Guitar: Removing glossy finish

Subject: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 05:33 PM

At the moment, I am oddly attracted to really cheap guitars. I bought myself one as a toy and ended up getting a couple more for two niece birthdays..and one of those has caught my eye.

The finish is absurdly shiny and looks thick. I am thinking about getting one for myself and removing the finish to make it look more like a small old-time guitar.

I'm putting this thread in BS because I consider it to be a wood/plastic question.

How would I figure out what kind of remover to use to take the finish off? I would want something easy (smear-on/wipe-off would delight me) that isn't too expensive (under $20)

Thanks,
M

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 05:40 PM

Steel Wool. Or, better yet, a plastic scouring pad (Scoth-Brite, or the like)

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 05:42 PM

Like SOS, Dick?
Do you think it would eat through the finish without breaking my arms off scrubbing?

I did think about a small sander but wasn't sure how easy it would be to work on the curves and corners.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 05:44 PM

I was wondering about nail polish remover.
It's designed to take off layers of plastic coating..

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 05:55 PM

Satin-finish polyurethane (Varathane is a popular brand name) might give you the finish you want. you probably should dull the surface of th existing varnish with fine steel wool before you varnish.
I would use the traditional oil-based Varathane - I haven't been happy with the water-based stuff, which is more like clear house paint. This page (click) has some pretty good pointers.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 06:08 PM

I'll clean it down to wood before I refinish.
Have you run across a type of polyurethane that doesn't feel like a plastic coating, Joe? I like the protection of the stuff and it is easy to apply..but just can't stand the way it feels.

I suspect when I get the finish off, I'll find that I need to stain it (surely the pretty color is fake) and I was kind of thinking about sealing it with an old-fashioned furniture wax.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Leadfingers
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 06:44 PM

You may well find that clearing the Varnish improves the sound ! In which case , the less you then add , the better it will be !

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 07:12 PM

On some of the really cheap guitars I've seen, it looks like the finish is about all that holds the things together; and a really thick finish may cover up things you'd rather not ever see.

If you just want to "rough up" the existing finish to get rid of the shine, fine sandpaper, steel wool, or a scouring pad may work, although with some of the cheap guitar finishes it may take some serious work just to break the surface so that the grit can get to work on it. Since you'll need to "break the shine" in order to have much success with putting any additional finish over the old stuff, or to remove the old finish completely, this would be a good starting step.

A flexible sanding disk arbor on an electric drill would let you choose a fairly fine grit sandpaper, or - once the surface is "broken" - a courser grit sandpaper disk should grip enough from a steel wool pad to let you "power steel wool" on it. You can also get ready-made "disks" made from the same stuff as some scouring pads, althugh the more aggressive of these may be a bit too much for what you want to do.

A flexible disk pad should let you get to most of the curves on a guitar, with only the little details to do by hand. Note that the "disk arbors" are also available in stiffer varieties that might not let you do as many of the curves.

You could also get a "buffer arbor" for the same drill that would let you put a cloth buffing disk on it; but for some of the finishes I've seen you'll need a fairly aggressive "compound" on the disk. An arbor shouldn't be more than a couple of bucks, but I use a 1/4" bolt about 3 inches long, with the head cut off and a pair of nuts and fender washers.

If your local lumber yard/hardware store doesn't have a good suggestion for a "buffing compound," an auto parts shop could probably find an old tin of "valve grinding compound" that would be gritty enough, although it might leave oil behind that you'd have to clean up if you decide to refinish.

If you want to go the "specialized tool" route, the currently popular vibrator type "corner sanders" might work well, and there are a number of other kinds commonly touted. Those of us with TAS (like GAS but for tools) could justify the $30 (US) to $50 cost as "research," but you'll likely want to consult with an informed seller. If the lumber yard/hardware store has a demo set up (many in my area do) they might let you bring the victim in to see whether their tool works to your satisfaction on an inconspicuous tiny area.

