Sanding off the varithane(sp?)?

Psychotisis · #1 12-18-2010, 02:57 PM

I have a fender P clone and was wondering what grit of sandpaper I should use to sand off the plastic-ish coat to get to the wood base.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

praisegig · #2 12-18-2010, 03:34 PM

I would start with 180 or 220 to bust the clear coat to bare wood. Then finish up with 320 or 400 to smooth out

Psychotisis · #3 12-18-2010, 03:36 PM

awesome thanks so much.

bassman10096 · #4 12-18-2010, 05:10 PM

The poly finishes are very, very tough. Sanding is possible, but tends to take so much work as to be an unpleasant job, then you are faced with a lot of smoothing work. A couple of alternatives: (1) If you plan to paint the bass a solid color, there's no need to fully remove the poly - it's a great platform for another finish if you just rough it up (and patch any dings, etc) or (2) If you are really determined to get to bare wood, a heat gun will do the best, and quickest job for you. I recently refinished a Fender body whose poly-crud finish had been removed with a heat gun. After just a little touchup sanding, I had a bare wood surface to start from.

Psychotisis · #5 12-18-2010, 05:37 PM

I am planning to take it down to bare wood and leave it that way. And a heat gun? what exactly do you mean?

VFRMAN · #6 12-18-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psychotisis

And a heat gun? what exactly do you mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfqNqrXS-C0

s_mcsleazy · #7 12-18-2010, 05:59 PM

its really hard mate. i used a orbital sander and it took 4 hours just for the flat bits. im kinda keeping it with some of it on

Pilgrim · #8 12-18-2010, 06:22 PM

Bare wood will look lousy and get dirty quickly.

Clear or tinted finishes (lacquer, poly or oil) over a light stain are much more attractive because they bring out the grain of the wood and protect it from getting dirty.

Unfinished wood isn't very attractive.

Jazzdogg · #9 12-18-2010, 07:17 PM

There's a significant risk of gouging the surface or changing the shape of the instrument while sanding if you're using a grit coarse enough to get he job done with alacrity, i.e., 40- or 60-grit. Coarse abrasive in a powered sander can ruin an instrument in a big hurry if you're not careful. Using 100-grit or finer can be slow sledding.

If you set up a worklight so it's shining parallel to the surface (as when shaping a surfboard), you'll be in a far better position to see exactly what you're doing and avoid mistakes .

If you know someone with a drum sander, and you're willing to pay to replace the abrasive, you can sand the front and back perfectly flat in mere minutes - after you've removed the majority of the old finish.

praisegig · #10 12-19-2010, 01:28 PM

Guess I was thinking this was a neck when i made my post.........sorry.

Psychotisis · #11 12-27-2010, 01:40 PM

you guys have been a huge help. thanks a ton!

I guess i should've been more specific. I will be sanding the body, and I will be coating it afterwards. (I'm aware that the wood by itself will get dirty.) it seems everybody has there own ideas on how to do this project. I'm gonna have to try them all! Thanks everbody for the ideas.