Removing thin paint (spray paint? )

[collin]

I'm looking at a older Fender guitar online, and it has the original sunburst finish covered up by what looks like a thin coat of possibly spray paint? It could also be hand applied latex house paint, the owner isn't sure.

Anyways....does anybody have a good technique for removing old paint, but somewhat preserving the paint underneath? I would imagine rubbing compound would do the job, but with old Nitro Fender paints, I would imagine it would burn through. I'm not too concerned with the state of the paint underneath the top color....i'd rather a beat original finish than rattle can!

If it's latex house paint....? I could peel the paint away? I have no clue...

[jingle_jangle]

It's hard to predict results with only a verbal description, but here's my best shot:

I'd assume that the original sunburst is worn away in places, and that's why a former owner painted over it. But if it's a "thin" layer, then it's probably not latex. You'd see brush marks.

Is it painted under the guard?

If it was in my hands, I could probably tell what kind of paint it was by inspection. Lacquer or enamel or (God forbid!) Rust-o-leum. Then I'd try one of several methods or solvents to attack the top paint without affecting the sunburst layer. There are solvents to remove enamel, but all of them attack lacquer as well, so in general these are out, except for xylene, which is a problem to acquire and a nasty carcinogen.

Probably the least invasive trick, although certainly the strangest, is ductape. Buy a roll of the stickiest ductape you can find. Apply a strip to the guitar's back, burnish it down well over every square inch, but leave about 4" hanging off so you have something to grab. Get a good grip on this and pull, quickly but firmly. Provided the former owner didn't sand it before painting it, the top layer should come off and leave the original paint intact.

I would try this on a small area before attacking the whole guitar.

Incidentally, I got this idea from talking to my friend Bob's wife, who doesn't like his furry back, but got tired of the hassle of lathering him up and shaving him every month...

[cjj]

Ouch!

As for Duct tape, I've found the Gorilla brand (the same guys that make Gorilla glue) to be better at sticking than most others. I'm not sure how good it is at removing paint though...

http://www.gorillaglue.com/tapes.aspx

[collin]

Very good suggestions, thanks Paul.

I will try to get some better pictures and more description from the seller to see if it's worth it. Apparently the guy sold the guitar way back, and it was a nice sunburst, and bought it back a few years later sporting a cheap paintjob. Under the pickguard, the sunburst looks great though.

I'll report back--thanks!

[romo1950]

I'm looking at a older Fender guitar online, and it has the original sunburst finish covered up by what looks like a thin coat of possibly spray paint? It could also be hand applied latex house paint, the owner isn't sure.

Anyways....does anybody have a good technique for removing old paint, but somewhat preserving the paint underneath? I would imagine rubbing compound would do the job, but with old Nitro Fender paints, I would imagine it would burn through. I'm not too concerned with the state of the paint underneath the top color....i'd rather a beat original finish than rattle can!

If it's latex house paint....? I could peel the paint away? I have no clue...

Bring it down Collin you know we can fanagle that old paint off and preserve the sunburst

[collin]

I'm looking at a older Fender guitar online, and it has the original sunburst finish covered up by what looks like a thin coat of possibly spray paint? It could also be hand applied latex house paint, the owner isn't sure.

Anyways....does anybody have a good technique for removing old paint, but somewhat preserving the paint underneath? I would imagine rubbing compound would do the job, but with old Nitro Fender paints, I would imagine it would burn through. I'm not too concerned with the state of the paint underneath the top color....i'd rather a beat original finish than rattle can!

If it's latex house paint....? I could peel the paint away? I have no clue...

Bring it down Collin you know we can fanagle that old paint off and preserve the sunburst

Righto, I figured you could!

Let's see if it pans out first!

[jingle_jangle]

In the event that the Duct Tape Solution (sounds like a Robert Ludlum novel!) fails to deliver satisfactorily for you, Collin, please document for us, in as much detail as you can, the methods you and Robert use to coax the buried sunburst back into the light of day.

I'm sure that, even with the success of the duct tape method, there will be areas that will not come free. In this case, careful work with a plastic scraper can peel the overcoat back. My biggest concern is with areas of bare wood, to which the overcoat will cling like a hobo to a ham sandwich.

If this was brought to my own shop, here's how I'd go about it, hands-on. I'd first try the duct tape method, which, with any luck, will remove the lion's share of overcoat paint on the flat surfaces. This method depends upon the adhesion between the overcoat and the original burst being less than the adhesion of the original burst to its Fullerplast undercoat. Fullerplast being a polyester material, the bond between it and the old nitro Fender burst finish must be a mechanical bond, i.e., scuff-sanding, way back then, on the paint line, in the Fender plant. These finishes stick very well, but of course we've all seen the type of wear:



Note that there seems to be some real paint film thickness in the areas where the edge of the burst is visible. This thickness is 95% Fullerplast and only 5% the actual burst lacquer.

So, chances are that the original finish will continue to adhere to its undercoats, fairly dependably. Because the burst is nitro, nearly all solvents are out. Because there are areas of bare wood to contend with, water-based paint softeners are out. Citrus-oil-based softeners are also out, as they will dissolve nitro, too.

Back to my "method": After removing that I could of the overcoat paint, I'd use gentle scraping with soft picks and scrapers to remove the rest, with the size of the tool being dependent upon the size of the area (neck pocket edges=dental pick, curved outside radii=small plastic scraper).

Wait--dental tools are very hard, pointy metal. Yep. This is where "feel" comes into play. The rest of the time, it would be plastic. Wood scrapers are softer than aged enamel or lacquer paint. If this is latex, you're home free...but if you can't see brush marks, it's probably enamel. Aged enamel is hard, and it's brittle. If this is commercial automotive or utility enamel, applied with a spray gun, it's gonna be a tough fight. If it's, on the other hand, rattle-can enamel, it'll be very thin and adhesion won't be the best. That's your best hope--rattle can, duct tape, scrape and pick. And, as Robert says, "finagle" the overcoat off.

It's a new category--Guitarchaeology 101.

[collin]

haha, yep. Guitararcheology!

Thanks Paul, very solid info there. I'll see if the deal works out. If not, that's good info to know anyways. I see a lot of vintage guitars (especially Fenders) repainted, where the original finish is still visible underneath. If the top coat is badly applied then it isn't such a big deal to have a go at removing it to see if the finsih underneath is good or not. If it's a nice refin...it would be a shame to remove and find an original paintjob that is basically gone anyways.

[jps]

Guitarcheology®

[Rayomatic]

Hey Collin, did you ever try this? Did it work?

Dave

[collin]

Never got the chance, unfortunately! I lost the bid.

I have seen this done before though. Somebody in the forum recently did it to a vintage Ric but it was taken off using T-cut and elbow grease.

I have successfully removed spray paint off an old motorcycle using rubbing compound and a buffing wheel, but I wouldn't suggest this for a guitar...

[manta]

I once chipped away a copper spray job that covered a rather rare Telecatser goldtop. I used my pick and chipped a way a little every day. Took a couple months 'cuz I'd always stop and play it. But it can be done.

[manta]

Incidentally, I got this idea from talking to my friend Bob's wife, who doesn't like his furry back, but got tired of the hassle of lathering him up and shaving him every month...

Beats waxing I guess!!!