Regardless of the method you use, and whether it's by hand or with power tools, any abrasive process for removing or even "scratching up" material (especially when you don't know what it is) should be done with appropriate eye protection and a dust filter. And keep the coffee cup far enough away so you don't end up drinking the dust. Even if you don't make enough dust to look like a problem, you'll have to shake off the tool occasionally, and the "shakings" will get to places you haven't imagined.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Micca
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 07:14 PM

Nail varnish remover has Acetone (Propanone) as its main ingredient and can be diluted with methylated spirit (UK) Industrial alcohol if to "violent"!! and may well work. if the varnish is cellulose based you might need Cellosolve (2 Ethoxyethanol) but Care!! with this it, like Acetone, is VERY Flammable and both have a narcotising vapour and can produce headaches!!and has a very low ignition temperature, so use in a well ventilated area with room to get away make sure there are no flames or hot surfaces etc, and the solvent will strip the paint on a car to bare metal in minutes , so do not get it on ANY painted surface you want to remain pristine, even a few drops can cause damage, but it really works on cellulose paints and varnishes.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 07:17 PM

I have been wondering what it might do to the sound to take off a couple pounds of plastic coating..hope I don't find out the finish is what holds the thing together!


Want to see it?

I'll get the walnut version. It's finish seems to be different than on the others--it takes fingerprints and various smears differently.
I've played three of these and none of them are duds. They're far from Great, but I've taken mine (pink!) out in public and wasn't ashamed to play alongside Name guitars.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 07:31 PM

That does it!
I'm ordering one..

If it works, I think nail polish remover would be my easiest thing to use..so that's probably what I'll try first.
Whatever I end up doing, I bet I'll do the work outside because I hate stinking up the house almost as much as I hate cleaning up powdery messes.


John,
I can't afford to catch TAS, but you reminded me that if I have a hard time breaking through the protective coating, I can send it to my bodywork guy and let him have at it.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 09:18 PM

But Melissa, starting with a simple "refinish" leads to "adjustments" which ultimately leads to "modifications" which leads "repairs," and of course then to building your own.

Eventually, you'll NEED those tools (and a bunch more), and it would be a shame to have your dreams of being truly creative hindered by the need to get them all at once. You NEED to accumulate them over some time, in anticipation.

(Of course I have nearly all the tools. I just can't afford a decent piece of wood to use them all on.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Rapparee
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 09:34 PM

JiK, I'm in the process of urethaning a "box" I've been making. Do what I did: built it from pieces. You find a nice piece of wood here, but maybe it needs a little length so you biscuit another piece on -- doesn't even have to be the same kind for the neck. As for the body, don't bother steam bending wood -- just angle cut the ends so they sorta fit together (I don't recommend using any lumber less that about a quarter inch thick, half inch is better). Old pine or plywood or even chipboard can look nice with the the right stain -- used motor oil is good.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 21 Jun 10 - 11:25 PM

You're right, John..I DO need bunches and loads of tools so I think about making all kinds of neat things!


I hope you're making something like this square-body guitar, Rap. It starts around 1:45 and sounds pretty dang good to me.
boxy guitar

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 01:19 AM

Thar ya go agin Rap ...

but maybe it needs a little length so you biscuit another piece on ...

That thar biscuit jiner is one of the tools I never really needed bad enough to find a place for, and it's a real P.I.A. whittlin' them tenons with a li'l pocket knife.

'Sides that, I've got a pretty good wood bender - home built, of course; and I have bent 1/4" thick thick planks with it. I'd rather stick to stuff a little thinner, since I never quite "finished" the bender, and electrocution is a possible side effect if ya get to rasslin' too heavy with it; but so far it's made a couple of simple instruments. (Lap dulcimer sides are too easy to be much of a challenge.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 01:46 AM

Melissa, there are proper paint strippers that are specifically for softening varnish, usually available anywhere that sells paint. You will also need a blade from a Stanley knife and some 80-grit or finer (bigger the number, smaller the grit) sandpaper, safety glasses and rubber gloves (paintstripper is corrosive) and a couple of brushes to apply the stripper. In a ventilated area.
Processes that have worked for me are:
Don't remove anything except the belly varnish, the sides and back make the job tedious, and achieve little acoustically.
Mask around the guitar with plastic electrical tape and polythene to prevent paintstripper 'fingerprints.'
Apply stripper and give it time to work. Remove softened varnish with blade, trying not to gouge. Use a big artist's brush around the awkward places, it will probably take several attempts to get all the varnish completely off.
Neutralise the stripper according to the instructions on the tin. Probably sponging with water.
Allow to dry thoroughly.
Sand if neccessary ONLY in the same direction as the grain. Use the sandpaper wrapped around a block, cork or rubber. DON'T use the sandpaper just with your fingers, unless you know exactly what you are doing.
Thin the varnish to the recommended maximum.

