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Paint Strip to Natural Finish - Headstock and Body Sanding - What Grit n Finish


PaulThePlug
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Quick ask for some advice.. I have read a lot of the build diaries and refyrb projects...

Want to strip the red from my £10 Cruiser by Crafter P-a-like.. Trying to blag a loan of a heat gun from a mate... Not worth a spend fora one off...

After that what Grit to sand the body and headstock after logo removal with wire wool? Got some machine heads coming, so may as well sort it before fitting...

Neck is gloss lacquor, and a little sticky compared to the satin of the ibanez, would a go over with the same grit sort that?

Finaly a finish for the bare wood - coat of satin lacqour? Any other option?

It's gotta be cheap!

All advice welcome.

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320 grit will get you a nice smooth look and feel, in my experience. Maybe 400 if you're feeling fancy. Other people might have different opinions.

Oil finishes are very nice and rely safe/easy to do. Boiled Linseed Oil, Tung Oil, Danish Oil, etc. Not as durable as lacquer because they penetrate the wood rather than sitting on top of it - they certainly give a nice feel to a neck though. If you do a good job with the sanding they can look amazing.

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Thanks for the advice and offer...

Fired up the cheap Woolworths orbital sander... Gonna work my way down 60, 80, 120, 240 grit

Started on the body, back 60... Enough noise for the neighbors this eve... More tommorow...

Not looking forward to the edges...

Keep the advice coming regarding a finish...

Satin, low sheen, i like the oiled wood idea.

 

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13 minutes ago, gary mac said:

You will need to go up to a much high grit number than 240. Treat yourself to some 320, 400, 600, 800 and 1000. :friends:

Agreed - I go to 1000 minimum and even then if you want an über smooth finish you have to work hard and be prepared to use your hand and not just the orbital sander.

Oil finish I’ve used Gun Oil to good effect which is similar to the ones mentioned. The finish you want is dependent on you and how much work.

If you want a gloss/shiny finish I would dilute it with white spirits and white sand in the first couple coats, then use as normal and build them up and buff it

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For the body, have you thought about a beeswax finish? Simple to apply - once you have finished sanding, quick rub down with white spirit,  warm up the beeswax until it's melted then dip the corner of a cloth in it and rub the wax onto the body - just slather it on. Once the whole body is covered, buff it to a clean finish - you can't go wrong as there's nothing that more beeswax won't fix! 

This kind of finish does get a little grubby after a year or so playing - a bit of lemon oil, and more beeswax has it looking perfect again in 5 mins. And you get to feel the grain of the wood, unlike most finishes. If you have a nice wood for the body, this kind of finish is a great way to show it off. Better for the environment too, Plus, most likely cheaper than pretty much any finish other than bare wood!

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Thank to all for the above...

Got a £12 heatgun from Screwfix...

Takes of the top coat but leaves a hard clear underlayer... That needs sanding off.

The heatgun should help on the sides...

Bit of googling, come across Danish Oil, looks nice and simplish to achive so may well go with that..

Will go to higher grit after i've done the headstock, neck and body all over with the 240 i've got..

'Kin hot arsing about wiv a heat gun today!

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