Stripping a finish

[#6]

Im sure that some of you folks have done this, and im sure there are alot of bad ways to do it. How have people had both good luck and bad with this? I took a look at Stew Mac, but they seemed to not offer a chemical stripper, do I deduce from this that main force is a better method, no matter how many sander belts and pads it takes? Let me hear the collective wisdom...

[bassman1956]

Any kind of poly or nitro is NOT easily dissolved by solvents. Sanding is usually the answer for most people.

 

Edited:

Not easily dissolved.

 

coffee deficciency.

[knuckle_head]

Unless you know how to flat sand I would look for chemical alternatives - no matter how shiny you get it on the back side there is no hiding the divits bad sanding techniques will leave behind.

 

Don't use knives with the chemicals. Use coarse steel wool and not too aggressively - this can cause divits just as easily as poor sanding technique. If the finish is stubborn lather rinse and repeat until it submits.

[Bryan316]

I've stripped a guitar's entire body with a flat razor blade. Just peeled the paint right off in long strips. Was fun, like popping bubble wrap. Some fine sanding, everything looked perfect.

[Renfield]

I've stripped a guitar's entire body with a flat razor blade. Just peeled the paint right off in long strips. Was fun, like popping bubble wrap. Some fine sanding, everything looked perfect.

 

This is how I did my first ever attempt at it. The back had some (alot) of marks in it as a result. Last time I did it that way, but it was fun making curly cues out of paint.