I'm only giving this advice because you are obviously determined to take the job on, I actually recommend that you buy a better box in the first place.(:<))

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 02:20 AM

Gurney,
I already have a better box (I'd be sad if I didn't!)..this one is just for fun. Yeah, I am somewhat determined--it'll be ordered tomorrow and I might get to start scratching around on it by the weekend.

Stripper won't eat electrical tape?
Will it eat glue?

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 04:45 AM

Acetone, which you can buy from a boat store that deals in fibreglass boat, building materials. This should, with a swift wipe, remove the surface gloss, leaving the finish dull. Don't scrub, don't overwet the cloth, keep using a new bit of the cloth, as it may clog up with the stuff you're wiping off. Put it on the cloth, not on the work, as it's very runny and can't be controlled in direction or effect.
Lastly, wear a face mask, and do it either outside, or in a very well ventilated room.
Acetone is highly flammable, and volatile, but benign if handled correctly.
Test a small corner first of course, just to make sure it will do what you require.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 05:49 AM

Would boat store acetone be the same stuff as nail polish remover, John M?

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:20 AM

Yup, but a less adulterated version.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 10:12 AM

Nail polish remover frequently has added "exotic oils" that you are supposed to believe do something special to your horny parts. They don't tell you what's added, or even what exotic things they're expected to do.

The acetone from the boat shop should be just acetone. You may also be able to get fairly "pure" stuff at a paint store, craft shop, or any place that sells "artist paint supplies."

Common rubbing alcohol (propanol) usually will remove varnishes of the kind typically used on fiddles, and is cheap and easily available. I find it less irritating to work with, but the stuff used on guitars often has "hardeners" added that make it more resistant to the milder solvents, so you may need to use acetone or a "stripper."

A really cheap guitar may have a lacquer finish rather than varnish, and for "heirloom work" you might want a different solvent; but in the present case almost any commercial paint/varnish remover should do a satisfactory job of removing the original finish.

As with any such stuff, test on an inconspicuous area first; and do the mask, ventilation, and removal of ignition sources when working with any solvents.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 10:16 AM

Depending upon the glue, yes, acetone could dissolve it. Acetone is used to remove the adhesive when folks "super-glue" their fingers together. I don't know about epoxies or other glues, but I'd be careful.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: GUEST,The Walrus
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 10:32 AM

If you're worried about the solvents attacking adhesives or other parts, simply try painting the surface with wax (beeswax is best but parafin wax should work) dissolved in white spirit then, when it drys, polish it back with 0000 grade steel wool and finish with a duster - that should 'knock-back' the gloss a little.

Any help?

Tom

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Amos
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 11:13 AM

As regards sanding the curvaceous body, I submit a small palm sander with an orbital motion, or a "mouse sander" or an oscillating tool like a Frie (pricey, though) may serve you better than a whirling pad at the end of a drill. Better control and less risk of random gouges from the outer edge of the disk tilting into the wood by accident. Especially with thin wood for which you want to preserve the outer look.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 05:23 PM

Thanks, guys! In combination, the lot of you gave me enough information to boldly launch into the project.

Guitar is ordered, I got some nail polish remover. If it works, that's probably what I'll use (craft store would be a long drive and I wouldn't even know where to look for a boat shop)
I have a jug of stripper and that will be the second thing I try.

I'd be kind of timid about diving in if you all hadn't picked up this thread.
Thank you,
M

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:25 PM

Melissa, stripper COULD attack the adhesive of electrical tape, but is unlikely to migrate through the plastic tape, so just be careful around the edges of the tape, and use stripper sparingly, and finish off with scraping. The stripper I use is a gel, so not runny.
It attacks the adhesive of every tape I've tried, but as your obtainability seems limited (as was mine) it is the first option I would try.
The very last bits of the varnish are a bugger to get, but if you don't get them, the new varnish will be patchy.
Don't forget to mask everything you are leaving alone, and do it carefully. A guitar is lightweight, and you will unthinkingly hold it to stop it moving about. Been there, done that, got the fingerprints.
Around the bridge needs careful work too. Expensive guitars have self-coloured wood, but cheap ones, not often. It's unlikely that the glue holding the bridge on will be affected, but why take a chance! another case for sparing use of stripper.
Hope this helps. Chris.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Rapparee
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:25 PM

Acetone can usually be found in the paint department of hardware stores.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:32 PM

So, if the polish remover almost works, I could go someplace like walmart and find regular acetone? Would a small lumberyard be likely to carry it?

