Best stripper?

[YALCaster]

I’m about to strip a poly finish off of a VM JM body, and wanted to know what you guys recommend for the best chemical stripper. I’ve used the orange stuff before, and I wasn’t too impressed.

[sal paradise]

Magic Mike.

[rank]

This is a thread that really needs a pole...I mean poll.

[copacetic]

LOL i wasnt gonna make the joke, but....

I havent found a good chemical stripper for poly. Ive heard the "Aircraft" brand stuff is good, but i absolutely loathe the mess caused by chemical strippers in the past so i avoid them like the plague. However first stuff i used was citristrip, the orange stuff, which may be messier than others idk and i think is definitely too weak for modern poly. HATED it either way so have no interest in trying others. Stripping nitro with an acetone soaked rag is messy, but nowhere near THAT messy. Anything i have to gunk on and leave sitting for hours is a big nope from me

If i get commissioned to strip poly i charge a lot because its a pain in the ass. Usually easier/more cost effective to just order a new body and sell the current one especially if it has a somewhat nice, desirable finish and your body/shape is readily available like a jag/jm etc.

Heat gun+putty knife or scraper is the quickest method ive found, but some poly is stuck on there better than others. Ive had some bodies laugh in my face when i tried to strip them this way. Others come right up with minimal scarring. Sometimes its thin enough that the orbital sander will remove it from the faces pretty easily with 220 grit, but then the edges are always a PITA.

Have fun

[MattK]

With the chemical strippers it often helps to put the body in a plastic bag (test it won’t melt!) with the stripper applied. Concentrates the chemical action.
I’m with copacetic, chemical stripping suuuucks but heat guns are stressful.

[YALCaster]

I’ve done strippers, heat guns, and sanders. They all suck truthfully. I’d sell this off for a different body, but it’s the Butterscotch Squier Vintage Modified body, and I like the hardtail style bridge it has on there.

[MattK]

What colour do you want it to be? I've been building a project with an Affinity JM HH body from about 5 years ago, it's hardtail with ferrules, and pretty minimal routing otherwise. Mine is black but there were white ones which would make a good undercoat for another colour.
The more recent Affinities have a Strat trem but the older one is just a surface mount string-thru.

[ryandennis]

I've tried the heat gun approach and it was a pain. I honestly would save up and buy an unfinished body instead and sell off the poly one to recoup the money.

[Tweedledee]

I’ll echo what others have said: stripping modern poly is a miserable process no matter which method you use. I recommend either scuffing up the existing finish and painting over it (not ideal, but ok) or buying an unfinished body and selling the VM body to recoup some of the cost (the best way to go).

[YALCaster]

I appreciate the responses guys! I figured it would be a pain, but thought I’d ask. I’m gonna shoot it with an OLY white nitro, so I’m gonna take it down to the bare wood.

Here’s the model I’m using:
Squier VM JM
If it weren’t for the unique bridge, I’d just get a new body

[MattK]

Shoot the white over it - you will have a beautiful starting surface and if it ever wears, it'll look cool.
Seriously - by the time you have it stripped, sealed, smoothed out and shot six coats with wetsanding you will hate it.
There's no magic to nitro over wood, all the nitro finished Fenders have polyurethane wood sealer under the paint.

[YALCaster]

That’s solid idea, Matt. I think my desire to take it all the way down to the wood is simply something to keep myself busy with for a little bit longer. An occupied mind is cheaper and happier LOL

[MattK]

My main concern is that anything strong enough to strip poly will chemically damage the wood underneath, and/or glue joints. You don’t have access to a thickness sander, by chance?

[YALCaster]

I actually hadn’t considered that. Thank you! I’ll scrape it 🥴

[Lame Pseudonym]

There just ain't no chemical that'll affect that thick polyglop, so just forget it.

I've used a heat gun a few times but I lack the skills to not have the body turned into a charcoal briquet.

I did do a nitro just over the poly and it looks good, as offensive as the idea is. But you have to sand the heck out of the poly to get the flat parts flat and the curvy parts curvy, because if you don't, when you wet sand the nitro, the high spots in the poly will pop through.