striping finish off of fender P/J bass

[beebassdude]

im trying to strip the finish off of my mexi jazz bass so i can restain it. ive never done this before so i started testing it on a 40 dollar squire P bass that i have, which id like to strip too (although i dont care how this one looks in the end lol).

i got a heat gun and started using the heat gun on the finish, and i can get the first small layer of "finish" off of the bass, but there seems to be another later that doesnt come off as easy.

my question is, should this layer come off and im not using the heat gun correctly? or do i have to soften this stuff up and take it off with a knife/puddy knife? that would definitely take awhile, but ill do it if its the only way.

im sure some of you guys have done this so please let me know if you have any suggestions for me. getting the first layer to crack off is easy, but that second layer is a real pain in the ass. thanks guys

[NOVAX]

Strip-eaze. Nasty, orange gel that will bubble all the way to the wood-be careful.
After it's lifted overnight that heat gun and a putty knife will scrape it off like cake
frosting. Remember it's nasty, caustic stuff. Get really thick PVC coated gloves.

[beebassdude]

any other suggestions from anyone?

[Pilgrim]

Here's a link to a TB search on the phrase "how to strip finish off a Fender P bass". 117 threads found.

http://www.google.com/custom?domains...ORID%3A1&hl=en

I highly recommend you buy Dan Erlewine's book on guitar repair and study it. Amazon has copies used.