Thanks, Gurney. I still haven't decided where to mask the thing, but if I do mark some of it off, I may run some strips of various tapes across an area I know I'll be stripping..to see which kind holds best.
So far, I'm leaning toward cleaning the whole thing. It's small, and I really don't like the way the finish feels.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:43 PM

The other component often used in nail-polish-remover is Ethyl Acetate. 'Acetone-free' NPR contains a lot of it, or used to, in the days when I worked for a contract bottler. It isn't any better for the nails than Acetone, and catches the throat much the same way.

Nail polish/varnish/paint is not intended to come off easily.

My comment about expensive wood above: I meant the wood that the bridge is made of. It will probably be painted. I'd try hard to leave it alone! There will be a build-up of varnish in the corner between the bridge and belly, and the bridge will be too little to mask, and awkward to strip. And repaint.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 06:45 PM

jesus, this thread is one reason why I rarely venture south of the line.

the only efficient way to get rid of your finish, (which is a thick polyester coating btw) is by using a cabinet scraper.

quick, clean and effective.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jun 10 - 07:44 PM

What's a cabinet scraper, Murray?


Gurney, I'll need to be even more careful than that about the bridge..I'm pretty sure it's a hideous plastic thing and I have no idea how I'd stick it back on if I spoinged loose!

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:00 AM

Okay, Melissa, you want to buy a cheap guitar with a thick, shiny finish and make it look like an old guitar with a matte finish.

Have you ever stripped and refinished a piece of furniture? Do you have the equipment? Workbench? A basement or garage? Ventilation? Because if you live in an apartment, there is trouble ahead.

Then there's the matter of the other materials in the guitar. It could contain adhesives and other finishes which will be damaged by fumes or seepage from the stripper. For example, what will a stray drop of stripper do to the neck?

Somebody recommended acetone. Acetone is very dangerous.

Unless you are experienced in stripping, I recommend going back to the post by John in kansas and doing what he says.

But first I would live with the guitar for a while. You may discover that the shiny finish doesn't really matter.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:19 AM

"...acetone is very dangerous..."

as long as you don't drink the stuff, it won't do you any harm.

if you go to a nail tech to have your old acrylic nails removed, you will be given a jar of acetone to dip your fingertips in for ten minutes to soften the acrylic.

as far as I know, there have been no health issues reported as a result of this.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:20 AM

Not funny, Murray. Melissa is asking a serious question, and guitar bellies are not made of hardwood. Or even thick wood.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:23 AM

About the cabinet scraper, I mean.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 09:20 AM

"Acetone is extremely flammable and causes irritation of the skin and upper respiratory tract, narcosis and dermatitis with moderate exposure."

The 'flammable' part is right there on the can for all to read.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 11:02 AM

As a former paint chemist, I feel obliged to comment that acetone is a lousy stripper---evaporates much too quickly. A commercial past-type paint remover is much easier to work with. THough if all you're trying to do is cut the gloss, a scouring pad is the safest, easiest method---and doesn't require that much time nor effort.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:32 PM

When I want to remove A from B, I use these things in the following order:

water
detergent and water
Goo Gone
alcohol
paint thinner
acetone (use it outside)
stripper (except I don't strip things anymore)

Acetone is great for getting advertising off plastic mugs so you can sneak sips while in the church choir. I agree with you, Dick, that it is not what I would use to remove a finish from wood.

It occurs to me that it is extremely drying and might dry out the guitar top to the point where it cracks.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 03:29 PM

I want to clean it all the way down to wood.
Taking off the shine would make it look better than it does, but I'm not sure it would make the existing finish feel better to me. I really do not like to touch the coating..I don't like the way it feels.

I thought I'd sort of approach it like a very large fingernail..and do the polish remover with cotton balls or something like that. I thought I'd work on small areas. I don't mind the tedious aspect of that idea.

