Refinish question

[St.James]

I have a Jackson body that I want to repaint, but first I need to get the original paint off of it. I have used a paint stripper that is supposed to remove Lacquer, polyurethane and epoxy, but it has barely removed any paint at all.

So my question is does anyone know of a good product that will remove the paint without hours of sanding?

[thetroy]

Re: Refinish question

Yep, a belt sander.

[Bengal65]

Re: Refinish question

You can use a heat gun. Just be careful to just heat the finish and not burn the wood. With the paint strippers it can take many applications to get the urethane off.

[charvelguy]

Re: Refinish question

Heat gun will work, but if you don't have one try soaking a rag soaked with the stuff in the spot your working on. It'll tend to pre-loosen the finish so it'll lift easier.

[delt]

Re: Refinish question

An exacto blade is also useful for scraping it off. Use the whole blade length, not just the tip. Much quicker than sanding the whole finish off.

[St.James]

Re: Refinish question

A heat gun turned out to be a bad move. The wood buckled and cracked. Didn't even have enough time to get hot really before it cracked. Was on a flat surface on the back so it won't be hard to fix.

This is some tough paint! I have used some of the toughest stripper on the market and it's barely taking anything off.

Anyway, I was just curious if anyone knew of a fast way to remove the paint...Thanks for the replies.

On another note I find it amazing how easily the finish scratches, but can't get it off with a flame thrower!

[img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[jacksonusa]

Re: Refinish question

You don't need to remove the old paint. As long as it's scuffed up enough all over, the new primer and paint will cover and stick just fine!!

Hope this helps.

[mm2002]

Re: Refinish question

Never use a heat gun on a guitar finish! (or any wood finish for that matter). Unless you're wanting to go back with a natural wood finish there's no need to remove the original paint. That paint is polyurethane and it's the best base you'll get for a new finish as long as it's prepped right. Let the old finish be your friend! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[delt]

Re: Refinish question

um.. i've had bad experiences applying duplicolor paint on top of previous finish..... after drying for 2 weeks it still didn't stick right, and i could scrape it off with my thumb nail and see the old finish under it.

[Madness]

Re: Refinish question

...That's because your using aresol paint... [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[mm2002]

Re: Refinish question

Plus your obviously not cleaning and sanding the old finish properly.

[DonP]

Re: Refinish question

Use Krylon. Advise from a book on how to do a factory finish with spray cans.