carefully stripping vintage refins

Bringing your older offset back to life.
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PixMix
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by PixMix » Fri Mar 04, 2016 9:06 pm

øøøøøøø wrote:Considering sending my old strat to Danocaster for a refin.

Neck and body have been refinned already, repro decal.

I wonder whether pencil markings might be somewhere under there on the body, and on the neck I KNOW they're on the butt end. I want to save that.

To tell the truth, I'm a little scared to go stripping a guitar. I want to avoid doing harm most of all. Dan doesn't have time to strip guitars right now. I'm not sure I want to undertake this right now; I might have to build up some courage.

I'm seeking the advice of restorers here... I can see a few possible ways forward.

1) use acetone or lacquer thinner and very slowly, painstakingly remove the existing lacquer
2) use a gentle stripper like Citristrip and just try to avoid the areas I want to protect
3) something else, add your own.

Any thoughts?
If lacquer is what you have there now, I would definitely go with your option #1 - acetone & lacquer thinner. Take it easy, one little area at a time and you'll be fine. I would avoid using sandpaper on a vintage instrument because you will end up needing to sand into the wood in some areas while others will still have the sealer on. Then you might end up with an uneven / wavy surface that will be unnoticeable until you run your last hand of fine polishing and then it you'll see the wavy part and it will drive you crazy, if you're like me.

Pretend you're a paleontologist unearthing a super important fossil, take it easy, use small pieces of cloth or even q-tips in certain areas. If T-Rex skeletons can be unearthed with dental picks and small painting brushes, you should be fine to do this is small sections over a couple of days.

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øøøøøøø
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by øøøøøøø » Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:43 am

I definitely know better than to take sandpaper to this (though I suspect it might have happened before, in advance of an earlier refin), but it never hurts to say it 'out loud' for the benefit of whomever might read in the future.

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howdo3313
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by howdo3313 » Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:25 pm

StevenO wrote:
howdo3313 wrote:I'm in a similar spot currently. Looking to raise the date in the pickup route without affecting the pencil lead.
Citristrip and Nirtomors(UK) aren't available in Canada though.
And I am unsure about what's available up here that will do the trick.
Not sure if EZ Strip affects pencil marks, but it does a good job at removing paint!

Thank you, StevenO...I will look into it:)
Cheers.

And 0000000000, I hope it all comes together safe and sound for you:)
Sry for butting in on your thread :blush:
What a doodle doo, in a town full of heroes and villains

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mcjt
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by mcjt » Tue Mar 08, 2016 9:01 am

i bought Citristrip and was dismayed at how ineffective it was on unknown finishes (prob urethane) and the instructions : apply, leave a day, scrape!
So i usually use heavy duty minwax stripper.
you could use that, a putty knife and go carefully. it shouldn't remove graphite writings on the wood.
Mineral spirits or naphtha are good for cleaning the wood surface once most of the shit is off.
Acetone is ok but dangerous because it is so volatile.
WEAR gloves!
Some block sanding with 320 is ok. watch out for the corners!

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MattK
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by MattK » Wed Mar 09, 2016 2:57 am

Volatiles will do MAJOR damage to your lungs and other body systems - prolonged exposure can cause inflammation, even stiffening of the airways and so on. If you're using strippers, PLEASE work in a ventilated space and wear some kind of protective breathing gear if possible.

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mcjt
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Re: carefully stripping vintage refins

Post by mcjt » Wed Mar 09, 2016 8:00 am

ventilation is a must, for sure!

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