I could slather stripper easily enough. It would be faster and less work.
Maybe I'll run a comparison with both in conjunction with my tape-test. That would probably be the best way for me to find out what I think about all of it at once..

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: PoppaGator
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 03:34 PM

I found this info by clicking the link ~ I don't believe it's been mentioned (explicitly) in the discussion:

This guitar is selling for a mere THIRTY FIVE BUCKS! Can't hardly go wrong at that price.

**********************

If you have the time, and enough elbow grease, skip the toxic chemicals and just sand the thing down (40 grit paper is fine enough), rub on some tung oil, let dry 24 hours, repeat 3-5 times, and finish with a coat of paste wax (such as Johnson's, available just about anywhere in the US, including supermarkets). It'll look great, and still sound OK.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 03:41 PM

What's the difference between tung and boiled linseed, PoppaGator?

It really IS a cheap guitar and they sound decent. They have a nice size/shape and I want to see what happens when one is naked.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 08:57 PM

That's a lot of work on a cheap guitar. The acetone sounds like a way to give yourself a headache and a mess to clean up. I vote for sanding the thing.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 09:02 PM

I probably would sand it (or try) but I don't have a sander.


That place sure has fast delivery!
I ordered a mandolin at the same time (yesterday) and it came today. I expect my cheap guitar within a day or two..

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 02:37 AM

Tung oil dries faster.
I make a rub-on finish from equal parts of varnish, tung or linseed, and turpentine substitute. Got the recipe from an American woodworking magazine that found its way offshore.
One application sinks right in and makes the wood relatively safe from dirty fingers and damp, and is touch-dry in 5 minutes. It colours the wood amber-ish. You can add oil-based stain to taste.
Further applications build up into a semi-gloss-varnish-like finish.

I've never had the courage to try it on soundwood, though, just because it does sink in. Even different varnishes are reputed to change the tone.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 04:17 AM

Gurney,
Why turp substitute instead of the normal stuff?
Does that recipe coat evenly with minimal cussing?


I'm looking forward to hearing the difference in my cheapo naked and again when it's wearing whatever I end up putting on it.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 04:53 AM

The tung oil I've used doesn't dry faster. In fact it takes at least 24 hours to "dry to touch" and at least a couple of months to harden to the point of beginning to provide "the tung oil surface."

There are numerous varnishes with a small amount of tung oil in them, and lots of those are pretty quick-drying. They may benefit some from the tung oil content.

A "real" tung-oil finish - nothing but tung oil - is virtually invulnerable to water marks, stains, dried crusty spills, spilled medicines, hairballs, and other "piddles-and-crud" but it's not a quick finish.

I had to "re-finish" a table once when a g'kid left a wet glass on it after about three weeks of "cure," but once I got a month or two of hardening on the second pass it hasn't been touched - and seems pretty much "untouchable" - by any of those things that spoil fine furniture, for a little over 20 years.

(Maybe I should give it an oil job just out of sympathy for the abuse.)

Pure tung oil, on the other hand, is among the more expensive materials you can use; and since it hardens to an incredibly durable (hard?) surface I'm not sure it's what I'd think of first for the finish on an instrument. A more conventional varnish with "some tung oil in it" would be worth considering though.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 12:56 PM

What kind of oil is Old English?
Would it be a tung blend?

If I could seal it with that, I could use the rest of the oil on my cabinets or something.

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: frogprince
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 01:15 PM

John, dumb question # 737: with a finish that dries that slowly, how do you keep it from getting dust in the surface; are you just very meticulous about dusting the area, or?

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Melissa
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 03:17 PM

guitar has arrived..I haven't gone in to town to pick it up yet, but by this time tomorrow, I ought to be up to my elbows in the project!

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 24 Jun 10 - 04:13 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney - PM
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:20 AM

Not funny, Murray. Melissa is asking a serious question, and guitar bellies are not made of hardwood. Or even thick wood.


Subject: RE: BS: Removing glossy finish
From: Gurney - PM
Date: 23 Jun 10 - 01:23 AM

About the cabinet scraper, I mean

Hey, I wasn't being funny, I was being serious.

What makes you think you couldn't use a cabinet scraper to remove finish from a soundboard ?

I've done it several times. You need to know how to sharpen it, and how to hold it, but once you have the hang of it there is no better, or quicker, tool for the job.