 

[ZENith]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

You won't alter the body shape from sanding by hand...your hand will fall off first.

ItsaBass is right on track. That's sealer. You have to sand completely through the sealer coat into the natural wood if you are going to stain it. Start with 100 grit paper on a sanding block until all of the sealer is sanded off. Then use 220 grit to get a smooth even surface before staining.

That sounds like a dare to me :fing2:

I'll get back on track with it soon, what colour stain do we reckon? A dark oak or maybe even a coloured one?

 

[CTN]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

+1 for the "you haven't sanded ENOUGH, if you want to stain the wood."

you need to take all that sealer off if you want to stain it. It's a real pain in the arse, but made somewhat easier with an orbital sander. Don't use a belt sander, it might be a bit too aggressive.

 

[Securb]

Re: Have I over-sanded my guitar?

If you sand by hand make sure you use a sanding block or you will leave finger marks (grooves) in the finish.