Refinishing a guitar?

kidkage

kidkage

Bored of Canada
I just picked this up for practically nothing:
11277976_10204527959180771_699867584_n.jpg

It's in pretty rough shape.
I don't think it's been touched for 20 years...

I've disassembled it and removed all the electronics. They'll all be replaced.

Now, the next step is refinishing... but, I've read some conflicting things. "Sand it." "Don't sand!!! Ever!!!! Just prime and paint and clear coat." "Strip it with a blow dryer". I mean wtf? Can anyone here help me out?


Also, fwiw, I'm planning on painting it black. I see stewmac carries some black spray paint for refinishing? any good?
 
I agree, there is probably some underlying coat that is hard as hell to get rid of, but I disagree about the 220. It will bind up quickly and you'll be sanding forever to remove the clear coat on top of the white. Start with 80 - 120 grit and remove the top coat. You'll get a feel for the progress you're making. Then go to a higher number like 220. Be sure you completely remove the top coat. Then you can change color.

Here's a thread of me trying to remove the underlying coat. It SUCKED!!!!

https://homerecording.com/bbs/equip...adding-veneer-my-old-bass-360197/#post4079176
 
It doesn't have a polyester base coat. No guitars have a polyester base coat. Polyester is about the hardest thing to lay up on top of as it will not accept any lacquer or resin based finish once it gases off. It could well have a polyurethane hard shell ground coat which is what is most commonly used today on solid finished guitars. If it has a polyester clear coat which is far more common you will need to get rid of it as nothing will take to it. A scuff coat as described by a few here will only give you a mechanical bond and will ding and chip easily..

The only way you can find out if stuff will take is to test on an area that is hidden or research what the finish is....

To advise properly you'd first need to establish exactly what is on there before committing. Finishing is part alchemy part science and part trial and error. You need to minimise the trial and error with good investigation work and good prep.

Be careful who's advice you take and if you think I'm scaring you off, I'm not. Plenty of people here have taken on board my advice on finishing before and they have had success. Some of them after getting in a right mess on the first attempts and after taking on board some of the cavalier advice that abounds on the internet....

Once you have established a little more about what is on there I can give you a finishing schedule that should work.

FTR, having done many refinishes over the years I now go back to wood every time. That is the only way you can guarantee not running into problems.

@ PFR. Stop chucking out speculative advice when you have no idea what is on there.. Also your advice is not sound from a finishing perspective. A lot of what you say would not be the way a professional would do it. Nor would some one with a long history of finishing advise some one to plough on without knowing what the ground is. Thats a recipe for disaster...
 
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to read and respond!

So, basically, I need to get to sanding and the then take it from there?
I'll go pick up supplies today. With the sandpaper, should I go for the 220 or 80-120? Or both?

I wish I could find more info on this to know what kind of finish I'm working on to provide some more info for accurate advice.
 
What's wrong with the current finish?
I would clean it up and buff it back out with a buffer pad on a drill and some dupont renuizit.
 
BTW, If it's a Bentley which it looks like, then it almost certainly has a plywood body so a natural finish would be a non starter and it certainly aint alder. Very few solid colour budget guitars are solid wood and those that are are normally cosmetically no good or block construction....
 
jimistone said:
What's wrong with the current finish?
I would clean it up and buff it back out with a buffer pad on a drill and some dupont renuizit.
Click to expand...

It's kind of uneven. The white and red stripe just feel a bit too dorky for me :(
Also, I've always had a strange desire for a Black Rhoads V with chrome pickups, but never enough to want to pay upwards of $300 for it.

muttley600 said:
BTW, If it's a Bentley which it looks like, then it almost certainly has a plywood body so a natural finish would be a non starter and it certainly aint alder. Very few solid colour budget guitars are solid wood and those that are are normally cosmetically no good or block construction....
Click to expand...

Yep, Bently Series 10. Thanks for the info! Plywood, eh? Interesting.

Brb, going to buy sandpaper.
 
When I stripped a guitar I started with the sanding method but it took forever and I switched to the hairdryer approach.
 
I just wonder if there needs to be a level of quality desired for this Kidkage?

From previous posts I gather that you can do a simple repaint job with minimal labor. But to do it right, it may take many more steps.

I have no clue myself as I have no personal experience, but I would surely look into finishes and what it takes to get lasting results with them.

