romanian finish removal

dennis duvall · #1 01-19-2008, 08:23 AM

I have as a backup bass one of those romanian (new but in a container for 15 years) 3/4 DB. the finish on these (shaking head) I don't know, plastic?, balkan vinyl?, devil spit?. I sanded the finish off front plate Opened up the sound 100 percent, but used 2 pkgs of sand paper ( kept clogging up with that gunk) actually squeaked as tearing a dry cleaners bag! I want to strip the ribs and back. is there a liquid stripper out there that might loosen this stuff first? thanks Dennis

ctregan · #2 01-19-2008, 10:32 AM

Regular paint remover should work. Scrape the slop off with a scraper or #2 steel wool, then wash off the remaining residue with alcohol and a cloth. It will keep the paper from getting "gunked up".

Uncletoad · #3 01-19-2008, 10:42 AM

Look around for Aircraft Stripper. It's a brand name and in a blue and white container. I get it at an Auto Body repair place. Do it outside with a breathing apparatus and gloves. Stuff is nasty but works great.

DONT TOUCH IT WITH BARE SKIN!

Be sure to work as quick as possible in smallish sections and wash down the wood quickly after it's stripped before moving on to the next spot because that stuff can eat up your lumber and pull apart the glue joints.

dennis duvall · #4 01-19-2008, 10:54 AM

unc, do you mean to wash off with water, or alcohol as ctregan says? dennis

Uncletoad · #5 01-19-2008, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis duvall

unc, do you mean to wash off with water, or alcohol as ctregan says? dennis

I use water cut with a little vinegar. Gotta dry that up pretty quick though, I'm not talking about giving it a bath, don't want to start bending wood, just wiping it down to clean off the stripper so it stops eating stuff.

I don't recommend that on a high dollar bass btw. Even a mid dollar bass. Just for stuff that was polyurethane or some other sprayed finish.

I don't use it on Martin or Gibson flattops around here, you don't need that power to strip lacquer. I use it on nasty poly or acrylic finishes on solidbody guitars.

ctregan · #6 01-19-2008, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis duvall

I sanded the finish off front plate Opened up the sound 100 percent, but used 2 pkgs of sand paper

Careful not to sand too much, you might be changing the thickness of your top plate. Maybe thats why the sound has opened up!

dennis duvall · #7 01-19-2008, 01:36 PM

ctregan: amen on the plate thinning! I try never to go thinner than 6mm on top plate, but there's plenty of elbow room on that romanian. yes i'm very concerned due to thin ribs that's why i want to use a catalist to remove finish, i don't plan on using any heavier than 220 on the sanding, i know that some of these rib are only 2.1mm thick. Dennis

lcdck · #8 01-11-2012, 05:06 PM

Curious if you eventually did strip your Romanian basses finish. I just bought the same thing and am considering stripping the polyurethane myself. I'll probably try citrus strip as I've had good experiences with it in the past and I own a gallon of it already.

Any thoughts based on your experience would be appreciated.

DC Bass · #9 01-11-2012, 06:08 PM

Here is/was my Romanian bass post strip job. A friend and I used a heavy duty chemical paint stripper- I'll look about for the jug- Apply and leave sit for ten or fifteen minutes- "Better living through chemistry!"

The finish bubbled up and could be easily wiped off with a plastic scraper.

Definitely wear gloves!!! A respirator prolly wouldn't hurt either- we did the work outside and still used both.

Wipe down with what ever it says on the lable, prolly denatured alcohol.

It made all the difference in the world as far as tone and volume production- most folks that were familiar with it prior to the re-fin can't believe it is the same bass.

Good luck with your bass!

Joe

Bijoux · #10 01-11-2012, 10:35 PM

Funny I had one of these basses years ago. I think that over the years they improved the finish slightly.
but anyway the one I had, had the finish on the neck too. So I was trying to sand it down to bare wood, and I could actually peel off the finish. It was some sort of plastic thingy. i kept thinking that if the whole finish was the same on the entire bass, it could probably inhibit the wood to vibrate.

Heifetzbass · #11 01-12-2012, 04:15 AM

I used citrustrip on the project I was working on. It worked pretty well.

Has anyone used this:SOY Gel™ Paint and Urethane Remover Gallon [1G] - $64.95 : Franmar Chemical, The Soy People

Saw it at Woodcraft.

Thanks,
Brian

lcdck · #12 01-14-2012, 08:12 AM

Thanks guys for your replies. I think I'm going to try this when I have some time.