Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a 660/12 with gold pickguards that I just can't get used to. I have a spare white nameplate and was hoping I could remove the gold paint from the pickguards and re-spray them white. Anyone have a good suggestion for removing the paint without damaging the plastic? My first thought was laquer thinner but I'm pretty sure that would fog up or destroy the plastic. Would soaking them in somthing like Goo-Gone work?

Since the demand for gold guards is quite high, just selling them and having Pickguardian make a new set or trading them to a fellow Rickenbrother who has white and wants gold might be the best option.

I tried some "Polly-S ELO (easy lift off) Paint and Decal Remover" which is basically stripper for plastic models (hobby shop - $8 for a 1/2 pint can) on some plexi scrap and washed it off after about 15 minutes. It didn't seem to have any effect on the plexi and that's usually long enough for it to remove most paints. I think something like Goo-Gone might take a long time and don't know about the effects of the various canned solvents on plexiglass. Paul probably does and should be along presently.

On the other hand, it is possible to hand-sand the paint off and repaint. I did a set last week and it worked fine. I started with 320 grit (wet) and a sanding block, then went to 400 grit, 600, 800, 1,000, 1,500 and finally 2,000 - all wet-sanding with the sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. Edges, too, if needed - but without the block, to round them a little bit. My edges were sanded even finer and polished but the scratches from 2000 grit on the back side paint fine and don't show when it's done. It took about 1/2 hour to do all the sanding.

Once they're clean, if you bake them in the oven for three hours @ 175 degrees, you can re-paint them with just about anything. If not, you probably run at least some risk of solvent crazing and might want to use water-based paint. See this thread:
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Yeah...gold seems to be the "it" color of the moment. I'd trade/sell or hang on to it for originality purposes.

Brake fluid eats paint pretty quickly. I really don't know if it would affect the plexi, though. It should be tried on a scrap piece first.
I know some modellers use it regularly to clean off over zealously painted pieces, so it's not usually harmful to plastics.

WHOA! HOLD YER HORSES!

Not all plastics react the same way to the same substance. While styrene plastic (model airplanes) might not react, who's to say that it won't eat up an old Ric pickguard?

Proceed with caution after getting a whole lot more feedback from people with a whole lot more know-how!

Do not use brake fluid or any other kind of petrochemical or organic solvents on acrylic! Goo-gone has naphtha and xylene in it. Both are potentially bad for acrylic.

The worst thing you can put on acrylic is (believe it or not) denatured alcohol, with acetone a close second. These solvents will destroy acrylic (plexiglas) in seconds.

Here's how I recommend removing paint from back-painted guards: Buy four sheets of Wet or Dry sandpaper at the hardware or paint store. Two sheets should be #320, the other two, #600.

Place a sheet of the #320 on a very flat surface. A granite countertop is my favorite, but you can even use a piece of MDF or good plywood. I usually stick the sandpaper down with a couple of pieces of double-stick tape to keep it from shifting.

Now wet out the 320 with some ordinary Windex. It's a great sanding lubricant. Place the guard, painted side down, and start moving it back and forth across the 320. DO NOT move it in a circular pattern, just back and forth. Keep the sandpaper wet with Windex. You can wipe the slurry off the paper with a rag or sponge. The paint will sand off after a few minutes. Get every last bit off, then switch paper and use the #600. This will go a bit quicker. Take out all the 320 scratches. If you have trouble gripping the guard, put some double stick tape on your fingers, or double-stick a small wood block to the guard to grip it with.

The #600 is a good grade for a paint foundation, and you will not see the pattern of fine scratches when you paint.

I usually cover the good (unpainted) side of the plexi with masking tape to keep it pristine, until I'm through sanding and painting.

I regularly use this technique to remove paint from Gretsch guards, when I need to preserve the "Gretsch" lettering.

Rick guards I simply remanufacture and repaint. I have patterns for most new and old Rick guitar and bass guards.

I'd suggest keeping the gold ones as spares and having a set of white ones made. That way no guards would be harmed in the modification of your guitar!

Hey guys - great advice. What's the concensus on painted chrome? I find that the enamel paint I'm using flakes off too easily. Is there paint better suited to stick to chrome?

Painting chrome is mostly useless, because it's so slick that paint won't stick. If you must paint, then bead-blast and prime with catalyzing polyester or polyurethane primer first. Use a good brand of urethane paint (or you can use alkyd enamel and bake it in your oven. It will stink up the kitchen).

A short cut is a primer called "Bulldog", which can be bought at many auto-body supply shops. It comes in spray cans, and is applied directly over clean chrome. Paint then sticks well to the Bulldog.

As for the gold guards, sice they originally came with the guitar, why not put them and the TRC in a bag and store them away? That way if you ever decide to sell the guitar, you're able to return it to original issue.

The RIC website boutique and Pickguardian both sell replacement white guards.

Thanks, Paul. I'll have to give the Bulldog a try.