I know a few guys that build guitars in Denver but they are custom builders. Not so much the 'repaint' guys. Well, there is one.

I am curious myself as well.
 
A cheap guitar like this most pros wouldnt even take on. Not worth it. It would also cost too much.
The advice i gave earlier which i deleted was geared towards the novice to be able to get an acceptable result with the least amount of hassle. I didnt need to get insulted for it.
I wont argue or defend or even offer any advice in the future.
I will say this though. With cars, usually only the high end stuff gets a bare metal respray. Most cheaper stuff gets prepwork, and is sprayed over that.

I'm outa here
 
RFR said:
A cheap guitar like this most pros wouldnt even take on. Not worth it. It would also cost too much.
The advice i gave earlier which i deleted was geared towards the novice to be able to get an acceptable result with the least amount of hassle. I didnt need to get insulted for it.
I wont argue or defend or even offer any advice in the future.
I will say this though. With cars, usually only the high end stuff gets a bare metal respray. Most cheaper stuff gets prepwork, and is sprayed over that.

I'm outa here
Click to expand...

Wait... Why did you delete your posts?

I did not see an insult. There may be better ways to 'skin the cat' but that really depends on the OP's desire of quality level.

That is not yet been given.
 
jimmys69 said:
I just wonder if there needs to be a level of quality desired for this Kidkage?

From previous posts I gather that you can do a simple repaint job with minimal labor. But to do it right, it may take many more steps.

I have no clue myself as I have no personal experience, but I would surely look into finishes and what it takes to get lasting results with them.

I know a few guys that build guitars in Denver but they are custom builders. Not so much the 'repaint' guys. Well, there is one.

I am curious myself as well.
Click to expand...

I don't want something that will chip away if I drop my pick on it, I'm not really looking for a high quality finish at all.
Just something black and shiny :D

RFR said:
A cheap guitar like this most pros wouldnt even take on. Not worth it. It would also cost too much.
The advice i gave earlier which i deleted was geared towards the novice to be able to get an acceptable result with the least amount of hassle. I didnt need to get insulted for it.
I wont argue or defend or even offer any advice in the future.
I will say this though. With cars, usually only the high end stuff gets a bare metal respray. Most cheaper stuff gets prepwork, and is sprayed over that.

I'm outa here
Click to expand...

Sorry you felt insulted RFR.
I really do appreciate your time and advice!
The more input the better.

UPDATE:
Bought 100, 150, and 220 grit.
This finish is crazy thin.
11667095_10204532441292821_871505690_n.jpg11124266_10204532441412824_592978196_n.jpg

---------- Update ----------

If I were super lazy, I could probably pick it off with my fingers if I started at the chipped areas.
 
RFR said:
A cheap guitar like this most pros wouldnt even take on. Not worth it. It would also cost too much.
The advice i gave earlier which i deleted was geared towards the novice to be able to get an acceptable result with the least amount of hassle. I didnt need to get insulted for it.
I wont argue or defend or even offer any advice in the future.
I will say this though. With cars, usually only the high end stuff gets a bare metal respray. Most cheaper stuff gets prepwork, and is sprayed over that.

I'm outa here
Click to expand...

You didn't get insulted. You got told that the advice you gave was misplaced and in parts inaccurate. It was.

If that makes you have a hissy fit so be it. This is the internet. There is enough nonsense out there already without adding to it.
 
kidkage said:
I don't want something that will chip away if I drop my pick on it, I'm not really looking for a high quality finish at all.
Just something black and shiny :D




UPDATE:
Bought 100, 150, and 220 grit.
This finish is crazy thin.
................
If I were super lazy, I could probably pick it off with my fingers if I started at the chipped areas.
Click to expand...

Great, If you can get it off easily you half way there. Have you ever used a cabinet scraper because it looks to me that that would be your best bet now. Especially if the finish is wanting to lift off.... If not then you can sand it off but watch the dust. A lot of those cheap Korean guitars were finished in quite nasty stuff...

Once you get it back to "in the white" (sanded and bare wood) you will know if its a ply construction like the early Bentleys or the later block construction. From there I'll give you a few pointers on prep and you can pick what type of finish you want.

The best of the whol;e thing is you have it in the white and what you do from there will be more reliable than attempting to over finish which rarely gives decent results...
 
Well, if the old paint is blistering and flaking the is no doubt I would take it down to bare wood.
 
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