Removing Poly-type finish...

[B2D]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Update... took a total of 6 hours to do in three 2-hour chunks but the paint on the back and the front of the body is off! I'm going to attempt to use stripper on the sides and back contour and the cavities.

Of note: while I was doing the sanding I noticed both through sanding through the paint, the color of the dust, and from a paint chip i took out of the body when i dropped it that this guitar was painted TWICE.

From the top to the bottom was this: Clear coat > Red > clear coat > black > white primer > wood.

Looks like they messed up on the black finish and painted red over it instead. Wow... you think you know an instrument after 10 years... haha.

I'm also keeping track of how much $$ this is costing as well. So far I've purchased sandpaper, brushes, a tray, stripper, and gloves and I'm under $30.

 

[scottish]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

awesome man. i straight up love projects like these. every1 says dont do it, not worth it. but once you are done, its totally worth it to you.

let me know if you have any questions or what not and ill help you out as best i can.

cheers
grant

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

You should post some pictures...

 

[B2D]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

You should post some pictures...

I'm documenting all this for a picstory once I'm done. I probably shouldn't keep resurrecting this thread for that reason but I can't resist.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Ok ya dorkfish! LOL

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Finally, I'd love to see it as I'm half contemplating of doing that very same thing to my Strat.
The reason I'm half thinking about it is that I LOVE the finish which basically means I'd just do it for the tonal improvement...

 

[B2D]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

The reason I'm half thinking about it is that I LOVE the finish which basically means I'd just do it for the tonal improvement...

What finish is it?

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Midnight Blue, I tell you it was love at first sight.

Depending on lighting it either looks blue or purple.
This specific photo is a great example as through my CRT monitor it looks completely blue while in an iMac 20" it looked completely purple!

The acoustic tone is also great but somehow lacking in mids, like it's being muffled...

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Update... took a total of 6 hours to do in three 2-hour chunks but the paint on the back and the front of the body is off! I'm going to attempt to use stripper on the sides and back contour and the cavities.

Of note: while I was doing the sanding I noticed both through sanding through the paint, the color of the dust, and from a paint chip i took out of the body when i dropped it that this guitar was painted TWICE.

From the top to the bottom was this: Clear coat > Red > clear coat > black > white primer > wood.

Looks like they messed up on the black finish and painted red over it instead. Wow... you think you know an instrument after 10 years... haha.

I'm also keeping track of how much $$ this is costing as well. So far I've purchased sandpaper, brushes, a tray, stripper, and gloves and I'm under $30.

Actually, fender has been "double finishing" bodies for decades..for example it´s not rare to wear through the solid color of a 60s fender and find a sunburst underneath.

From what I gather they simply respray bodies sometimes to produce more of a certain color whjen the necessity arises

 

[B2D]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Actually, fender has been "double finishing" bodies for decades..for example it´s not rare to wear through the solid color of a 60s fender and find a sunburst underneath.

From what I gather they simply respray bodies sometimes to produce more of a certain color whjen the necessity arises

Yeah I know... I have a "Strat Chronicles" book that came out maybe two years ago, and there's 2 or 3 examples of late 50's and 60's strats that had some paint wear off and show another color underneath.

Another "necessity arising" thing with Fender that they've been known to do is assemble or paint the MIM stuff in Corona, CA for logistical reasons if need be. When I was at Guitar Center, I recall the Fender rep telling me that they'd just gotten through a few months of having nothing but the body paint done on the MIM guitars in the Ensenada plant, and all the body carving/assembly etc was done in Corona for logistical reasons. I think it had something to do with upgrading equipment at the Mexico plant.

 

[B2D]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

BTW as far as progress goes - I attempted to use an Aircraft-grade JASCO paint stripper on the guitar's finish and met with little success. The instructions said you should only need to wait 15 minutes maximum and then scrub or scrape the finish off. I used three applications of THICK coats of this stuff and waited about 20 full minutes on each coat. All it did was turn the clear coat from gloss to matte. Wow...

Needless to say I got out the power sander and went to town again. The only surfaces left to do are the top and sides of the neck heel and the insides of the horns. I don't know how I'm gonna do the cavities... maybe just clean it up and thin the paint globs down with a dremel and a sander but but that will be it.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Yeah I know... I have a "Strat Chronicles" book that came out maybe two years ago, and there's 2 or 3 examples of late 50's and 60's strats that had some paint wear off and show another color underneath.

Another "necessity arising" thing with Fender that they've been known to do is assemble or paint the MIM stuff in Corona, CA for logistical reasons if need be. When I was at Guitar Center, I recall the Fender rep telling me that they'd just gotten through a few months of having nothing but the body paint done on the MIM guitars in the Ensenada plant, and all the body carving/assembly etc was done in Corona for logistical reasons. I think it had something to do with upgrading equipment at the Mexico plant.

That isn't surprising. In terms of body and neck manufacturing, there's virtually no difference between a MIM and MIA Fender. The only real difference is the grade of wood used, and the finish.

All of Fender's wood gets shipped to Corona where it is then graded and sorted. The best stuff goes to the Custom Shop. The next best goes to the American Deluxe and Vintage lines, and after that the American Standard lines. The rest goes to Mexico.

That said, yours was made in the poplar era of MIM production, and Fender USA never used poplar, so I don't know how they did things back then. I have one too. I've thought about refinishing it, but a. I don't have a problem with the finish, and b. I figured it would be a huge pain in the ass for a slight improvement in tone. I'm really curious how yours turns out.

FTR: my 1995 MIM Strat is black all the way down. I know this because it has a couple of big chips in a few places, and also it was routed for a bridge bucker back in 2001. The thickness of the finish varies from 1 to 3 mm depending on where it is. It's thickest on the back near the trem cavity and thinnest on the top. Is that what you noticed as well, or is it fairly consistent? I imagine yours is probably quite a bit thicker since it's a respray.

 

[millsart]

Re: Removing Poly-type finish...

Even aircraft stripper requires several applications on the current Fender poly, it is darn near bulletproof. Simply not worth all the effort and the fumes and chemicals and the mess. Nasty stuff

Sanders ? Sure if you don't mind spending a few months on the job. Not just sanding it down but trying to get around the horns etc. Heaven forbid you get a few low spots and have to then spend weeks filling and leveling during the sand and seal process. Unless your under house arrest for the next month I'd pass.

Heat gun is hands down the way to go. You can get a guitar done in under a half hour and its actually pretty fun sitting out back (with googles) on having that plastic pop and crack all over as you move the heat gun around.

Works beautfully even around the horns etc and you don't have to worry about messing up the smoothness of the body for repaint.


Trust me (or anyone who's refinished a guitar), starting with a perfect surface makes the job a million times easier because if you've got low spots when your shooting color its a nightmare to try to level and fill.

Only trick with a heatgun is dont leave it in one spot. Scorched wood or unglued body pieces will result. The finish will crack off well before the glue gets loose though. Just keep it moving.


Even a $20 budget heat gun will do the job as well, no need to spend $80 for a commerical one.