Stripping Paint off a Kay

[mbsmith2]

I recently got a 1939 Kay that was painted gold a long time ago. The paint is fairly thin, and the bass doesn't look terrible, but I would like at least to explore stripping it. First (only, really) priority is not to damage the instrument. What should I use to strip it and what is recommended to refinish, along the lines of a brown varnish?

Thanks!!

[ctxbass]

Maybe MollyKay will chime in here.

Rare Kay TV-1 Bass

[bassphase]

Unless you've got a sequined gold lame suit to match and an Elvis mask, I'd lose the gold paint. Try a citrus stripper--no nasty fumes and it works well.

Refinishing after you've got the gold off is another topic.

[mbsmith2]

Thanks for the info and for pointing me to MollyKay; that thread didn't come up in my site search. Wrong settings, I suppose.

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by mbsmith2

I recently got a 1939 Kay that was painted gold a long time ago. The paint is fairly thin, and the bass doesn't look terrible, but I would like at least to explore stripping it. First (only, really) priority is not to damage the instrument. What should I use to strip it and what is recommended to refinish, along the lines of a brown varnish?

Thanks!!

If it was my bass I'd leave the finish alone. Kay didn't produce the TV models until the advent of television in the fifties, but what you have is part of a certain point in history, like the Gold Top Les Paul. Those instruments were painted with bronze powder to make them show up better under the bright lights in television studios.

The paint job on your bass declares that it was used in that era, similar to the over-sized pickguards used by many country and bluegrass guitar players of the time. When I see an older Martin with a big pickguard I know its from the fifties - I love that!

[MollyKay]

As Jake said…the Kay TV-1 and Kay TV-21 models were made during 1953-1955 and there are supposedly less then fifty of each model. The first TV-1 that we refinished was a bass that we did not own. A jazz player saw my husbands refinishing skills on my 1937 American Standard and wanted his TV-1 refinished.

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My AS was painted “French provincial white” some where in the late 1960’s and we stripped that finish and gave it a complete make over with a Waterlox and oil paint finish…the bass is gorgeous now. The Kay TV-1 was refinished the same way, Citrus strip and Waterlox. It too came out very nice.

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I now own a Kay TV-1 and have yet to touch it because the finish has been stripped from the body and it has beautiful quilted maple wood front and back. The dilemma is do we restore it properly with the Les Paul real bronze finish to bring it back to its original character. Or do we move forward as is by leaving the heel and scroll in the original Verde gold paint and do a better finish on the front and back. The current finish is sloppy with runs and dirt in the clear coat. These are the decisions we have to make.

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Do what you feel in your heart to be right for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be dammed if you do, and damned if you don’t…Eleanor Roosevelt quote that I love.

[mbsmith2]

Thanks, Jay and Molly; I hadn't really thought about it that way. I don't think it looks terrible, and it's mellowed to kind of a dark gold, but it's definitely a repaint job--the original pinstriping is visible through the paint around the heel, and even the tuners were painted over. I do love the sound of the bass, and don't really want to take it out of commission long enough to do the work. On that subject, Molly, how long does it take to do one of those strip/refinish jobs? That will help decide what to do, if anything. Thanks for the input!

[mbsmith2]

Another issue--there are some hairline cracks on the back right at the soundpost spot. There is no buzzing or rattling; I am wondering if this is problem or the beginning of one, and what's the best way to nip it in the bud if necessary.

[MollyKay]

Originally Posted by mbsmith2

Molly, how long does it take to do one of those strip/refinish jobs? That will help decide what to do, if anything. Thanks for the input!

My husband has a full time job so he works on the basses evenings and weekends as time allows (or as the mood strikes him). The Kay TV-1 in total I think took about a month. No matter how fast you want to go you have to allow for drying time between each coat. The darker you go the longer it will take. I would have to look back at the Kay TV-1 thread; the thread pretty much spans the project time line. The fine double black Kay pin stripes were the crowing touch. The bass looked beautiful when finished and the owner was over the moon pleased. Good luck and I wish you patience and persistence. A quality job takes a good technique; it takes trial and error so give yourself room for mistakes. That is how we all learn.

[james condino]

Doing a complete refinish on an old Kay is a LOT of work- likely more than you can imagine, even for someone with very good skills. Having been there in the past, I can comfortably say that if I didn't like the finish on my old Kay, I'd sell it and buy another with the finish I wanted. Even if it cost me $1000 more, I'd be far, far, far ahead of what it would cost me in time and energy to do a proper refinish. Most of the time a refinish does not come out as well as planned and the value of your instrument actually drops.

Even with having very good finishing skills and know as "that dork with the finishing video", I'll admit that I turn down 90% of the finish work that is brought to me, in favor of the much easier tasks of rebuilding basses that come into the shop in a hockey dufflebag, busted up in 100s of pieces from a car wreck.

On a side note, there is a pretty cool finishing workshop coming up this July in Seattle....

j.

[MollyKay]

Originally Posted by james condino

Doing a complete refinish on an old Kay is a LOT of work- likely more than you can imagine, even for someone with very good skills.
j.

I echo what James states…it is a lot of work. Often getting the old finish off the bass, cleaning the nooks and crannies, prepping the wood and doing any repairs while the bass is in the white is just as much if not more effort then the refinish process. Finishing a new instrument is a skilled task. Restoring a vintage instrument is a task in persistence…you really “gotta want to”.

My husband has 40 years of auto body, custom motorcycle painting, fabrication, welding, woodworking and furniture making in his arsenal of skills. He has the ability to apply all those skill sets to his bass preservation efforts…and he loves doing it. Nothing gives him more satisfaction then taking something old and making it look correct…not looking new…but to look original.

If you are going to do it…do it right and take your time or love the bass just the way it is. Good Luck!

[mbsmith2]

For now I think I will leave it as is, but may try to add some pinstripes to it. Thanks for the info and input, all!